http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/corn/ en-us Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:52:31 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413458/posts According to a recent Congressional Budget Office report, the increased use of ethanol is responsible for a rise in food prices of approximately 10 to 15 percent. Why? We're turning corn into fuel — a highly inefficient one, at that — instead of food. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy points out that "mixing food and fuel markets for political reasons has done American consumers no discernable good, while producing measurable harm." However, perhaps summing up the issue most succinctly is Mark J. Perry, professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan-Flint: Anytime you have Paul Krugman agreeing... Mises Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413458/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:52:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405959/posts At the Copenhagen summit, there isn't a negotiating process to reach a climate pact. There are two. In 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, representatives from more than 150 nations—signed an agreement giving birth to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. [It] began holding sessions called the Conference of the Parties—COPs. What's happening in Copenhagen is the 15th such session, hence the nickname COP15. In 1997, COP3 established the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that set binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions for 37 industrialized countries (cutting emissions 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012). At... Mother Jones http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405959/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:08:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2372301/posts Crops such as Corn, Cotton and Soybeans Affected If it has seemed like it has been raining unusually often and by quite a bit, you are right. The months during harvest time (August/September/October) are traditionally the driest of year for most locations east of the Rockies, especially across the corn and cotton belts. This season, though, has been an exception. Here is a slide show that shows how the precipitation of these months has compared to normal. Doppler Dale's Weather Posts http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2372301/posts#comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:54:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2362476/posts David Corn, one of America’s greatest writers, has finally decided that Governor Palin has had it far too easy a over the last few months. Formerly Washington editor of “The Nation” (the “flagship of the left”) and now with “Mother Jones Magazine" the courageous Corn, who once astonished the world by calling President George W Bush a liar, believes it is time to shame a sycophantic and cowed media into showing up the Governor for what she really is. Conservatives4Palin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2362476/posts#comment Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:46:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361073/posts Christmas in October for Ethanol Traders and analysts are paying attention to the ethanol industry's renewed life and has resulted in a boost to the corn market, according to the Wall Street Journal. Profit markets are wider to the delight of ethanol producers who have operated in the red in recent years. In fact just last week, advancing energy prices pushed ethanol margins up a dollar per bushel, almost doubled margins from the week before. Ethanol plants are procuring more corn in order to ramp up production in order to pay down their debt. The renewed and optimistic predictions for... DTN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361073/posts#comment Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:51:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2351978/posts Hartland, Minn. (Freeborn County) I was eating sweet corn on a cruise ship. I knew I shouldn't have been eating it. The food on the ship had been unbelievably good, but I'm a Minnesotan. I have been spoiled. The only food I found lacking on the ship was that sweet corn. I'm sure it was good, but I have high standards when it comes to sweet corn. I once worked at Birds Eye. We all worked at Birds Eye - at least, it seemed that way. Working at Birds Eye was a rite of passage. When I was between grass... Country Today http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2351978/posts#comment Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:46:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2331616/posts At a time when the trade is questioning USDA’s 2009/10 prospective demand for US corn, especially in the feed use column, it is refreshing to note the continued upward demand for corn for ethanol. According to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the United States is expected to manufacture 12 billion gallons of ethanol for calendar year 2010, or 14.3% more than a year earlier requirement of 10.5 billion gallons in calendar year 2009. As you are able to view the trend increase for corn use for ethanol continues to be impressive vs feed use and equally important... Commodity News Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2331616/posts#comment Thu, 3 Sep 2009 23:09:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317483/posts Get ready for the sugar shock. Raw sugar futures have almost doubled this year amid fears of a shortage, which could lead to slightly higher prices for candy but also a spike in the price of ethanol. Much of the rise in sugar prices has come in just the past few weeks as drier-than-normal weather in India, the world's largest consumer, threatens to leave production there far short of demand... The bigger impact may be felt at the gas pump, where the sugar shortfall is likely to drive up the cost of ethanol, increasingly used as a substitute for gasoline.... Toronto Globe and Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317483/posts#comment Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:43:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2289563/posts Prehistoric communities in one part of Peru's Andes Mountains may have gone from maize to amazingly complex. Bioarchaeologist Brian Finucane's analyses of human skeletons excavated in this region indicate that people living there 2,800 years ago regularly ate maize. This is the earliest evidence for maize as a staple food in the rugged terrain of highland Peru, he says. Maize agriculture stimulated ancient population growth in the Andes and allowed a complex society, the Wari, to develop, Finucane contends in the August Current Anthropology. Wari society included a central government and other elements of modern states. It lasted from around... Science News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2289563/posts#comment Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:32:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281792/posts I heard about King Corn when Nora Gedgaudas interviewed Curt Ellis, one of the film’s creators. Ellis and his co-creator Ian Cheney decided to learn about the dominance of corn in our food supply by growing an acre of corn in Iowa, then following where corn goes after it’s harvested. The short answer is: it goes into pretty much everything. People like to blame the big, bad food industry for turning us into a nation of corn-eaters, but it was clear to me (and yes, this fits nicely with my own bias) that the problem is rooted in stupid government... Fat Head Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281792/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:28:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258214/posts Saudi Arabia just announced it was shutting down half of its oil production. It also says it will keep the capacity shut down for at least a year – maybe longer. The move would wipe out about five percent of the world’s oil supply overnight. What do you expect to happen? It would be bedlam. Oil prices would skyrocket. The price would jump to $100 or more within minutes. Prices would spike even if demand continued to dip and oil stockpiles stayed high. Gasoline prices would climb too. Every politician would vow to do something about it. Every major media... Seeking Alpha http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2258214/posts#comment Tue, 26 May 2009 11:07:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2253074/posts The government said last week that wholesale prices for food spiked in April — the biggest monthly jump in more than a year. Beef, pork, vegetables, fruit, eggs all rose in price. Some economists saw the increases as good news: it eased their fears of a deflationary spiral. But do American consumers, now experts in penny-pinching, have to worry about higher prices down the line? Or do last month’s figures simply represent normal volatility, with price ups and downs essentially even for the year or even down? What factors put pressure on food costs? New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2253074/posts#comment Mon, 18 May 2009 08:05:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252149/posts The corn ethanol scam is back and if you are driving an older-model vehicle, you should prepare for the worst. An ethanol lobbying group has petitioned the EPA to raise the ethanol content of gasoline to 15 per cent - - which will reduce fuel mileage and may damage older vehicles. Annuit Coeptis http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252149/posts#comment Sat, 16 May 2009 11:43:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2245152/posts Reporting from Washington -- The Obama administration on Tuesday proposed renewable-fuel standards that could reduce the $3 billion a year in federal tax breaks given to producers of corn-based ethanol. The move sets the stage for a major battle between Midwest grain producers and environmentalists who say the gasoline additive actually worsens global warming. For much of the last decade, federal officials have touted the potential of corn ethanol as a substitute for gasoline and a tool for reducing global warming and foreign oil dependence. However, environmentalists and others have questioned the wisdom of that support. A recent Congressional Budget... Los Angeles Times / latimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2245152/posts#comment Wed, 6 May 2009 06:24:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2231549/posts Minnesota should get out of the business of subsidizing the state's ethanol industry, the Legislative Auditor's office said today. In a report on the sometimes-controversial program that pays producers of corn-based ethanol, the office found that the subsidy program fails to maximize the energy and environmental benefits of the fuel. The money, $93 million paid to producers over the past five years, could be better spent on other programs that do a better job of reaching those goals, it concluded. Plus, at a time of crushing state budget deficits, the $44 million expected to be spent on the program through... Minneapolis StarTribune (aka The Red Star) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2231549/posts#comment Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:17:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2228467/posts At a time when water supplies are scarce in many areas of the United States, scientists in Minnesota are reporting that production of bioethanol — often regarded as the clean-burning energy source of the future — may consume up to three times more water than previously thought. Sangwon Suh and colleagues point out in the new study that annual bioethanol production in the U.S. is currently about 9 billion gallons and note that experts expect it to increase in the near future. The growing demand for bioethanol, particularly corn-based ethanol, has sparked significant concerns among researchers about its impact on... ScienceDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2228467/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:15:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226593/posts Global warming could rob the U.S. economy of $1.4 billion a year in lost corn production alone, a national environmental group estimated in a report released Thursday. The Environment America study, based on government and university data, projects that warming temperatures will reduce yields of the nation's biggest crop by 3% in the Midwest and the South compared with projected yields without further global warming. Iowa would be hit hardest, losing $259 million a year in corn revenues, followed by Illinois at $243 million. California, which leads the country in agriculture but doesn't grow much corn, would take an estimated... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226593/posts#comment Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:33:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226459/posts WASHINGTON – The increased use of ethanol could cost the government up to $900 million for food stamps and child nutrition programs, a congressional report says. Higher use of the corn-based fuel additive accounted for about 10 percent to 15 percent of the rise in food prices between April 2007 and April 2008 .. The CBO said other factors, such as skyrocketing energy costs, had an even greater impact than ethanol on food prices during that period. .. Ethanol's impact on future food prices is uncertain, the report says, because an increased supply of corn has the potential to eventually... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226459/posts#comment Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:23:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2225873/posts One might imagine that the old adage about something too good to be true would have sunk in by now. But in the realm of biofuels, hope springs eternal. With more than $240 million in Department of Energy funding, six pilot projects using "cellulosic materials" to produce biofuels are under way. Despite the prospect of technical breakthroughs, none have produced biofuels on commercial terms. This is especially unsettling given the federal order to blend 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022, of which 21 billion are mandated to be cellulose-based. Advocates of making these fuels from anything and everything abound:... Pioneer Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2225873/posts#comment Thu, 9 Apr 2009 21:29:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2201905/posts The corn-ethanol industry, which wouldn't exist without government intervention, his hired former General turned influence-peddler Wes Clark to lobby for an increase in the proportion of corn ethanol in motor fuel, from 10% to 15%. Corn ethanol is at best fuel-INefficient, raising the cost of driving needlessly, and at worst, it will damage your vehicle. And you get to pay for it! American Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2201905/posts#comment Sun, 8 Mar 2009 15:00:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2195626/posts A few years ago, the government mandated ethanol as a gasoline additive, in an attempt to make gasoline more ecofriendly, and as a replacement for MTBE, which has been shown to cause cancer. Problem with that is, there is no solid proof that leaking ethanol is any better than leaking lead or MTBE. Problem two, is it really economically viable? The only reason it is cost effective now, is because of government subsidies. For each billion ethanol-equivalent gallons of fuel produced and combusted in the US, the combined climate-change and health costs are $469 million for gasoline, $472–952 million for... Notoriouslyconservative.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2195626/posts#comment Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:20:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2180690/posts Talk about extreme makeover: Popcorn is suddenly sprouting colors and flavors you never saw at the old Bijou theater downtown. At Vic's Corn Popper, 1616 Shipyard Blvd., in addition to the regular White Gourmet or Caramel, you can order popcorn in Jalapeno, Ranch, Red Hot Cinnamon, Pink Vanilla Cotton Candy, Peanut Butter Chocolate Caramel, plain old Chocolate Caramel or Fruitilicious, which "kind of tastes like Froot Loops," according to co-owner Susan Beauchamp. myrtlebeachonline. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2180690/posts#comment Sun, 8 Feb 2009 00:33:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2149903/posts DES MOINES, Iowa - President-elect Barack Obama has selected former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary, according to Democratic sources familiar with the selection process. Obama will announce the appointment of Vilsack on Wednesday, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the selection before the announcement. Vilsack will be the fourth former opponent of Obama in the 2008 Democratic primaries to join his new administration. Others include Vice President-elect Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been tapped for secretary of state, and New Mexico Gov. Bill... The Prairie Star / The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2149903/posts#comment Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:19:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2144056/posts Where I live (the middle of nowhere), we were at the bottom of the list for having the 90% gasoline 10% corn ethanol brew at our local filling stations. This well-intentioned big-government mandate did eventually find us, however, and because I keep records of car mileage and fuel purchases, I can now affirm that the gas-ethanol mix does reduce fuel mileage. So I did some calculating, and . . . Oops! Looks like I’m "saving" the environment at the rate of using four additional 4 gallons of high-test per annum. And in the process, causing hunger in third-world countries because... American Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2144056/posts#comment Sat, 6 Dec 2008 17:03:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2111514/posts Via the Standard, you read the Byron York article. Now see the movie! Featuring an introduction by Mother Jones lefty David Corn, lamenting the sad, sad state of American politics in which irresponsible leaders scapegoat media outlets and incite an angry rabble. Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2111514/posts#comment Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:35:19 GMT