The one thing proponents of ethanol have been trying to sweep under the table during their endless drive to cram the fuel down our throats with endless subsidies and mandates is the fact that widespread use of one of our staple crops for fuel is going to make livestock feed more expensive.  A cost that will, along with the rising cost of corn due to more of it being diverted to ethanol production, be passed on to those buying foods

So now the ethanol industry must do something to keep up their ag-friendly appearance and convince us all that the fuel isn’t a pipe dream that will eventually do more to line the products of big-ag and big-biofuel moves-and-shakers than solve our fuel problems.  Their answer?  They put out propaganda about ethanol byproducts being used as livestock feed

BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota’s booming ethanol industry is providing feed that cattle find tasty and ranchers find affordable _ so far

“The byproduct was a pretty good buy last year, but I’m not sure where they’re going to price it this year,” said Shawn Arndorfer, who owns a cattle feedlot near Hettinger and manages a second one near Scranton. “There’s enough demand for the byproduct that I think it will probably push prices up a little bit.”

The byproduct of corn ethanol production _ called distillers grains _ can replace some of the grain corn and protein supplements in a cow’s diet. “Typically it’s cheaper than the same amount of corn (and) soybean meal, whatever protein source you’re using,” said Greg Lardy, a beef cattle specialist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service

“In Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa, where they’ve got huge amounts of byproduct being produced, (cattle) numbers are really going up,” he said

Duane Zent, who farms in the Richardton area, said he has had good luck with distillers grains from the Red Trail Energy plant, which produces ethanol in southwestern North Dakota

“It’s cheaper than buying corn (and) cows really like it,” he said.

The idea that ethanol by-products can provide a cheaper alternative feed to corn or soybeans for ranchers sounds great, until you realize that there is no way for these by-products to replace all of the corn being used up to produce ethanol.  Eventually, as more ranchers use the by-products for feed, it’s cost will go up and feed will be more expensive than it was before all these heavily-tax-subsidized ethanol plants were eating up all the corn

The bottom line is that while ethanol may be getting hype from the media, and while politicians all over the country may be doing everything short of paid commercial product endorsements to make sure ethanol gets made and used (and in John Hoeven’s case, those product endorsements are a real thing given he’s on billboards hawking E85), the truth is that until it’s a marketable alternative to traditional gasoline the only way people will use it on a regular is if they’re forced to by law

Which is pretty much what these politicians are doing anyway, rising food prices be damned

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