Worldwide bacon shortage ‘unavoidable’

[Hobbitess]

my son in law has been working for the past two years on crews converting ethanol plants to bethanol, 12 hour days, 6 or 7 days a week.

Is bethanol "Bio-ethanol," meaning you can use a number of different plants instead of just corn to produce the ethanol?

If you give power to any people or any institution, that power will ultimately be used by the participants to secure their own personal advantages, regardless of political belief or persuasion.

True, which is why I'm generally in favor of limited government. The government's main job should be to prevent the various other organizations, as well as individuals, from using force or coercion on the populace, or just flat lying or deceiving people to make money (whether they're lying to customers who end up buying something worthless, or lying to employees about the dangers on the job). When the government starts competing with businesses, entrepreneurs, and voluntary service providers, it will generally end up dominating the market and making the system less flexible. And it generally makes people less accountable -- for example, the fact that lenders knew the government would step in to rescue them contributed to the housing bubble that burst in 2009, for a recent example, and the government protected the people who deliberately lied to the guys dying in the Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster. When government gets involved in business, that seems to essentially reverse it's focus; it shifts from encouraging honesty and equality to favoring some over others and covering up lies.

[JLB]

Bethanol?

Well, google hasn't heard of it.

How about methanol?

[rapmarks]

[QUOTE=Hobbitess;507773]Is bethanol "Bio-ethanol," meaning you can use a number of different plants instead of just corn to produce the ethanol?



my sil says they are changing the plants over to make airline furel rather than ethanol. it uses the entire corn, stalk, etc. and he is done converting plants, and looks like he may get laid off again. the first plant is due to start production.

[tonyg]

If anyone wants to discuss any political aspects, start a thread in the political forum.

[JLB]

Ironically, I saw an Internet blurb in the last few days saying the largest corn harvest ever is underway.

What about it, Melvin, got an extra pig?

"(Reuters) - The world's largest corn and soybean harvest advanced at a record pace in the United States last week that exceeded trade expectations, U.S. government data showed on Monday. . . "

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...88G1FG20120917

[rapmarks]

"(Reuters) - The world's largest corn and soybean harvest advanced at a record pace in the United States last week that exceeded trade expectations, U.S. government data showed on Monday. . . "

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...88G1FG20120917

and the corn i had this summer, up to two weeks ago, was the best ever.

[tonyg]

My corn was quite good, but not as plentiful as usual.

[Carolinian]

If one wants to make ethanol from plants, the Brazilians have shown that sugar cane is far, far more efficient that corn. One has to look at the energy consumed to produce the ethanol versus the energy value of the ethanol produced.

Sugar cane also does not threaten the food supply, as most table sugar these days is produced from sugar beets, as that process is more efficient than producing it from sugar cane.

[T. R. Oglodyte]

If one wants to make ethanol from plants, the Brazilians have shown that sugar cane is far, far more efficient that corn. One has to look at the energy consumed to produce the ethanol versus the energy value of the ethanol produced.

Sugar cane also does not threaten the food supply, as most table sugar these days is produced from sugar beets, as that process is more efficient than producing it from sugar cane.

Might lead to a rum shortage, though,

[bnoble]

Hmm. Bacon vs. rum. That's a tough call.