The biofuels fad is causing havoc and misery around the world. The
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that
global food prices rose 40% in 2007 alone, in large part because of
biofuel production.

The biofuels fad is causing havoc and misery around the world. The
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that
global food prices rose 40% in 2007 alone, in large part because of
biofuel production. Farming contributes more to global warming each
year than all forms of motorized transportation combined, because
nitrogen fertilizers react with the soil to produce nitrous oxide, a
greenhouse gas 296 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Biofuel
crop farming and production is actually speeding global warming
instead of slowing it. Farmers are burning down rainforests all over
the world to produce more crops because Americans and Europeans give
them the economic incentive by pumping up grain prices due to biofuel
production. Biofuels cost more (fuel cost + food cost + water lost to
irrigation + environmental damage) and destroy the environment faster
than using oil.

In article <2a6391b8-99b8-44a1-870b-d1b9c395eff6
@q77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>, calderhome@yahoo.com
(calderhome@yahoo.com) says...
The biofuels fad is causing havoc and misery around the world. The
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that
global food prices rose 40% in 2007 alone, in large part because of
biofuel production. Farming contributes more to global warming each
year than all forms of motorized transportation combined, because
nitrogen fertilizers react with the soil to produce nitrous oxide, a
greenhouse gas 296 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Biofuel
crop farming and production is actually speeding global warming
instead of slowing it. Farmers are burning down rainforests all over
the world to produce more crops because Americans and Europeans give
them the economic incentive by pumping up grain prices due to biofuel
production. Biofuels cost more (fuel cost + food cost + water lost to
irrigation + environmental damage) and destroy the environment faster
than using oil.

The runup in food costs has been caused by 6.65 billion people who all
want to eat. The population keeps growing. We have no choice but to
clear all the forests and exterminate all the wildlife, if we want to
feed people. We are headed inexorably toward a world populated by
people, domestic animals and vermin.

Of course, someone could address the population problem, but that is
politically unpopular.

There seem to be a lot of people buying into the argument about
ethanol fuel use making people starve. One columnist claimed that food
prices doubled since crop prices doubled. There's what, maybe a dime's
worth of wheat in a loaf of bread now?

In article <1203895470_3023@isp.n>, Dean Hoffman <""dh0496\"@ine
$br#as&ka.com"> (Dean Hoffman <""dh0496\"@ine$br#as&ka.com">) says...

There seem to be a lot of people buying into the argument about
ethanol fuel use making people starve. One columnist claimed that food
prices doubled since crop prices doubled. There's what, maybe a dime's
worth of wheat in a loaf of bread now?

There is no doubt that ethanol production is a market for corn, but the
remnant brewers grains can be used as cattle feed, and cows can utilize
other sources of carbohydrates. The primary cause for the rise in
commodity prices in the USA is the drop in the US dollar, which has

In article <1203895470_3023@isp.n>, Dean Hoffman <""dh0496\"@ine
$br#as&ka.com"> (Dean Hoffman <""dh0496\"@ine$br#as&ka.com">) says...

There seem to be a lot of people buying into the argument about
ethanol fuel use making people starve. One columnist claimed that food
prices doubled since crop prices doubled. There's what, maybe a dime's
worth of wheat in a loaf of bread now?

There is no doubt that ethanol production is a market for corn, but the
remnant brewers grains can be used as cattle feed, and cows can utilize
other sources of carbohydrates. The primary cause for the rise in
commodity prices in the USA is the drop in the US dollar, which has
returned US commodities to the world markets. While the dollar price of
grain has risen rapidly, the dollar itself has lost 40% of its value.
That $10 a bushel wheat is actually only $6 a bushel, far below historic
high prices. The parity price (there's a term I bet you haven't heard
in a while) would be well over $20 a bushel. Parity price is the
average US commodity price between 1919 and 1926, adjusted for
inflation.

Prices still haven't risen far enough to keep farms from disappearing.
Urban sprawl has slowed, but in the USA alone has taken 300 million
acres of fertile land out of production since WWII. 30 million of those
acres disappeared beneath asphalt and concrete, destroying its
ecological potential forever. A few voices mentioned that, with
expanding population, we were going to need those 300 million acres to
feed people, but they were ignored. Even now, many states still allow
unrestricted urban sprawl.

Even with profitable prices, farms are disappearing because two
generations of farmers have been forced off the farm by underpriced
commodities. If you want to be a farmer, buy shares in corporate farms.
They own most of the remaining land.


The last I heard about parity was probably back in the 1970s. It

No, it isn't. The rise is real in expensive euro's. The primary cause is
the growing wealt of India and China, cuasing more demand.

I the past, they weren't able to buy american (or european) food. Now
they can.