Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Agricultural and Resource Economics

2012

Ethanol

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Ethanol And Food Prices - Preliminary Assessment, Richard K. Perrin May 2012

Ethanol And Food Prices - Preliminary Assessment, Richard K. Perrin

Richard K Perrin

Food prices in the U.S. rose dramatically in 2007 and early 2008. Given the integration of the world markets for foodstuffs, prices increased around the world as well, leading to riots in a number of countries in early 2008. The popular press has tended to attribute these food price increases to demand for corn by the ethanol industry. Grain prices are one determinant of food prices, but they constitute less than 5% of food costs in the U.S.(a higher percentage elsewhere.) This paper focuses on the likely relationship between ethanol and food prices, ignoring the potential role of other important …


Opportunities For Nebraska In Future Carbon Markets: Final Technical Report For Ncesr Project 3-#303, Richard K. Perrin, Adam J. Liska, Lilyan E. Fulginiti May 2012

Opportunities For Nebraska In Future Carbon Markets: Final Technical Report For Ncesr Project 3-#303, Richard K. Perrin, Adam J. Liska, Lilyan E. Fulginiti

Richard K Perrin

This study was funded to explore potential opportunities for Nebraska in future carbon markets, most explicitly those opportunities related to the possibility of replacing fossil fuels with biomass at Nebraska corn ethanol plants. The most direct and significant finding is that biomass-fired CHP (combined heat and power) technology is not economically viable for Nebraska corn ethanol plants under current conditions. We estimate in the study that corn stover price would have to be at least $50 per ton of dry matter for the requisite amounts to be delivered to any of the three ethanol plant locations considered (Adams, Norfolk and …


Grain Ethanol - Why Consider Food For Fuel?, Richard Perrin May 2012

Grain Ethanol - Why Consider Food For Fuel?, Richard Perrin

Richard K Perrin

Current U.S. energy policy encourages additional ethanol production through a combination of subsidies and mandates. Grain ethanol production converts a potential food into fuel. Concerns have been expressed that this drives up the price of food, and could contributed to world hunger problems. Other objections to grain ethanol have been raised: it might not reduce greenhouse gases much if at all; intensified cropping could deteriorate environmental resources, and it might increase smog in cities. Why, then, do proponents favor increased grain ethanol production? It is possible that it will educe greenhouse gas emissions; it can reduce petroleum imports, it can …