Food Prices and Ethanol

From the cost of trucking to the price of plastic packaging, the soaring price of oil has hit every aspect of the food industry. That means higher prices at the grocery store. American farmers have always used modern techniques to keep down the cost of growing food. Now they have taken it another step farther. Now, farmers are also working to cut the cost of generating energy.

Soy Diesel & Ethanol
Ironically, renewable fuels, like ethanol, are getting blamed for high food prices. It’s simply not true. Ethanol is stretching out the nation’s tight fuel supply and lowering fuel costs across the nation. That means its keeping down the cost to transport food, too. Learn more.

Corn Plastic
As oil prices soar, so do the prices of oil-based products, including plastics used in food packaging. There’s a new kind of plastic though– coming from American farms, instead of foreign oil fields. Learn more.

Wind Power
At one time, farmers used windmills to power their farms. Today, farmers harness the wind to power everything from schools to food companies. Learn more.

Solar Energy
Free of tall buildings and smog, farmers have learned to use the sun to increase self-reliance, reduce pollution, and cut production costs. Solar heat collectors dry crops and warm homes, livestock buildings, and greenhouses. Solar water heaters provide hot water for dairy operations, pen cleaning, and homes. Plus solar electric panels power everything from remote water pumps to electric fences.

Methane Power
Poop to power? Why not? Farmers have created generators that run on the methane from manure. The manure from 1,000 cows might generate up to 150 kilowatts of energy in this process, about enough to run a small business.