Corn is taking over
 

I'm not so sure about this ethanol boom being a good thing. Farmers around here are tearing out trees and putting up pivots where ever they can, just to plant a little corn. I'm afraid the deer arent going to have any cover, except for the corn. When the corn is picked they will all be gone. The whitetails will all be forced to the canyons. They are even putting up pivots on the hills in the middle of nowhere where the mulies live. I think the mulies will all get forced to the canyons too.Ifyou shoot a deer in the canyon the only way to get it out is drag it up an 80 degree slope. Whatdoes everyone else thinkabout ethanol. Good or Bad.

RE: Corn is taking over
 

I think deer are the least of the worries. Maybe out west its a lil bifferent but there is plenty of hills and swamps around here that could never be farmed. Somethingwe are seeing alot of is CRP lands coming back to ag lands which is not good!! Alotof farmers don't like it but it depends on each ones situations. So many farmers around here are not real happy about the huge jump so quick. Feed lot, chicken, and hogs guys are getting killed right now on their animals and are getting rid of them completely in alot of cases. The big cash crop guys are sayin its not lookin good either because fertilizers, seed, and everything else are sky rocketing in price and there is gonna be a shortage of it over all. I really don't know what to think about the whole thing except its gonna mean more good than bad I think and result in a recession which doesnt benefit anyone except some of the farmers in the end. WCL

RE: Corn is taking over
 

apparently from what i've heard/read corn isn't even a very practical source to use for fuel. there are other sources (wheat, sugar cane and barely maybe?) that are supposed to be more efficient, however, corn is subsidized by the government so there is more of it or something...sort of a catch 22

here is a good article on it i think:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/au...mp;oref=slogin

RE: Corn is taking over
 

We have several ethanol plants here in Iowa. Most have been here several years. The farmers still rotate their crops and take care of the land. The plants extract the alcohol from the corn and the remainder is used too. Ethanol runs about 10 cents cheaper than straight gasoline. I say praise the Lord for ethanol and I hope it becomes mandatory for all pumps. Of course if they did, the oil companies would buy them all out and protect their interest. I can't wait until all vehicles can be run on water. Yes, WATER! It is possible to do, but at the present it is not cost effective.

RE: Corn is taking over
 

Thats something good about center pivot, the corners are often left for habitat. Leaves more cover than a square field.

Water? that would be great if would ever rain around here, been dry for a couple years and getting really critical now.( but it still cheaper than gas!)

RE: Corn is taking over
 

I'm glad to see corn becoming more popular...In eastern NC, cotton production has taken over as a cash crop, now that you have to contract peanuts directly with the buyer and the government has pushed tobacco overseas...

Deer will eat cotton, but it's not in their top 10...We had years that our farmer would have 2 of 3 farms totally in corn...I already know that one will be beans and one beans and corn, just waiting to see what he will plant on the 3rd...

RE: Corn is taking over
 

Corn won't be around long as a source for ethanol fuel, switchgrass which I just read was being planted in NE is like 500X more efficient, if we planted the entire US with corn, it would only produce something around 10% of our fuel needs, don't worry too hard, ethanol from switchgrasses, and bio diesel are more in the immediate future than ethanol from corn.

RE: Corn is taking over
 

Ethanol is a joke for several reasons. It wouldn't even be made if it weren't for subsidies. I don't think it will hurt the deer hunting, though.

RE: Corn is taking over
 

The information I've seen about using cornfor a fuel source isn't very promising. Usage of the grasses or even wood chips is the better alternative.

RE: Corn is taking over
 

X2 - If we're going to use plant material as fuel, let's get real and use something cheap and abundant like say...juniper, kudzu, buckthorn, boxelder, canary grass, cattails. It is ridiculous to burn corn. Costs as much to produce, haul and refine as the fuel you get out of it. All about politics and greed.