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.

Read the Article Online

Earlier this year, Dirt Rag Magazine generously extended me the opportunity to write an article for the April issue. To prep readers for May’s National Bike to Work Month, I signed up to write an opinion piece in the Last Chance for Gas section that closes each issue.

The article, Another Roadside Distraction, is my criticism of the corn ethanol industry. I live Nebraska, smack dab in the middle of America’s corn country. I have a front row seat for the debate raging in our country about the feasibility of fuel from corn.

I shared with readers my believe that generating fuel from corn is the biggest political boondoggle of my lifetime. I see farmers making short term gains in the marketplace, only to suffer an increased cost of living as a result of rising food prices. I see the biggest corporations in our economy profiting from both government subsides and market factors. And most importantly, I see the negative environmental aspects of producing corn crops in this country as a major detriment to our nation’s ecosystem.

I only had 600 words to cover a lot of ground, but the words I chose generated a lot of passionate responses from readers. I got several emails from people commenting on the article, and their opinions were evenly divided between support for my statements or support for the corn ethanol industry.

The response to this article revealed to me that an ever growing segment of the population is joining the sustainability debate. The issue of corn ethanol highlighted that people are thinking about the issues and seeking connections in the community in order to debate the issues.

I decided to ask Dirt Rag if they would allow me to write a monthly sustainability article for their website in order to keep the debate going. Today, Volume 1 in what will hopefully be a very long series was published.

As I continue to evolve my lifestyle and beliefs to be consistent with a sustainable lifestyle, I will share my insights with as many people as possible.