all are farmers are selling there corn for fuel?

Question

now we pay double at the store for any kind of meat and are fuel price still rise is it worth it

Answer 1

If you are paying double price for meat, I assure you it is not because of corn ethanol production. Somebody is feeding the public a load of propaganda.
Ethanol producers use the starches from corn, convert it into sugars, which are then distilled (or brewed, like beer) into an alcohol called ethanol.
There is a by-product of the process called 'distillers grains' which is a high protein feed. The distillers grains are sold back to ranchers as livestock feed.

see the 3rd slide of this slide show depicting ethanol production:
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/05/0508_makingof_ethanol/index_01.htm?campaign_id=msnbc_ethanol

Don't believe everything you hear from the ethanol nay-sayers. There is a lot of propaganda being spread, much of which is started by people & companies that have nothing to gain & everything to loose by the use of alternative fuels.

Answer 2

Farmers sell their corn as "bushels" at the current market rate. The buyers then choose whether it goes to ethanol, or animal feedstock.

Because of record high corn prices this year, every farmer and their brother prepared empty fields with corn crop for next year, so there will be a huge surplus next year, driving the price down lower than we have seen in a while.

I believe in the end it is worth it because ethanol production in getting less energy intensive, and can be regrown. So it is both renewable and helps prevent global warming.

Just like with anything that is relatilely new, it takes a little time and patience to work the bugs out and make it a better product. Especially with the efforts on cellulose ethanol, it will happen very soon.

Answer 3

Hopefully the sale of corn will be a triple blessing- increasing the farmers economic stance and in contributing to more environmentally healthy air by using it for fuel- maybe even decreasing fuel cost.

Answer 4

No, it's not worth it. Ethanol does not burn more cleanly than pure gasoline, it gunks up your engine, and it lowers your gas mileage. Widespread use of ethanol won't lower the price of gasoline with any significance -- we'll just be swapping "Big Oil" for "Big Corn." The push for ethanol is more about politics and money than it is about actual environmental benefits.

Answer 5

Doing what is better for the environment may cost more sometimes. That doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. Cheaper isn't always better.