Marcus Aurelius

Ethanol Is No Field of Dreams

The problem is the land set asides & similar as noted. The agricultural markets are subject to tinkering from government programs, subsidies, land set asides etc. In addition, for sugar there are a lot of barriers to the importation of cheap sugar.

Ethanol Is No Field of Dreams

Ethanol has some promise but the pols keep meddling in it and get in the way. Subsidies for corn ethanol and blocking measures to make sugar cheaper hurt ethanol in the end.

Despite other ways to make ethanol here & now in the US ethanol means taking what should be bourbon, doritos, pork-chops, drumsticks, or ribeyes and burning it.

Even if we go to other sugar sources for our ethanol we still have to divert land from raising food to raising ethanol raw material.