SWAPPING SWITCH GRASS
FOR VALUABLE CORN
BIOFUEL EXPERTS LEADING THE TECHNOLOGICAL
charge for future fuels say plenty of corn substitutes
are easily available in everything from wood chips to
sumers already reeling from cow manure. food prices have risen faster
economic hard times.
One readily available substitute is “cellulosic”
than at any time since 1990.
Farmers who endured stag-
ethanol, also known by the name Ceetol, produced
Prices for all food bought in
nant corn prices for decades
from agricultural plant wastes and so-called “energy
crops” such as switch grass, grown specifi cally for fuel
the United States increased
fi re back that corn producers
production.
4 percent in 2007, up from the
are not the villains. One of the benefi ts of cellulosic ethanol is that 2.4-percent gain in 2006, and
In Iowa alone, farmers are
it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent
hovered somewhere between
profi tably feeding 26 ethanol
over ethanol-thinned gasoline, according to U.S.
5 percent and 6 percent in the
refi neries with the capacity to
Department of Energy studies.
The search for renewable, alternative fuels that
waning days of 2008, accord-
produce more than 1.7 billion
don’t disrupt the nation’s tender food supply is
ing to the October Consumer
gallons annually. There are 21
catching on. In March, the U.S. government awarded
Price Index for all food.
ethanol refi neries under con-
$385 million in grants aimed at jump-starting ethanol
The total spent for all food
struction or expansion which
production from nontraditional sources such as wood
consumed in the U.S. was
will add another 1.6 billion
chips and citrus peels.
Since then, a company called Range Fuels has been
$1.4 trillion in 2007, a 5.4
gallons to the state’s annual
converting wood into renewable fuels at a pilot plant
percent increase from $1.08
capacity.
in Colorado. The company is also building the nation’s
trillion in 2006. A similar
In addition, Iowa has 14
fi rst commercial-scale, 100-million-gallon-a-year
rise is expected this year.
biodiesel refi neries, with a
cellulosic ethanol plant in Georgia.
The jumps in prices refl ect
combined annual capacity relatively large increases for
greater than 315 million gal- staples such as milk, eggs,
lons, either in operation or vegetable oil, and bread. In
under construction, accord- 2007, retail milk prices rose
ing to Iowa government sta- 11.6 percent, and egg prices
tistics. were up 29.2 percent because
The Renewable Fuels of rising feed costs, while veg-
Association points out that etable oil and bread prices are
prices for corn, wheat, and expected to increase 9 percent
soybeans have all plum- or more in 2008. Higher fuel
meted by 50 percent during costs for transporting foods to
the past half year while food grocery stores and restaurants
shelf prices have remained also contributed to rising food
highly elevated. At the same prices.
time, ethanol production has That has even vegans feel-
increased dramatically. ing the pinch.
The Labor Department’s “Our grocery bill has defi -
Bureau of Labor Statistics, nitely increased over the last
meanwhile, agrees that food prices while the cost of dining out increased several months, which I’m
are high and still climbing. 3.6 percent. In 2008, at-home prices pretty sure is due to the cost
“The main factors behind higher are projected to be up 5 percent to 6 of fuel that affects every-
food commodity costs include stron- percent, while prices for eating out one no matter what
T
OSEARCH
O
ger global demand for food and the are expected to rise 3.5 percent to they eat, unless
ZZEL/F increased use of some food com- 4.5 percent. The trend is expected to you grow abso-
modities, such as corn, for bioenergy continue into the fi rst half of 2009, lutely every-
uses,” the bureau reports. they said. thing you eat yourself,” blogger
The bureau’s statisticians discov- During the past two years — Jenna Torres complained on the
/ISTOCKPHOTO / NO
ered prices of food for consumption about the same time as the explosive Web site Vegan Freak.“Your prices
GRASS at home rose 4.2 percent in 2007, growth in ethanol production — U.S. are going to be through the roof.”
JANUARY 2009 / NEWSMAX MAXLIFE 65
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