Corn Cob Bob

Excerpt from The Daily Show

Original Air Date: August 9th, 2005
To spread awareness of ethanol while the industry was still growing, Corn Cob Bob was created to inform the public about the importance of the bio fuel industry. A blog was created for Corn Cob Bob as he went on to handle ethanol affairs. He has since moved to FaceBook.

Corn Cob Bob's Blog: http://corncobbob.blogspot.com/

Renewable Fuels Association: http://www.ethanolrfa.org/

Benefits of Ethanol

Although the debate over corn ethanol, Food vs. Fuel is well recognized people rarely know the full details of corn ethanol production. Despite the negative things said about corn ethanol, there are benefits. Ethanol has many benefits, some of which are energy security, fuel economy and performance, job opportunities, lower emissions, and equipment and availability.

The most popularly known benefit for ethanol compared to gasoline is that ethanol produces lower emissions. Lower emissions means less greenhouse gases in the atmosphere slowing global warming. This benefits everyone, not just the U.S. because we all share the atmosphere.

 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsg5nn4HkmDIsjlezvH5gyEL98r0h-rHkxxGJjaB45gdEqa_BsEeR7t0DM610wsGz7eIHdzgYy-QD_xlXx0oTAF-OOhj9_3lsC_9clWTlTzcOJIn1xkA0lSTEpXZiQXhSUgJH1Z2d-7qk/s1600/funny+animals+global+warming+sucks.jpg

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, ethanol has a higher octane level than gasoline therefore it creates higher power and performance. Although this comes at a trade-off, ethanol has less energy than gasoline.

 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2009/02/ethanol_hummer-greenlings.jpg

As many know, the U.S. reliance on foreign oils has been a major topic of debate in the media over the past decade. There have been wars and ongoing political debates over the issue. Ethanol production gives us some energy security for an unpredictable future.

With such a large amount of resources and subsidies devoted to corn ethanol production, it is not surprising that there is a large job market for corn ethanol production. In 2011, ethanol production supported more than 400,000 jobs.



To learn more about ethanol's benefits: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/ethanol_benefits.html

Corn Ethanol Humor

http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/M/4/2/enviro-suv-ethanol-hog.jpg

Candy for Cows?

So that's why my steak was so sweet.

At least its a balanced diet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMcAtdholmM

Drought Causes Cows to Eat Candy

The drought in 2012 was so devastating to crops including corn that the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization has mandated the United States to cease in corn ethanol production until further notice. This is to avert a major food crisis due to corn being a major staple food for many cultures diets.

This drought has not only affected human consumption but also many livestock. One in particular is cattle. Corn is used as a feedstock for cattle but due to high prices many farmers have started to give candy as a substitute.

 

 http://blog.metrocandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/MetroCandyCowBlogPic1.png

Cows eating candy leads us back to the debate about corn, Food vs. Fuel. To many this may seem ridiculous or even humorous but the issue is real. Imagine going into a steakhouse and getting steak that came from a cow that was fed candy. Sounds good right?

Mitchell Corn Palace

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNz7MknlaPfKz-UHfmqdJ8hs8UvDc1u5bUxZ-71DKkmuxZzzuL_Imh9DcHg9tYtXMuBY3lA3nHmN-1wGiehFeHQ1EU-UiXSNppQZx0nQKwQaLccz60fDT3Zj8nQpb8OJ7K0Gxc5sC0EEo/s1600/Women+in+Blue+Jeans+2012+099.JPG

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHoAr41m66TrnNoXmBVCC4ZZG47V7rSQh2cLOrM01qXznRaCpmhqA9Prjk-hYY4Ygw4S0-rpLdUG0xgGcZE1d1MbmQDzj59uRItCRaWFxWh0-qntbo-qd2hwZW0n9c_W03raMI2_JcM0/s1600/Women+in+Blue+Jeans+2012+100.JPG

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/6663195.jpg

A Shucking Disaster

Nightmare at the Mitchell Corn Palace

Excerpt from The Colbert Report, October 10, 2012

A "The Colbert Report" Special Report
Stephen Colbert creates a documentary on the only corn palace in the world.

More Info at: http://www.cornpalace.org/

Misconstrued Information about Ethanol

Ethanol: The Truth About this ‘Alternative’ Fuel

This is a prime example of misrepresented information regarding corn and its role as a bio fuel. The report incorrectly presents corn as a scarce resource. The viewer is told that the increased usage of ethanol has directly increased price of corn. However, a farmer interviewed discusses that ethanol production has helped to feed his cattle which feed on corn and a byproduct of corn. In addition, the report does not factor in the macroeconomic effects of other goods and services. The reporter distinctively only talks about the division between food and fuel.

Rising Price of Corn

What is Driving Food Price Inflation?

Jason Henderson discusses the cause of raising corn and food prices.

Although many will assume that the rising price on corn is due to ethanol usage, the reality is that America is capable of supply the whole nation for 127 days. Now that's a lot of kernels of truth. Dependence on foreign oil is the true culprit. As the price per barrel of oil rises, as does the price per bushel of corn. Transportation of goods begins to take its toll on consumers as corn becomes more difficult to attain. In Jason Henderson's paper, he addresses how the increasing price of crude oil and other attributes indirectly result with the inflation of corn.

Excerpt from The Colbert Report, October 10, 2012

An astonishing truth about the corn and the agricultural industries reported by Stephen Colbert.

National Ethanol Conference 2012

United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, gives a speech about the importance of the ethanol industry. His history with ethanol shows that he is very experienced in the industry. Due to his efforts in building the agriculture industry, Tom Vilsack was invited as the keynote speaker at the National Ethanol Conference. The Secretary of Agriculture advocates for the production of ethanol and discusses how the agriculture began to increase national employment during times of economic downturn. Throughout his speech, Tom Vilsack discusses the benefits of increased usage of ethanol. The secretary consistently encourages support for ethanol and expressed his optimism for the future as the industry expands.

Corn ethanol at the pump

Corn ethanol has been researched and used as a fuel for many years now. In the United States, more than 95% of all gasoline contains some amount of ethanol. Also in the United States, corn ethanol production is the most prominent biofuel in research and production. Corn ethanol has been a topic of the media and a major topic in presidential debates. The reliance of foreign oils has been a big topic in the news and debates for over a decade now. Corn ethanol may be a solution to gaining that independence.

Ethanol is readily used in 95% of all gasoline in the United States. A higher ethanol blend is also available, E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline).

http://www.rodale.com/files/images/5833062_1.jpg

Food vs Fuel

There has been a long debate over the years over corn ethanol. One of the more popular and controversial debates for corn ethanol is the Food vs. Fuel argument. The main idea behind Food vs. Fuel is whether we should be investing our corn into the production of biofuels or food for food consumption.

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/iowastatedaily.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/41/741e98cc-7307-11e1-9a2e-0019bb2963f4/4f694da889be2.image.jpg