Food and Fuel

Flight Service wrote: Please elaborate

I'll presume you're referring to my comment regarding corn subsidies.

Corn (and other ag products) have subsidies that go up, down, and stay flat. It's not one single dollar figure either. There is direct payment, insurance, conservation, alternative use, etc. This is a pretty good read to get you started. http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn/policy.aspx#.UzQtgahdWSo

The larger point is that there are subsidies, and large ones, for a crop that has little nutritional value, worsens obesity, and makes an inefficient additive to automotive fuel.

The problem is that it would be very difficult to convince the vast majority of farmers that they should do more work for a less reliable source of income. Corn and soybeans are easy money. Many farmers would probably rather do meat production than vegetables.

A big part of the corn subsidy problem stems from the Iowa Caucuses:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_caucuses

It's the first hurdle for politicians running for pres. As the first primary-like thing, the media jumps all over it, and gives the Caucuses way more importance than they should have. Politicians are in full pander mode, trying like Hell to make a good first impression to the country.

Get rid of the Iowa caucuses, and you'll have a much easier time creating sensible corn / ethanol legislation.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: The govt. wants 35.5 mpg by 2016 and 54.5 mpg by 2025, and at the same time wants to hinder this by increasing the ethanol content of the fuel.

35.5 and 54.5 miles per gallon of gasoline. if the fuel you are burning is only 15% gasoline then you can go really really far before you burn a gallon of gasoline.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: The way in which we drink corn has changed. It used to be fermented into bourbon, now they process it into sugar.

I support anything that gives the world less soda and more bourbon. (Kentucky bourbon, not that swill that they make in Tennessee)

foxtrapper wrote:

Flight Service wrote: Please elaborate

I'll presume you're referring to my comment regarding corn subsidies. Corn (and other ag products) have subsidies that go up, down, and stay flat. It's not one single dollar figure either. There is direct payment, insurance, conservation, alternative use, etc. This is a pretty good read to get you started. http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn/policy.aspx#.UzQtgahdWSo

Cool, elaborate on the other part. Bush passed the ethanol usage and Obama passed the high MPG requirements.

Knurled wrote:

volvoclearinghouse wrote: The way in which we drink corn has changed. It used to be fermented into bourbon, now they process it into sugar.

I support anything that gives the world less soda and more bourbon. (Kentucky bourbon, not that swill that they make in Tennessee)

Yes because Tennessee is the only place that can make Whiskey in the US. Everything else is ass-liquor Bourbon...by law.

Jack is better than anything made by a horse berkeleyer.

I don't even drink Bourbon much anymore, mostly cuz of the corn. Switched to Rye. :-)

NOHOME wrote: Corn sugar is bad for us. It is in 75% of everything in the grocery store. We are dinked.

Shop the perimeter, man. produce, meat, fish, a little dairy. box food = bad food, generally speaking.

AngryCorvair wrote:

NOHOME wrote: Corn sugar is bad for us. It is in 75% of everything in the grocery store. We are dinked.

Shop the perimeter, man. produce, meat, fish, a little dairy. box food = bad food, generally speaking.

I have nearly 0 corn sugar (and yes, that means maltodextrine, dextrose, and a slew of other names) in my house. Why nearly zero? Because you use actual corn syrup to make Pecan (that's peeekan to you northerners) Pie.

I actually think that there are a couple official pronunciations to pecan due to different dialects across the country.

captdownshift wrote: is it too much to ask to be able to get some NON GMO corn based ethanol to fill my prius with?!?! Berkeley you Monsanto

Not Monsanto, Dow Agro Sciences. I should know I helped develop the product.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: I don't even drink Bourbon much anymore, mostly cuz of the corn. Switched to Rye. :-)

Speaking as a Canadian, where call we rye whiskey our own, I will state this unscientific observation: Rye whiskey makes you want to fistfight. Jack just makes my legs ache the next day.

Flight Service wrote:

Knurled wrote:

volvoclearinghouse wrote: The way in which we drink corn has changed. It used to be fermented into bourbon, now they process it into sugar.

I support anything that gives the world less soda and more bourbon. (Kentucky bourbon, not that swill that they make in Tennessee)

Yes because Tennessee is the only place that can make Whiskey in the US. Everything else is ass-liquor Bourbon...by law. Jack is better than anything made by a horse berkeleyer.

If Maker's Mark is made by horse berkeleyers, then I'll bring a gift basket of apples and carrots or whatever it is horses find yummy if I ever drive down there to take the tour.

Streetwiseguy wrote:

volvoclearinghouse wrote: I don't even drink Bourbon much anymore, mostly cuz of the corn. Switched to Rye. :-)

Speaking as a Canadian, where call we rye whiskey our own, I will state this unscientific observation: Rye whiskey makes you want to fistfight. Jack just makes my legs ache the next day.

When I moved to Maryland recently, I discovered rye used to be a popular drink 'round these parts. There's even a brand I really like named after a Maryland town - Pikesville (regrettably, it's now made in Kentucky, I think). Rye is drought and blight resistant, almost a weed in these parts. Much less energy intensive to farm. It also makes a darn tasty bread (which I'm enjoying right now).

One of my wife's friends got me a bottle of Masterson's 10 year rye whiskey as a baby gift last weekend when the girls were having their shower. Man is it delicious. Honestly, I like it over Scotch. And I've had some good Scotches.

volvoclearinghouse wrote:

Streetwiseguy wrote:

volvoclearinghouse wrote: I don't even drink Bourbon much anymore, mostly cuz of the corn. Switched to Rye. :-)

Speaking as a Canadian, where call we rye whiskey our own, I will state this unscientific observation: Rye whiskey makes you want to fistfight. Jack just makes my legs ache the next day.

When I moved to Maryland recently, I discovered rye used to be a popular drink 'round these parts. There's even a brand I really like named after a Maryland town - Pikesville (regrettably, it's now made in Kentucky, I think). Rye is drought and blight resistant, almost a weed in these parts. Much less energy intensive to farm. It also makes a darn tasty bread (which I'm enjoying right now). One of my wife's friends got me a bottle of Masterson's 10 year rye whiskey as a baby gift last weekend when the girls were having their shower. Man is it delicious. Honestly, I like it over Scotch. And I've had some good Scotches.

I never suggested it didn't taste good. It just makes you want to kick people in the nuts.

I once bought a bottle of Ukrainian potato vodka. I suddenly understood why eastern Europeans drink it straight. It was lovely.

In reply to Streetwiseguy:

I picked up a bottle of some Polish (can't remember how to spell it, pronounced "Lew-so-shev-itz") potato vodka, and it definitely had a smoothness and a better quality than the crappier grain vodkas. Still wouldn't drink it neat, but it wasn't terrible.

Rye must have different effects on different people. Nothing I've ever drank has ever made me want to kick a guy in the nuts.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: In reply to Streetwiseguy: I picked up a bottle of some Polish (can't remember how to spell it, pronounced "Lew-so-shev-itz") potato vodka, and it definitely had a smoothness and a better quality than the crappier grain vodkas. Still wouldn't drink it neat, but it wasn't terrible. Rye must have different effects on different people. Nothing I've ever drank has ever made me want to kick a guy in the nuts.

You're just not trying hard enough. Drink more.