95 comments on Peak Oil, Peak Food, Peak Risk
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95 comments on Peak Oil, Peak Food, Peak Risk
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It is possible to raise oilseeds like rape on the farm and press them to make biodiesel. If this is done ONLY to provide fuel for farm equipment, I do not believe that this would be the disaster for global food supplies that the massive production of biofuels for automotive use threatens to be. By my estimates, the typical farm would only need to dedicate around 5% of its crop land for biodiesel production for on-farm use.
I see this as a last ditch fall-back rather than a silver bullet, but it is perfectly feasible. This is why I don't lose any sleep worrying about how farmers are going to fuel their equipment.
Great point WNC Observer!
The discussion on ethanol/biodiesel needs to become more nuanced in this regard. The current corn/ethanol thing is eclipsing sane debate on appropriate uses of alt fuels in the transition to No Cheap Oil.
Corn/ethanol is evil, evil, evil. "The Omnivores Dilemma" was a nightmare tale about King Corn, as it is, but it was published before the Corn/ethanol death spiral got in the headlines big time.
I would like to see some more definitive numbers (and real life stories), from real farmers (farmer Rick Munroe?) on just how much canola or other oil seed crops (or even hemp seed) they actually would need, for farm ONLY equipment. How much home grown bio-fuel per arce or per yield weight of food crop.
Example: I grew 20 tons of potatoes with X amount of home grown bio-fuel.
I don't farm on a big scale, but city folks are going to need someone growing food on more than the raised bed - hand dug scale to support their life style.
It would also be pretty hard to implement this farm equipment ONLY policy unless real laws existed and were ENFORCED.
Would farm ONLY biofuel be taxed? If not, what's to keep Joe farmer from filling up the in-laws gas tanks when they drop by? 'Off-Road' diesel is already highly abused from a tax stand point. People using back-hoe diesel in the family diesel car or truck on the highway, quite a savings in fuel cost over buying the stuff with a stiff tax on it.
there was a big push right after the first arab oil embargo to develop bio-gas tractors...gasifiers using woodchips for fuel...do a search on "woodgas".Hell,the Norwegians and other baltic states ran their entire economies on woodchip based engines...cars,tractors ect.I am surprised this has not received more discussion than it has here on TOD