Replying to a message of Bob Klahn to Bob Ackley:

 BK>>>>> Yet the cattle farmers have much the same expenses
in producing
 BK>>>>> the beef, no matter what is selling. True feed
prices will drop
 BK>>>>> as the demand drops, but the time delay in adjustment will do
 BK>>>>> it's damage. And the suppliers face their cost
factors just like
 BK>>>>> the farmer.

 TW>>>> Actualy FEED prices are WAY up because of the LIBERAL IDIOT
 TW>>>> decision to make Alcohol out of a FOOD/FEED Crop.

 BA>> Distiller's grain is used as feed for cattle and hogs.
 BA>> Look it up.

 BK>  And the point of that is? Does it matter what grain is used? If
 BK>  you are referring to the grain after it has been through the
 BK>  distiller, I doubt all cattle feed is from distilleries.

I didn't say that.  I will say that most if not all distiller's grain output from
ethanol plants is used for cattle, hog and chicken feed.

 BK>>>  A: The feed companies and energy companies are not liberals, and
 BK>>> they jumped into bio-fuel.

 BK>>>  B: Early on I denounced bio-fuel as in a world where people are
 BK>>>  going hungry turning food into fuel is immoral.

 BA>> The claim is also nonsense.  You obviously would prefer
 BA>> that the grain just rot.

 BK>  You obviously would prefer the grain just ferment.

 BK>  Makes as much sense as what you said.

 BK>  And how about feeding people?

 BK>>>  I also posted a msg in which I asked how many children have to
 BK>>>  die to fuel an SUV.

 BA>> More baloney.  In point of fact much if not most of the
 BA>> grain grown in this country is used to feed cattle and
 BA>> hogs, not people.

 BK>  Are the cattle and hogs kept as pets? Pull wagons? Or fed to
 BK>  people? Anyway you chose to look at it, grain that goes for
 BK>  alcohol fuel reduces grain for feeding people.

My point was and is that the grain you are claiming is wasted by making
ethanol with it is *also* used to feed cattle and hogs.  Sure, the sugar
content is reduced but the protein and most of the grain volume is still there.
IOW there's been *no* reduction in the amount of grain fed to cattle, hogs and
chickens caused by using it for ethanol production too.

If there were really a shortage of corn in any part of the grain market the price
would go up.  And the price of corn today is just about what it was three years
ago, $4/bushel.

Something else you and others are unaware of is that a considerable amount of the
corn that is fed to cattle would otherwise be wasted.  Those big expensive combines
leave a LOT of corn on the ground in the field after harvest, I'm going to guess 1 to
2 percent of it.  Many farmers turn cattle loose in those harvested fields, and those
cattle pick up most of what would otherwise be wasted corn.

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