Cakadu, perhaps you are misunderstanding the situation with the ethanol deal. It is because of the cheap "subsidised" ethanol byproducts being used for animal feed in the US midwest that the "conventional" Canadian feeding industry (ie feedlots) are unable to compete on cost of feed with their US counterparts. It's not so much the shortage of grain forcing up price here that is making the feedlots uncompetitive as it is the fact that the US ones are being artificially subsidised.
Of course the whole ethanol thing is unsustainable and may die out pretty quick. Biofuels are a better proposition but still only produce a negligible return on fossil fuels expended. Compare that to properly managed grass and the difference is obvious. I'm real interested in some work coming out of Australia indicating that carbon credits for properly managed pasture should be as high as $100. Now that should alter some peoples thinking on the efficiency of feeding cattle on grass versus fossil fuel grown grains.
Of course the whole ethanol thing is unsustainable and may die out pretty quick. Biofuels are a better proposition but still only produce a negligible return on fossil fuels expended. Compare that to properly managed grass and the difference is obvious. I'm real interested in some work coming out of Australia indicating that carbon credits for properly managed pasture should be as high as $100. Now that should alter some peoples thinking on the efficiency of feeding cattle on grass versus fossil fuel grown grains.
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