Stop to feed lazy world,let them grow
their own food.

Lester Brown does us all a favor by bringing together food and fuel into the same article, and making the point that these two economic spheres are rapidly converging due to growth in demand for ethanol. I'd tweak the argument a tad by pointing out that presently about half our nation's grain goes to feeding livestock, not people. We like our beef in this country, although ever since I learned the following I have gone off the stuff: It takes about 12 kilos of grain to grow 1 kilo of cow, and if you consider just the mass of the cow that is eaten the ratio soars to 20 to 1. So if the goal is to keep grain cheap for the world's poorest, the social change we need could come on two fronts at once -- raising fuel efficiency and making other changes to the car fleet that Lester Brown calls for, but also teaching the ratios. Here's hoping to see the end of the corn-fed 18 month-to-market drooling antibiotic infused cow. Teach the ratios! And eat less beef.

In the late 1800s, the fledgling petroleum industry aggressively competed with the established biomass-based energy industry in an effort to gain control of world energy production and distribution. Fossil fuel producers succeeded in their campaign to dominate energy production by making fuels and chemical feedstocks at lower prices than could be produced from biomass conversion. Now the pendulum is swinging against them.

Biomass is the term used to describe all biologically produced matter. World production of biomass is estimated at 146 billion metric tons a year, mostly wild plant growth. Some farm crops and trees can produce up to 20 metric tons per acre of biomass a year. Types of algae and grasses may produce 50 metric tons per year.

Hemp is the world's most versatile plant. It can yield 10 tons per acre in four months. Hemp contains 80% cellulose; wood produces 60% cellulose. Hemp is drought resistant making it an ideal crop in the dry western regions of the country.

Hemp is the only biomass resource capable of making America energy independent. Can anyone ever justify war with the Arabs for the privilege of driving our cars; will we stripmine our land for coal and poison the air we breathe to drive our autos an additional 100 years; will we raze our forests for our energy needs?

During the Second World War, the federal government faced a real economic emergency when our supply of hemp was cut off by the Japanese. The federal government responded to the emergency by suspending marijuana prohibition. Patriotic American farmers were encouraged to apply for a license to grow hemp. They responded enthusiastically and grew 375,000 acres of hemp in 1943.

Is Hemp the only biomass resource capable of making America energy independent?

If producing energy using crop material is so devastating to food supply, how is Brazil making ethanol work for them?
My understanding is that Brazil is currently fulfilling 80% of it's transportation energy needs via ethanol. Obviously, I understand that Brazil is no where near the size of the US, however, they appear to be maing the equation work.
ANy corrections/comments?

"Ethanol could leave the world hungry"
Our planet produces enough food for the entire population but greed prevent its distribution. The resourses spent on the US war for oil could feed the world more than a hundred times over. Even the utilies and rights to drinking water are being sold out from under US citizens to foreign companies.

Hemp is the answer and better use of the resources we already produce. I want to run biodeisel and second hand vegetable oil in my car. I've had to swim against the tide to find and secure alternative fuel technology for my home needs.

Why is it so hard to find and use alternative power technologies? It is because this knowlege is surpressed by the moneyed power players whose stock is still in fossil fuel. The auto industry, chemical agriculture and the polyester people are in bed with the oil companies - plain and simple.

For those in the know: the use of corn to make ethanol leaves a great byproduct called brewer's grain. Most of the energy (simple sugars or carbs) have been removed by the fermenting process. The resulting higher protein byproduct can be fed hogs or cattle with very little additional protein source such as soy meal. This means that cattle particularly can be feed on rough forage produced on marginal acres that will not be suitable to grow food crops for human food. With the addition of the brewer's grain in small (less than 5% of total ration) the efficiency of both feed sources is incresed.
IF you really want to save both food and fuel switch to Propane or natrual gas for transpotartion. Russia has enough BTUs of gas to put the Arabs out of business.
Bill Dunlap

Like Bill said, Ethanol's chief byproduct is a wonderful feed for animals, and in fact would be fine for human consumption as well (very similar to if not better than oatmeal).

And regarding hemp, it may be a fine crop, but corn can produce 20-30 tons of biomass per acre in 3 months (there is a reason they say 'corn is king'). On my own small farm, I could (and would) quickly switch from raising alfalfa (cattle feed) to corn (ethanol+cattle feed) if there was a market for it in my area.

And corn need not be the only crop that can create ethanol, wheat or barley is nearly as efficient (Poundmaker Saskatchewan has been operating since the 1980's and has been economically viable). There are millions of acres in the United States that could be used for grain production (wheat/barley, not corn) to be used in the ethanol industry that are currently government subsidized to remain idle (CRP program).