Omaha’s local news reported yesterday that higher prices are hitting Nebraska farmers hard. Higher prices for equipment, fuel, seed and fertilizer (petroleum based) are driving up operating expenses across the heartland. This development is yet another issue exposing the unsustainability of corn-ethanol as a fuel.

According to a KETV story, “In one year, seed prices have doubled, diesel prices have jumped by $2 and fertilizer prices have tripled.” They say that one local farmer’s, “diesel fuel expenses are $600,000 higher in eight months.”

My recent Dirt Rag article on corn-ethanol titled Another Roadside Distraction, highlights the many shortcomings of producing fuel from corn. These problems are being amplified by the fact that rising costs make the fuel even more expensive to produce.

In particular, I want to remind everyone how environmentally harmful corn production is. “As far as green fuels go, corn ethanol is at the bottom of the heap. Corn production in the US demands massive amounts of herbicides, insecticides and petroleum-based fertilizers. Corn creates the most soil erosion of any US crop, and sucks up wetlands throughout corn country. Runoff from the corn industry silts the once mighty Mississippi River, creating a massive dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.”

I’m much more optimistic about conservation solutions that are currently underway. This behavioral change is practical, affordable and meaningful. There are technology changes that are promising, but corn-ethanol isn’t one of them.

Tags: conservation solutions, corn ethanol, sustainability, technology changes