Filed under: Ethanol
CNBC video: now that we have ethanol, is Farm Aid still necessary?
I love Willie Nelson and Farm Aid, but this year's Farm Aid is, well, a little pointless. Prices for wheat and corn are up a lot. Production of corn is at the highest level in history. The farm belt is becoming the new middle east so it's kinda hard to talk about the struggling farmer. Ethanol is not going away with promises like 20 percent of gas from ethanol by 2017 by Bush and many other promises from other politicians. Does the farmer really need aid anymore? Some studies are even starting to say ethanol can do without the subsidies. What do you think? Which ever side of the fuel vs food debate you are on, do you feel sorry for business prospects of the average farmer?
[Source: YouTube]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
dave 6:57PM (9/22/2007)
How does the average guy make money on the Ethanol phenomenon? I found a great website UseCorn.com
http://usecorn.com/ It has an Virtual Ethanol Stock Market where you can simulate trading in related ethanol stocks, in order to explore investment strategies.
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TX CHL Instructor 9:09PM (9/22/2007)
The need for subsidy is prima facie evidence that it's a bad idea.
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GreyFlcn 12:32AM (9/23/2007)
Uhm of course we need farm aid.
Because frankly practically all of the subsidies do no go to small farmers.
70% of all ethanol subsidies go to 3 agricultural companies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpm3iJsls80
Smaller farmers are being run out of the business.
http://greyfalcon.net/farmers2
_
Besides which, biofuels are automatically worse than petroleum without exception. The hoax can't go on for much longer.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2507851.ece
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mike 11:57AM (9/23/2007)
Why are farmers still growing CORN?
Why are they not switching to SWITCHGRASS!!!
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GreyFlcn 1:23PM (9/23/2007)
Because Switchgass is a really stupid idea.
http://greyfalcon.net/ethanol.png
http://greyfalcon.net/n2ostudy.png
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Tim 4:18PM (9/25/2007)
I have to agree with GreyFlcn here. The farm subsidies were designed as a pay-off to major campaign contributors like ADM and NOT designed to help the small farmer. In fact, they are designed to BANKRUPT the small farmer so the larger companies could buy their land "dirt" cheap. It’s the Socialist left and the Neocon left vs the small businessman farmer.
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Tish 2:59PM (1/01/2009)
As with most anything in this world the subsidies are exploited by major corporations (including corporate farms). This does no mean they are not needed or being used by small farmers. Grassroots organizations like American Farm Bureau are there to educate farmers and represent farmers/ranchers on the national political front.
Perhaps rather than spending the money as a "gift" subsidy it would be better spend encouraging people to buy/sell local, to eat healthy, to counter the billions fast food spends on advertising and brainwashing our kids to eat fried McNuggets, or MOST importantly to stop importing our food from China (or whereever) where they do no have the same regulations we force our farmers to adhere to.
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