The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 603
There’s still another problem, most of our corn is genetically engineered to help
the corn grow big and abundant. Many countries have regulations against importing food that has been genetically engineered. If we don’t continue using
this process then our abundant crops might not be so abundant. So lower crop
yield could result in not enough corn for the starving people who don’t eat corn,
which results in higher prices or more subsidies that have to get paid to the
farmers, which then raises other prices.
Here’s the amazing part: much of the corn that is used to feed animals is not
used as you or I eat corn, it’s first converted to “distillers grains.” The process
breaks down the corn so that the starch is removed and only the best parts (in
terms of feedstock for cattle) remain. It’s rich in nutrients, providing about 4
times more protein to the animal than straight corn.
As the name “distillers grains” suggests, the process is conducted by creating
a mash and then distilling the mash to get rid of the liquid. This liquid is ethanol.
This ethanol is the ethanol that can be used to fuel an internal combustion engine. If the liquid wasn’t used it would be discarded. Why waste something that
provides so many nutrient benefits that can be used in virtually every gasolinepowered engine and makes a profit? The above is only part of the story. American farmers grow as much corn as they do because they know how to grow
corn, they have the soil and climate conditions that allow for corn to be grown,
and mostly because they have a marketplace for the corn.
The image that the oil industry wants to create in this situation is one where just
as the farmer is going to deliver his delicious corn into the mouths of starving
people the greedy ethanol producers swoop in and buy up all the corn. This
isn’t the way a manufacturing business is conducted.
Farming is just another manufacturing industry, with a few more concerns that
are related to weather conditions. But it follows the same rudiments of manufacturing that is used for automobiles, clothing, appliances, and a thousand
other items. Mature, experienced manufacturers don’t just start making products simply because they have the facilities and workers to do so. They go out
and pre-sell the next season’s line. They then use the pre-sell orders to secure
financing that allows the manufacturers to pay the workers, pay for the mechanical aspects of production, pay for marketing, and pay for distribution. Yes, there
are instances of people with their family and friends’ money who go willy-nilly
into production in the hope that there will be buyers for their finished products.
This is not the preferred way to be in the manufacturing business; it is very risky.
