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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Ethanol a net energy loss

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Ryan Albinger <ryalbinger@earthlink.net>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Ethanol a net energy loss
  • Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 14:12:49 -0500 (CDT)

"On-farm I'd be able to grow the soybeans, fuel my tractors"

This is externalization. Those tractors had to be created from Some energy
source.

Based on how things are working in the corporate-controlled world of today, I
would expect that some of your energy would be redirected in order to
manufacture tractors- it happens now, and it's called taxation (redirection
of energy, subsidization).

What happens when short-sighted tractor manufacturers manage to get the
government to force you to give up more and more of your energy in order to
make more and more tractors (so that they can pad their pockets)?

I have no objections to people trying to perform the miricle of
self-suficiency, but I do have objectsions to being forced to subsidize
(through corrupt political bodies) such activity (which completely erases the
notion of self-suficiency).


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA


----
I'll respond to the comment on resistance from organic farmers. I got some
literature on a oilseed processing/ biodiesel system costing around $7500
similarily sized unit as you mentioned. And I got to thinking about why in
the world I would process $20 a bushel soybeans to make biodiesel and have
leftover mash. Well, I came to the conclusion, I could. On-farm I'd be
able to grow the soybeans, fuel my tractors with biodiesel, and feed or
sell the soybean meal at organic prices. And I could theoretically make
more money doing so and be more enviromentally friendly. A win-win for the
enviroment and me. Addtionally soybeans work into rotation well.
I am learning more about the system before I proceed.
Ryan





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