Saturday, August 11, 2007

I Want Meat

Even though it is supposedly environmentally-conscious to support the ethanol blends in fuel, because it helps close the circle on reducing fossil fuel dependency, I still hate this evolving ethanol economy, in part because of two problems. One is that the actual cost of producing ethanol is often underestimated, because land degradation, fuel use and fertilizer costs are often not included. The second is that ethanol increases air pollution ozone levels, because ethanol increases the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) of the mixed fuel, leading to evaporation emissions of hydrocarbons from fuel tanks, and thus smoggier California days in summer

But more importantly, ethanol production is now interfering with cattle feeding, and so some steaks are becoming scarce (via the New York Sun):
"The production of ethanol, which is made from corn, is one major reason classic cuts of prime beef are becoming more and more expensive."

As the article goes on to explain, "Corn is the primary feed for cattle that produce USDA-grade prime beef. Corn is also the main ingredient for what many believe is the fuel of the future, ethanol. The production of ethanol has not only increased the demand for corn, it has made harvests more profitable for farmers, who receive the fruits of government subsidies when it is sold to ethanol producers."

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