Good Luck

First of all, I greatly enjoy your blog and the glimpses into what life is like on a working ranch. I've never lived on a farm, but I've been around agriculture all my life (living in Iowa), but I have a deep respect for farmers and ranchers who, much like teachers, are inadequately compensated for the value of their life's labor.

About the biofuel vs. food debate, I'm not sure the answer is quite as black and white as choosing one or the other (my apologies if you didn't mean to imply that it was a strict either/or question).

If we don't find alternative fuel sources, in addition to reducing consumption, the world's hungry and poor are doomed anyway. What's needed is to find a balance between the competing imperatives of food and fuel supply, and I share your concern that no one seems to be interested in even asking these tough questions, let alone answer them.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I think we are on the same page; I agree that biofuels can never be the entire answer to our energy problems. Do you think they have any role at all? Where I live, the University of Iowa uses oat hulls (which would otherwise be throw away) from the local Quaker Oats plant to partially fuel its power plant, which saves them hundreds of thousands of dollars each year and I don't know how much fossil fuel consumption. Converting waste products to fuel seems a more promising biofuel initiative than converting food acres to fuel acres, and I wish it would get more attention.

Here in Iowa, there is so much focus on ethanol as a way to "rescue" corn prices for farmers that people are losing sight of the fact that when you factor in the conversion process, it really doesn't result in significant fossil-fuel savings. That's in addition to the concern you have so eloquently expressed about the conversion of acreage from producing food to producing fuel.

And the current infatuation with them is undoubtedly distracting people from investigating the viability of other alternative fuels, such as wind power and who knows what else hasn't even been thought of yet.

And you're absolutely right about the artificially low fuel prices impeding any serious conservation efforts. As much as it hurts my wallet to say it, the higher fuel prices over the past few years seem to finally be forcing people to consider changing their lifestyles just a little bit, and that's a tiny step in the right direction.

Thanks again for the thoughtful discussion. I'm sorry this is so long; it's a treat for me to be able to talk out these issues.