Re: Castro - Rightfully - Blasts US Food-To-Ethanol Scheme

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:37:39 -0000, Joe Steel <NoSpam@xxxxxxx> wrote:

luminoso@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Luminoso) wrote in news:460b9c13.4390828
@news.east.earthlink.net:


For once, I'll have to agree with Castro. It's the height of
decadence to turn needed food into alcohol just so soccer moms
can keep driving those gigantic SUVs down to McDonalds. Better
to restrict the sale of anything that gets under 30 mpg to
licenced contractors, farmers and such. Make them "commercial
ONLY" vehicles and be PICKY about it. Get Ms. Soccer Moms gas
hog OFF the road. Feed the hungry, not her gas hog.


I think you guys may be wrong. I've read the grain can be used as animal
feed after the alcohol has been removed. I'm not sure if it is as
nutricious but it must have some value.

Not much. Grain is almost entirely starches and sugars.
The fermentation process breaks-down both and converts
the result to ethanol. All that's left is some fiber
and a small pinch of proteins and minerals. I suppose
it might keep your pigs "regular", but pigs rarely seem
to have a problem with that to begin with.

Now they want to covert the stems and leaves to ethanol
too. This USED TO get plowed-under, providing fertilizer
for the next years crop and retaining soil moisture. Now
they'll have to buy more fertilizer (and a lot of oil
goes into making each pound) and irrigate more.

BAD plan. Bad from a sustainability standpoint, bad from
a longer-term economic standpoint, bad from an ethical
standpoint too.

Even pricks like Castro can be right ONCE in a while ...

.

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