[nth]

I read this claim in a newspaper article.
I am wondering how much ethanol 10 million acres can produce and wonder if 10 million acres is correct number?

[azreal60]

Keep in mind, this is 10 million acres being paid to not produce so it doesn't kill the soil. Sure, we could use all 10 million acres. Within a decade though, none of it would be useable. They do it this way so farmers can be smart, perhaps one of the better policys I know. If it ever get's to the point where farmers are using their land all the time, then we'll really see die off.

[nth]

Not all farming methods are equal.
There are land that have less than 10 years of agriculture productivity and then, there are land that have thousands of year of agriculture productivity.

It all got to do with how you use it. It does not require you leave it fallow.

You definitely cannot grow corn only. If this is the case, the land will become just like hydroponic farms. You have to supply all the nutrients.

[eastbay]

That's 15,625 square miles... a piece of land 100 X 156.25 miles.

I strongly suspect the number may be either an exaggeration or it includes some land that just can't be used anymore due to over use or for some reason other than market control.

[azreal60]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')ou definitely cannot grow corn only. If this is the case, the land will become just like hydroponic farms. You have to supply all the nutrients

[mekrob]

Corn ethanol makes 400 gallons / year. So 10 million acres would be about 4 bln gallons per year. With a loss in energy content and fuel efficiency, you're down to about 3.5 bln gallons; this would be even less when you figure in pesticides, fertilizers, farming and transportation. We use 150 bln gallons. So this would be just a drop in the bucket. Current capacity though is about 6 bln gallons/year if I remember correctly and should be over 7 bln gallons by the end of the year.

[mekrob]

Oh yeah, we'd use that up in about 10 days with just gasoline demand (400 million gallons per day).

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('azreal60', '
')
Incidently, in another thread I asked why farmers didn't do soybeans one year and corn the next. Biodiesel to ethanol. I didn't get an answer as to if taking all the product used for biodiesel would allow the benifits of planting soybeans.

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mekrob', 'C')orn ethanol makes 400 gallons / year. So 10 million acres would be about 4 bln gallons per year. With a loss in energy content and fuel efficiency, you're down to about 3.5 bln gallons; this would be even less when you figure in pesticides, fertilizers, farming and transportation. We use 150 bln gallons. So this would be just a drop in the bucket. Current capacity though is about 6 bln gallons/year if I remember correctly and should be over 7 bln gallons by the end of the year.

[TommyJefferson]

Are farmers really so stupid they would wreck the largest capital investment they have, their land?

No. They are quite smart. Smart enough in fact to form powerful political lobbies that suckle at the government teat on my tax dollars.

[Colorado-Valley]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TommyJefferson', 'A')re farmers really so stupid they would wreck the largest capital investment they have, their land?

No. They are quite smart. Smart enough in fact to form powerful political lobbies that suckle at the government teat on my tax dollars.

[nth]

Small farmers are disappearing. Many are being sucked into suburbia or corporate farms.

Actually, talking about farm industry sucking our money, the oil industry is even worse.

[PraireRanger]

Take a look at "Idled Cropland". This is the latest information I could find:

Major Land Uses: ERS/USDA

[TommyJefferson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Colorado-Valley', 'Y')ou're talking about industrial agriculture, not us classical small farmers.