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RE: The Great Corn Con - 6/26/2011 3:10:11 AM

Edwynn

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The amount of water involved in beef production includes all water consumption involved in the crop production to feed the cattle, to wash their indoor habitat, and the slaughtering and production process, not merely what they drink themselves. Likewise the acreage covering all inputs to cattle raising, not merely grazing requirements. As mentioned in another recent thread, grass fed may be better, but how much of the beef actually produced is purely grass fed? Corn feed lots are the normal routine for the majority of beef production. Rain forest clearing to raise cattle has been going on for decades prior to ethanol production, so why is all the aforementioned OK and ethanol not OK, regarding resource usage?

But the figures I used were off the top of my head, from memory, and would not surprise me if not 100% correct. It wasn't from PETA but almost any source delving into the subject is likely to be biased one way or another.

Here's an example:

http://treehuggerbarbie.com/2011/03/29/it-takes-approximately-12009-gallons-of-water-to-create-one-pound-of-beef/

In any regard, I hope it's clear that I'm not the biggest fan of corn ethanol. But I think all this focus on ethanol and claims of environmental destruction and putative cause of starvation, etc., is quite disingenuous in light of the fact of other causes that have much greater effect on that having been in process for many years already, and a back-handed slap at any environmental concerns at all.

< Message edited by Edwynn -- 6/26/2011 3:32:27 AM >

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RE: The Great Corn Con - 6/26/2011 3:26:02 AM

Edwynn

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Termyn8or

And FR

"Once you factor everything in, ethanol is a losing proposition as an alternative energy source which is what this really started out as. Some idiots in Washington were foolish enough to believe that we could "grow our gas" and drop foreign oil. "

No, that was never their goal since our Granparents it is not and it will never be. The power depends on that commodity and they will enjoy every fucking minute of it's disappearance from our environment, as it's "value" increases. That is what I mean by seeing the bigger picture - what would YOU do ?

T^T

Just as we hear the admonition to "follow the money" in tracing down why things happen as they do, we should also pay attention to how the Koch Bros.' various industries, ExxonMobil, Archer Daniels Midland et. al are so fantastically good at following tax payer money; it's a big part of the business plan.

Not telling you what you yourself don't already know, just relating it to the audience here.

< Message edited by Edwynn -- 6/26/2011 4:16:02 AM >

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RE: The Great Corn Con - 6/26/2011 3:28:57 AM

DeviantlyD

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I'm sorry to go off topic here but....treehuggerbarbie.com? Really? *LMAO*

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RE: The Great Corn Con - 6/26/2011 3:41:49 AM

Edwynn

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That is funny. Who would call themselves that. But it was cited as an example of bias, so I thought the name fit well for that purpose.

Of course Alex Jones' site would better be called -rattleyourcage.com-, but we can't hope for truth in advertizing from everybody.

< Message edited by Edwynn -- 6/26/2011 3:45:06 AM >

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RE: The Great Corn Con - 6/26/2011 5:26:43 AM

Edwynn

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While on the subject of water consumption for either food or energy production, in concern for that in the case of ethanol, here's the most 'industry friendly' source I've seen for water usage in 'that other energy source,' of which oil sands and slate extraction constitute an ever increasing proportion:

http://www.canadasoilsands.ca/en/issues/water.aspx

More properly called "tar sands," the consideration given above ignores the far greater refining cost and concomitant greater environmental impact therein.

Another 'industry friendly' treatment of the water-energy issue:

http://www.worldpolicy.org/world-policy-paper-release-energy-pressure-water-supply-rising

The above article points out some distinction between actual water 'consumption,' i.e. water rendered unusable after its use in energy production (e.g. the 'fracking' process for oil and gas), vs. returned to the environment water usage, but then ignores this distinction in the remainder of the article when citing 'water consumption' of growing irrigated crops, etc.

< Message edited by Edwynn -- 6/26/2011 5:46:59 AM >

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RE: The Great Corn Con - 6/26/2011 8:01:15 AM

Hillwilliam

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Termyn8or

"Since a cow drinks about 30 gallons of water/day"

In case you didn't know, it does not have to.

T^T

They don't have to but to keep them healthy and growing, it's a good idea to supply em with plenty.

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RE: The Great Corn Con - 6/26/2011 10:14:35 AM

xssve

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Why.

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RE: The Great Corn Con - 6/26/2011 10:21:19 AM

mnottertail

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPKP86P8Fwc&feature=related

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RE: The Great Corn Con - 6/26/2011 10:53:50 AM

kdsub

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I am all for alternative energy sources and research…but we must be smart in our choices. I just cannot understand the thinking when we are reducing one resource to prop up another.

Worse is the belief that the fertility of our land is everlasting. We are using up a finite resource foolishly for political hay.

Our ability to produce food cannot be matched anywhere in this world and will be the most important source of our power even with the reduction in industrial might. But if we keep wasting this resource we will end up with dead barren dirt.

Butch

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