The last two weeks has given me time to ponder. The modern day record low corn crop, the drought, next year, the big election coming up, so many things. It was nice to just drive down the road and look. I saw so many things I haven't seen before like parts of Canada for example.
One big thing for the ethanol bashers to understand is that though 40% of the corn crop has been going to ethanol, half comes back to the foodstuffs industry in DDG's which has now overtaken soybean meal as a feedstuff. Other products are derived during distilling, too. Probably 40% wont' go to ethanol this year anyhow because of $8 corn.
The world runs on starch and now we have $8 corn. Who ever thought we would be talking about that this a year ago? I knew we weren't going to raise any 164 bushels in a good year and this sure wasn't a good year for corn. I am not sure we will have another one until scientists realize there is something wrong with corn and we make efforts to erase it, if that is even possible.
So what will be next years national corn crop? 150 bushels? 125? 100? I lean toward the bottom two numbers, so anyone who can raise $8 corn at those yield levels, go for it.
Most people think I am nuts so it doesn't matter but I know it to be true. I saw too much unexplained stuff the last two years. My friends got me looking for bacterial wilt last year and I found it all over and this year there is more, much more. It is not the disease itself, it is what caused the plant to catch the disease.
I did take LuAnn on a date to the county fair after work. It sure was hot, almost uncomfortably warm. We had a nice supper at the 4-H booth for a whopping $10 and it cost that to get in. I am a cheap date if you didn't know but we had fun.
Highland County is all about the kids as it should be.
Kids, grandkids, the country and the direction we are going...
That's a lot to ponder.
Ed Winkle
Ed , I respect your knowledge and thoughts but no way does 50% of ethanol production come back as feed.Beef probaly is #1 place to use ddg's> We do use ddg's also for hogs but you have to be really careful of quality as toxins are at such high levels if they are using contaminated corn in there plant and every plant has different values. Not like 48% soy is nearly the same from any processor. Due too high vomitoxin in Ontario corn crop last year we have had to suspend ddg's in swine rations . And as far as jobs an ethanol plant will only employ about 10% as many employees as same amount of corn used in a dairy or hog farm. Hopefully farmers realize corn ethanol is a temporary energy source until cheaper and more available feedstock come forward. Have a safe harvest-regards-kevin
ReplyDeleteThat's what the number say my friend and that is what Samuelson Says on Agribusiness Weekly. In a search, SDcornblog says 1/3 but Orion explained why that number changed this year.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.google.com/search?q=half+of+corn+in+ethanol+comes+back+in+ddg&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADRA_enUS421
I hear you Kevin and I trust you, too. It is hard to keep up with the facts or even keep up with them.
Call me out anytime,that is what blogging is for. This not the Gospel though I do like to quote it!