|
Newsletter | Past Issues
July,
2008
In This Issue:
Transferring
Your Farm Business to the Next Generation
Determining
the Cost of Hay
Ohio
Grape & Wine Economic Impact Study
2008
Beef Enterprise Budgets Available at Farm Management
Website
Understanding
ACRE
Farm
Fuel Cost Estimator Available
Certified Crop Advisor Exam Training
Session to be held in Springfield, OH
Historic
Grain Prices Fuel Changes in Biofuel Industry
Factors Contributing to Recent
Increases in Food Prices
Do
you have a question that you would like to ask the Ohio
AG Manager Team? If so, click here to email your
question
Transferrring
Your Farm Business to the Next Generation
David Marrison,
OSU Extension Educator, Ashtabula County
As
the age of farm operators increases, transferring the
ownership and management of the family business to the
next generation will become one of the most important
issues farm families will face.
While many farmers dream of seeing their legacy passed
on to the next generation, many postpone initiating
a plan for the transition of their business for a variety
of reasons. Many claim that there is not enough time
to discuss these matters. Or if planning does occur,
it simply involves the senior generation drafting a
will describing how the farm assets should be divided
among heirs.
In
order to help farms plan for their future, the Ohio
Ag Manager Team in 2006 began to develop educational
materials, workshops and resources for families as they
plan for the transfer of their farm business to the
next generation.
There
are six major questions that family businesses should
ask themselves as they plan for the future. These are:
- “Do
I want to pass my farm operation to my heirs as an
ongoing business or do I want to pass it on as a group
of assets?”
- How
can you tell if the business is profitable enough
to provide for the next generation?
- Are
there enough income and assets to provide for the
older generation's wants and needs?
- How
can you help the two generations get along?
- What
should you transfer and in what order?
- How
can you avoid paying too much income, gift and estate
taxes?
It
is critical the discussions about the future should
take place sooner than later as there are a myriad of
decisions which need to be made. If a farm family desires
for the next generation to return to the farm, plans
need to be made to make sure the younger generation
makes a fair wage. Plans should also be made to allow
the older generation to slow down and eventually retire.
The
OSU Extension transition team is pleased to announce
the newly revised Bulletin 862 titled, “Transferring
Your Farm Business to the Next Generation” is now available
as a resource for families to use as they plan for the
future. This 89 page bulletin helps families answer
the six major questions when transition planning. This
bulletin is one which each generation should read.
This
bulletin can be purchased at your local county Extension
office for a bargain price of $9.25.
Our
team also has developed eleven short fact sheets that
accompany Bulletin 862. These “Building for the Successful
Transition of Your Agricultural Business” fact sheets
can be accessed at: http://ohioline.osu.edu/bst-fact/index.html
or can be received by calling your local OSU Extension
office. Some of the topics discussed in this series
include: business entities available to Ohio farmers,
conducting SWOT analysis, developing the next generation
of managers, whole farm planning model, tax characteristics
of business entities, and planning for the successful
transition of your agricultural business.
Transferring
a family farm or farm business to the next generation
can be a challenging task. Legal issues, tax laws, and
personal differences between family members are some of
the issues families must confront when deciding how to
transfer the managerial and asset control of a family
business. Working together, families can answer the tough
questions and develop a transition plan that will provide
the opportunity for the farm to be successful for many
generations. Let's prove that Ohio farms are great places
for our younger generation.
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Determining
the Cost of Hay
Rory
Lewandowski, Extension Educator Athens County
I've
had several conversations regarding the cost of hay
recently. One person, trying to determine what to charge
for essentially renting hay ground, reasoned that if
the renter was going to sell small square bales for
$5 or more per bale, then they ought to have at least
$2 per bale as their share. Another person told me that
if there is a lot of grass growing that gets made into
a lot of hay then hay will again be cheap ($50-60/ton?)
as in past years. The cost of producing hay can be determined
from the value of nutrients removed plus the equipment
costs. Whether hay is actually worth what it costs to
produce it is yet another question.
According
to the Ohio Agronomy Guide, each ton of grass hay removes
40 lbs of nitrogen, 13 lbs of phosphate (P 2 O 5 ) and
50 lbs of potash (K 2 O). I called two local fertilizer
dealers to get prices on per ton bulk quantities. The
prices I was quoted on 6-24-08 were: Urea (46-0-0) at
$720 and $840/ton, DAP (18-46-0) at $1100 and $1375/ton
and potash (0-0-60) at $690 and $730/ton. Using these
prices to replace the nitrogen, phosphate and potash
removed in a ton of hay resulted in a cost of between
$71.81 to $81.95 per ton. Since I was using DAP to replace
the phosphate removed, this also provided about 5 lbs
of nitrogen. The remaining 35 lbs was replaced using
urea. Besides the fertilizer cost, there should be something
figured in for spreading the fertilizer. Using the 2008
Ohio Farm Custom Rates, the average cost for spreading
dry bulk fertilizer is about $4.50/acre.
It
is true that hay can be produced without fertilizing.
I see it happen all the time here in Athens County.
So, should fertilizer cost be part of determining the
cost of hay? Yes, because each ton of hay removes those
nutrients whether they are replaced or not. It is a
matter of pay now or pay later. The soil can get mined
to the point where it is no longer practical to produce
hay. To restore soil to good productivity then takes
a massive investment to restore soil fertility. Every
year I get phone calls where people say they will fertilize
in the future, or they are waiting for fertilizer to
get cheaper because it is too expensive. If your soil
fertility levels are good, and you are pretty sure fertilizer
prices are going to decrease, then go ahead and delay
fertilizing. However, you should still include some
fertilizer charge into your hay cost calculation based
on that future fertilization.
The
next part of calculating the cost of hay production
is machinery/equipment expense. I used average cost
figures from the 2008 Ohio Farm Custom Rates. These
rates are based on survey responses of Ohio farmers.
Your own equipment costs may vary, and if you know what
they are, plug those in. For those who don't know, this
is a good place to start. Mowing is valued at $11.13/acre,
tedding at $6.13/acre, raking at $6.59/acre and large
round bale baling and hauling at $8.81 per bale. Since
we talk about hay in terms of price/ton, these per acre
costs will have to get converted into costs /ton. Here
is where fertility will pay some dividends. As tonnage
yields increase, the machinery costs of mowing, tedding
and raking decrease on a per ton basis.
Let's
consider an example where hay production is at 2 tons
per acre and large round bales weigh 1000 lbs. The machinery
costs are $5.56/ton for mowing, $3.07/ton for tedding,
$3.29/ton for raking and $17.62/ton for baling and hauling
the bales. If we need to do one tedding and one raking
before baling, our total machinery cost is $29.54/ton.
Adding the machinery cost to the lower of our fertilizer
quotes ($71.81) results in a total hay production cost
of $101.35/ton. At the higher fertilizer quote ($81.95),
the cost is $111.49/ton. This does not include the cost
of spreading fertilizer.
Now,
it may be possible to reduce these hay production costs
somewhat. You might find a better deal on fertilizer.
Maybe you have an even distribution of 30% or more legumes
in your hay mix, so the legumes provide nitrogen. Not
having to buy nitrogen fertilizer could reduce hay cost
by around $30/ton. Possibly you can spread some livestock
manure that accumulated on a heavy use-feeding pad.
You might be able to take out a pass with the rake if
the weather is right and just tedd the hay. Maybe your
machinery costs are a little lower. The point is, even
with some of these conditions, hay is still going to
be an expensive commodity. If you are making your own
hay, these production costs are there whether that hay
is mowed and baled at 15% crude protein and 65% TDN
or at 7% crude protein and 48% TDN.
Then
again, maybe the best situation is to find a neighbor
or some other person who likes to make hay and hasn't
pushed a pencil on the costs. You just might run into
a good deal.
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Ohio
Grape & Wine Economic Impact Study
David
Marrison, OSU Extension, Ashtabula County
The
grape and wine industry has been a long standing industry
of Ohio with more than 2,200 acres of grape vineyards
and 100 wineries. A 2007 survey by the Orbitz Worldwide
travel company 1 ranked two Ohio regions in its top
ten wine destinations ( Grand River Valley at No. 6
and Lake Erie at No. 9).
To
date, no comprehensive study has been conducted to determine
the economic impact of the grape and wine industry in
the Ohio . To help determine the economic value of the
industry, three organizations (Ohio State University
Extension, Ohio Wine Producers Association, and Lake
County Soil & Water Conservation District) collaborated
to conduct the Ohio Grape and Wine Economic Impact Study
and the Ohio Wine Lover's Survey. These studies examined
demographic data, grape production, wine sales, capital
and variable investments, future operational concerns,
spending habits of winery visitors and the economic
multiplier effect of the grape and wine industry.
In
the spring of 2007, the research team developed the
methodology and surveys to conduct this comprehensive
study. The team developed a fifty-three question survey
for the Ohio Grape and Wine Economic Impact Study and
a twenty-nine question interview for the Wine Lover's
Survey. Both surveys were pilot tested utilizing input
from the Ohio grape industry and reviewed by the Institutional
Review Board at The Ohio State University.
The
Ohio Grape and Wine Economic Impact survey consisted
of fifty-three questions. These questions examined demographic,
wine and grape production, expense data, sales, future
operational concerns and the economic ripple effect
of the industry. One-hundred forty-nine (n=149) vineyard
and winery operations were mailed a survey in July,
2007 with a second mailing in October to non-respondents.
Seventy-seven
total producers (51.6%) responded to the survey. Sixty-one
percent (n=32) of the grower-only group responded and
forty-six percent (46.4%) of the winery operations responded.
A total of 842 acres of grapes were reported by survey
respondents. Sixty-eight percent (68.4%) of the respondents
were from operations located in northeast Ohio , nine
percent (9.2%) from northwest Ohio , twelve percent
(11.8%) from southeast Ohio and eleven percent (10.5%)
from southwestern Ohio .
The
average age for the principal manager was 52.76 years
with fifty-four percent (53.9%) between the ages of
50-69 years old. Forty-five percent (45.3%) of all the
vineyard operations were sole proprietor, twenty-three
percent (22.7%) limited liability companies, nineteen
percent (18.7%) corporations and five percent (5.3%)
partnerships. Wineries who own a vineyard were more
inclined to use a limited liability company or corporation
as their vineyard business structure. The business structure
for Ohio wineries was reported as forty-eight percent
(47.7%) limited liability companies, thirty-four percent
(34.1%) corporations, nine percent (9.1%) sole proprietor,
seven percent (6.8%) partnership and two percent (2.3%)
responded as not applicable.
Respondents
were asked to estimate how many people visit their business
each year (winery and/or vineyard). Respondents were
asked to select the range of visitors per year. A total
of 806,850 visitors were reported by respondents (n=75).
The majority of these visitors were reported by winery
operations as the grower-only group reported only 17,000
visitors per year. Based on survey response data, it
is estimated the total number of visitors to Ohio winery
and vineyard operations to be over 1.7 million visitors
per year.
It
is estimated 724 persons work in Ohio vineyards and
785 persons in Ohio wineries. The grower-only group
reported very few benefits for their employees. The
only benefit offered by three percent (3.1%) of the
operations was stock or ownership options. About one-half
of the winery respondents (52.3%) do not provide benefits.
However, some wineries offer benefits, Twenty-percent
the winery respondents offer medical insurance, nine
percent (9%) offer dental insurance, and five percent
(4.5%) offer eye insurance.
Managers
were asked to report ranges for their winery and vineyard
capital and variable expenses. Total capital investment
for Ohio vineyards was estimated at almost $10 million
for the past five years. An additional $7.5 million
of capital expenditures will be made during the next
five years in Ohio vineyards. It is estimated Ohio wineries
made $20.1 million of capital expenditures during the
past five years and $12 million will be made in the
next five years. Annual variable expenses for Ohio vineyards
were estimated at $4.3 million and $13 million for Ohio
wineries.
Respondents
were also report the percentage of their annual expenditures
that are made with Ohio Businesses. Respondents indicated
on average they conduct fifty-eight percent (57.6%)
of their annual expenses with Ohio businesses. Thirty-three
percent (33.0%) of the operations spend over eighty
percent (80%) of their annual expenditures with Ohio
businesses.
A
total of 842.59 acres of grapes were reported by 59
respondents. Respondents reported producing 2,365 tons
of juice grapes valued at $511,000. An estimated 4,500
tons of juice and table grapes valued at $1,000,000
are produced each year in Ohio .
Winery
operations were asked to report the gallons of wine
they produced each year. A total of 592,500 gallons
are produced for the respondents with sixty-one percent
(60.5%) of the respondents producing less than 5,000
gallons per year. An estimated 1.33 million gallons
are produced by Ohio wineries. An average of sixty-two
percent (61.9%) of Ohio wines sales are marketed retail.
Ohio
wine sales are estimated at $43.50 million, $1.45 million
for gift sales, $1.2 million for special events, $33,000
for lodging, and $1.44 million for other non-wine sales.
An additional $15.84 million is estimated to be spent
on food and restaurant sales each year.
What
is the Ripple Effect of the Industry
OHFOOD,
an acronym for Ohio food, is a sophisticated input-output
model developed by Dr. Tom Sporleder from The Ohio State
University's Farm Income Enhancement Program. This model
is based on the IMPLAN estimation procedure developed
by the U.S. Forest Service. By utilizing the OHFOOD
multipliers, estimations can be made of the ripple effect
on Ohio 's economy from the Ohio grape and wine industry.
Multipliers
utilized for this study were output, gross state product,
income and for employment. The output multiplier measures
the total change in output generated by a $1.00 change
in final demand. Gross state product (GSP) is a measure
of the final market value of goods and services produced
by labor and property located in a state. It is the
state counterpart to the nation's gross domestic product
(GDP). The income multiplier measures the total change
in personal income resulting throughout the economy
from a one dollar change in a sector. The employment
multiplier examines the ripple effect to employment
in the state. This multiplier examines the number of
full time employee positions which are generated in
jobs outside of the grape and wine sector as a result
of this industry.
The
following table shows the results of placing the different
sectors of the Ohio grape and wine industry into the
OHFOOD model. This table shows the ripple effect this
industry has on each sector of Ohio 's economy. An annual
economic output of $64.4 million dollar results in a
$105.5 million impact on Ohio 's output, $133.4 million
to its gross state product and $151.7 million to Ohioan's
income. In addition, 198 jobs are created in non-grape
and wine businesses as a result of the Ohio grape and
wine industry.
OHFOOD
Multiplier Impact of the Ohio Grape & Wine Industry
Ohio
Grape &
Wine
Industry Output Sectors |
Estimated
Economic Output of Ohio Grape & Wine Industry
(million $) |
OHFOOD
Output
Multiplier
(million
$) |
OHFOOD
Gross State Product
Multiplier
(million
$) |
OHFOOD
Income
Multiplier
(million
$) |
OHFOOD
Employment
Multiplier
(F.T.E.)
|
Juice
Grape Sales |
$1
|
$1.4
|
$1.3
|
$1.5
|
1
|
Wine
Sales |
$43.5
|
$69.7
|
$96.7
|
$117.6
|
171
|
Gift
Sales & Other Non-Wine Sales |
$4.1
|
$6.7
|
$6.3
|
$6.3
|
6
|
Meal
& Restaurant Sales |
$15.8
|
$27.7
|
$29.1
|
$26.3
|
20
|
Total
|
$64.4
|
$105.5
|
$133.4
|
$151.7
|
198
|
Assumes
no decline in other sectors of Ohio 's economy due to
grape & wine economic impact
Our
stated in another manner, every $1 change in the Ohio
grape & wine industry will have a $2.35 impact on
the income of Ohioan's, $2.07 on gross state product,
and $1.64 on the state output. In addition, 198 jobs
are created in non-grape and wine businesses as a result
of the northeast Ohio grape and wine industry. Every
$1 million dollar increase in the northeastern Ohio
grape & wine industry will create 3.07 full time
jobs in other sectors
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2008
Beef Enterprise Budgets Available at Farm Management
Website
Brian Freytag,
OSU Extension Intern, AEDE Undergraduate
Barry Ward, Leader, Production Business Management,
OSU Extension, Department of Agricultural, Environmental
and Development Economics
Last
month, we brought you news of the 2008 Enterprise Budgets,
and now, for the first time since 2002, we are happy
to report the availability of the 2008 Beef Enterprise
Budgets.
Authors
of this budget include Steve Boyles (Extension Beef
Specialist), David Dugan (Extension Educator., ANR,
Brown County ), Jeff Fisher ( Pike County ), John Grimes
( Highland County ), and Stan Smith (Extension P.A.,
Fairfield County ), Barry Ward (Leader, Production Business
Management) and Brian Freytag (OSU Extension Intern,
AEDE Undergrad).
As
with all of the newest budgets provided by the OSU Extension,
the 2008 Beef Budgets are in far more detail, as well
as being more graphically appealing and user-friendly,
allowing users of the Excel format to insert their own
production numbers to get a customized report of their
returns. The Beef budgets also sport the new color coded
cells that indicate what is required of the user for
any particular calculation (See 2008
OSU Enterprise Budgets for more information).
These
budgets include:
Slaughter Steer – Days on Feed: 232 & Days on Feed:
250
Slaughter Yearling Steer – Days on Feed: 182 & Days
on Feed: 190
Slaughter Heifer – Days on Feed 220
The
reason for the separate Days on Feed, is to show a different
feeding plan. For example, the 232 DOF Slaughter Steer
is fed on corn, soybean meal, mineral, and corn silage;
whereas, the 250 DOF are fed on corn, DDG, mineral,
and hay. While things are looking good for the
crop industry, the rising prices of these commodities
is leading to trouble for the beef industry. The ever-rising
cost of grains is good for the farmers producing these
crops, but also causes an increase in feed for livestock.
The
outlook does not look good for livestock farmers as
you will see when you first look at the “Returns Above
Total Costs” on these new 2008 Beef budgets. With even
the best scenarios in place, producers will find it
difficult to get out of the red.
It
seems that the feeding program you select will greatly
influence your profitability in upcoming years as the
price of corn and soybeans continue to sky-rocket to
unbelievable prices. Using a feeding program that includes
a hay-based diet, and avoiding soybean meals and corn
silages, will greatly reduce the costs for feeding your
steers and heifers.
For
options concerning your beef production, you can check
out the Beef team website at http://beef.osu.edu or
contact your local Extension representatives.
The
entire set of Beef Enterprise Budgets in Excel and PDF
formats can be accessed at:
http://aede.osu.edu/Programs/FarmManagement/Budgets/beef2008
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Understanding
ACRE
Carl
Zulauf, Professor, Ohio State University, May 2008
This analysis
provides an analysis of the ACRE provison of the Farm
Bill and provides a summary of the breakeven price with
traditional corn, soybean and wheat programs.
Click
here to read this one page summary aper.
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Farm
Fuel Cost Estimator Available
Gene
McCluer, Extension Educator, Hardin County
With the recent
price of diesel fuel for farm use well over $4.34, a
Fuel Cost Estimator written by Thomas W. Dorn, UNL Extension
Educator can help find current per hour and per acre
fuel cost for operating farm equipment . See the
Fuel Cost Estimator in an Excel spreadsheet format at:
http://hardin.osu.edu/agriculture/ag-newsletters/fuelcostestimator-2008.xls
With the spreadsheet, you can change the numbers
in the fuel cost cells to your current or expected fuel
price. You can also estimate how fuel costs may
change in the future and project your equipment
fuel cost into the future.
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Certified
Crop Advisor Exam Training Session to be Held in Springfield,
Ohio
Harold
Watters, OSU Extension Educator for Champaign County
& Wesley
Haun, OSU Extension for Logan County
OSU
Extension is pleased to announce that a Certified Crop
Advisor Exam Training Session will be offered at the
Clark County Extension Office, Prime Ohio Corp Park,
4400 Gateway Blvd, Suite 4, Springfield, Ohio on July
22 & 23, 2008 beginning at 9:00 a.m. the 22nd and
adjourn by 4:00 p.m.
on the 23rd. This workshop is being sponsored by OSU
Extension of Champaign, Logan, and
Clark Counties and the OSU Extension Agronomic Crops
Team.
This training session is designed to help participants
understand the principles necessary to
become a certified crop advisor and to assist in preparation
for the state and international
CCA exams. It is not a crash course designed to cover
all specific information necessary to
pass the CCA exam. However, it will cover some of the
performance objectives and will
assist students by giving better direction for independent
study.
Registration
is on a first-come, first-serve basis. The fee is $175
per person, which covers
the cost of instruction, lunches, break refreshments,
handouts and other costs associated
with the course over the two days. Pre-registration
by July 15th is requested as handouts
must be ordered and/or printed in sufficient quantities.
Registrations after the July 15th
deadline will be subject to materials on hand.
To
register:
• make checks payable to OSU Extension
• Include your name
• company affiliation
• address
• daytime phone number
• email address.
Send
registration information and check to Wesley Haun, OSU
Extension – Logan County,
120 E. Sandusky Ave. Suite1, Bellefontaine, OH 43311.
For more information please contact
Wes Haun at 937/599-4227 haun.17@osu.edu or Harold Watters
at 937/ 484-1526
watters.35@osu.edu.
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Historic
Grain Prices Will Fuel Changes in the BioFuel Industry
Mike
Gastier, OSU Extension Educator, Huron County
What
a confusing year to work in agriculture. The grain farmers
who have crops above water, must feel pretty good about
$7.00 corn, at least until the fertilizer and fuel bills
come. The elevator manager feels pretty good because
he bought the farmers' corn for $5.00 a few months ago.
Now the poor manager can't sleep because the margin
calls keep him up at night. How about the livestock
industry? That's so bad that we dare not even joke about
it. Lastly, we have the ethanol industry, standing all
by itself and shouldering the blame for everything.
Something has to give.
Remember
way back (24 months ago) before the commodity markets
realized that we could potentially use more corn than
we were growing. Until that point, the ethanol industry
was just using surplus grain. After all, that's why
the ethanol industry expanded. At that point, corn was
a great value to the end user. Now everyone is scrounging
for corn. It's capitalism at its best or worst depending
on which side of the market you are standing.
One
thing that probably won't change, at least short-term,
is demand for ethanol. Even though it is a small percentage
of our country's total petroleum usage, it is a vital
part. It's not only vital as an oxygenater, its also
part of the fragile petroleum supply which can no longer
meet our growing demand without ethanol in the equation.
One
variable that might change is the feedstock that supports
the biofuels industry. The ethanol industry was built
on the assumption of $3.00 corn. When expansion was
at fever pitch, many ethanol plants were so profitable
that some plants would have given away the distillers
grain which is a bi-product of the fermentation process.
Now, without the sale of distiller's grain, no corn
ethanol plant can operate in the black. Only $4.00 gasoline
and considerable investment in infrastructure have kept
ethanol plants operating in this period of record corn
prices. Suddenly, economics are forcing the biofuels
industry to expedite its search for alternative feedstocks.
Ever
since the corn ethanol industry began rapid expansion,
rumors have circulated that cellulosic alcohol would
replace corn alcohol in short order. Admittedly, the
idea of using non-crop land to produce a fuel that can
transport us down the highway is very attractive to
everyone from environmentalists to cattle feeders, but
can we do it? The answer is no. Commercial scale cellulosic
alcohol production is at least five years away and unfortunately,
some industry observers say that it's been 5 years away
for the last 20 years.
That's
not to say that cellulose based fuels have not made
progress on the research front. In fact, some of the
largest obstacles to cellulosic alcohol production have
seen great advancements in recent years, but with the
progress comes the realization that no one is equipped
to handle that immense quantity of low value product
that cellulosic alcohol production would involve. Cellulose
will be a viable biofuel feedstock at some point, but
it will not compete with corn ethanol in the immediate
future.
The
one alcohol feedstock that could have an immediate impact
is sugar cane.
Even
the staunchest critics of ethanol will admit that sugar
cane is a sustainable feedstock for ethanol production.
In Brazil , ethanol production from sugar cane has supplemented
domestic oil production enough to make Brazil self sufficient
or at least a zero net importer of petroleum.
The
obvious problem with sugar cane production in the US
is the limited growing region.
Sugar
cane can only be grown in the states bordering the Gulf
of Mexico as well as Hawaii . Even though domestic sugar
production could be increased substantially, sugar cane
could not take the place of corn as the major feedstock
for ethanol even if every potential acre were planted.
The
reason that sugar cane is preferable to grains for alcohol
production is that nature has already done some of the
manufacturing process for us. When making corn alcohol,
a great deal of energy is required to convert the starch
of the grain into sugar before bacteria can convert
the sugar into alcohol. The energy saved in this step
makes sugar based ethanol much more efficient than grain
ethanol in terms of net energy return.
The
other major sugar crop in the US is sugar beets which
can be raised in many crop growing regions of our country.
Historically, beets have been grown in the cool climate
of the Great Lakes and Red River Valley regions as well
as Colorado and California . Ohio was a sugar producing
state until fairly recently when the local processors
ceased operations. Like Ohio , many states would be
suitable for beet production should the demand increase
substantially. The sugar beet industry as a whole is
poised for expansion, but at this point, demand for
granulated sugar is strong enough to secure the industry.
In other words, sugar is too expensive to be a viable
feedstock for the ethanol industry.
A
2006 report from the USDA entitled “The Economical Feasibility
of Ethanol Production from Sugar in the United States
” concluded that the cost of producing ethanol from
sugar crops was about twice the cost of corn ethanol.
It is important to note however, that this report was
released in July of 2006, just months prior to the unprecedented
rise in grain prices. If this report were released in
July of 2008, the production cost of ethanol from sugar
would be very similar to ethanol from corn.
Two
huge obstacles are limiting the production of sugar
based ethanol in the US . First, the infrastructure
would be quite expensive, even more than the infrastructure
of the corn ethanol industry which is already in place.
Secondly,
the demand for sugar in this country is strong already.
Any increase in demand would undoubtedly increase the
price of sugar much as it did in the corn market. The
demand shift that is evident in the current corn market,
is being tolerated by the ethanol industry only because
the plants are already built. At this juncture, the
sunk cost on new ethanol plants keeps them producing
even with a negative margin. With this in mind, raising
money to finance sugar ethanol production could prove
to be a difficult task considering the industry could
follow a similar pattern.
Corn
ethanol has secured its place in history as our country's
first legitimate attempt to produce a biological alternative
to petroleum on a commercial scale. Through all of the
recent criticism, it will always be the biofuel that
cleared the path for the other biofuels to come. Higher
corn prices may eventually diminish the use of corn
as a fuel source, but for now, corn ethanol remains
our nation's most important biofuel.
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Factors
Contributing To Recent Increases in Food Prices
Gene
McCluer, Extension Educator, Hardin County
The USDA - Economic Research Service released a report
this past spring which describes the factors contributing
to the recent increase in food commodity prices. Many
of have blamed ethanol for high food prices. This report
shows there are many causes for high food prices.
Click
here to access the full report.
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Extension is implied.
Ohio
State University Extension embraces human diversity
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Keith
L. Smith, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Agricultural
Administration and Director, Ohio State University Extension
TDD No. 800-589-8292 ( Ohio only) or 614-292-1868
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