Hello, Corn is not the answer. If it were, Brazil's cornfields would stretch for untold miles in all directions and satellite photos would confirm this. Sugarcane is the answer but I am unaware of it's cultivation in the US. I believe the deep south would be ideal for this crop. I believe there has been talk (but no action??).. on draining the Everglades or a part of it and dedicating this reclaimed area for cane growth/distillation. Of course, mosquitoes & venomous snakes' well being trumps that of we humans so this plan will stay on the drawing board most likely. Good day.

Its stupid to burn your food, think about it

Blueta80 has noticed less gas mileage using ethanol. The reason is that ethanol has less energy per gallon than gasoline. To figure out if you are saving money with ethanol you have to calculate dollars per mile for both regular gas and ethanol. Dollars/gallon divided by Miles/gallon = dollars/mile

What I need to know here is... Is this an opinion article or an actual fact article which documentation to support? Because it does seem awfully one sided.

It sure is not the farmer's fault for the rising prices, it is our own fault. We are the most Blessed Nation world wide and we are one of the few countries paying less then 5 dollars a gallon for gas. YET our nation consumes more then any other country! If folks got off the " I have to have" bandwagon and go back to only using what is needed, prices all around would go back down. The farmers are a company as well and just like Mr. W, they should make a profit as well. Most do not and have to rely on government subsidies.

To those worried about dedicating land to energy production, we have been here before. Back in the good old days when everything was grown organically and horses pulled plows and wagons, think about all of the land dedicated to transportation back then. It has been estimated that one half of all crops went to feed horses.

I work with a lot of farmers and this story is so one-sided that I can't even fathom how it went on air. If you look at the facts, the acreage of field corn planted here in WNY has actually gone down this year compared to the last. Ethanol is the beginning of the end of the reliance of foreign oil depenence. With the rising input costs that America's and WNY farmers face today why shouldn't they reap the benefits and again be the starting point of what could lead to a lower fuel price? How can anyone criticize a farmer for making money and cashing in on prices not seen for decades? Where would your food come from if it weren't from the American farmer? Think about that the next time you say grace at the dinner table with your roast, your fresh vegetables, and your milk!! Western New York plays more of a part in America's fabric than you think.

I’ve heard these arguments before that farmers are growing more corn and it is being used to make ethanol as opposed to feed people. It is also being blamed for higher wheat prices and cotton prices. Supposedly every one is planting corn at the expense of all other crops. But here’s my question: How many millions of acres of land are not being farmed in this country because our government is paying subsidies to farmers NOT to farm the land? Shouldn’t we stop the subsidies and farm every available acre, wouldn’t that help bring the prices in line with supply and demand?

I get nearly 75-100 miles less to a tank of gas since the switch to enthanol and the summer gas blend. Anyone else notice this?

Wegmans needs to be careful about making blanket statements. "Farmers have stopped growing wheat in order to grow corn for ethenol" gives a false impression. My husband has grown corn and wheat for years. The ethenol plant has become one of his customers. Does anyone remember that the ethenol plant takes what is remaining of the corn and that is still being fed to cattle? My husband did NOT switch any ground for more corn. Wheat prices have gone up - some of the many reasons are the droughts all over the world last year and the cost to transport (not to mention the cost to run the tractors, combines, etc.). If anyone is concerned about the farmer making a lot of money in this - drive by your local farmer's place - the same place his family has been living for over 40 years, in most cases. Then, drive by the home of your local supermarket owner. Mr. W has a right to make his money. His store has blessed our area. However, his company has no right to blame my husband and other farmers for the rising costs of food. Nature has much to do with that. BTW - some smaller stores have cheaper prices. Why is that? The cost of operating such a large store with so many frills also plays into the rising prices of the items it sells.