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Archive for May, 2010

Ethanol And The US Corn Crop

The American farmer and the American ethanol producer have been under attack criticized for seeking to capitalize on the productivity and bounty of American agriculture to help solve this nations energy crisis. In particular critics often misrepresent the impact of ethanol production on American corn and total grain supplies contorting facts and reporting statistics completely out of context. In advance of the USDAs September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates WASDE report due out on Friday the RFA has put together the following facts and figures that put the debate about how America uses its corn supplies in proper context.

As the size of the corn crop grows so too do its uses.

In 2002/03 the United States produced a corn crop of 9.0 billion bushels and consumed 9.5 billion bushels of corn. How was that crop utilized?

Usage Bil. Bu. Percentage of Total Use

Feed/residual 5.6 59.0
Export 1.6 17
Ethanol 1.1 11.5
Other 1.2 12.5

Source: US Department of Agriculture

In 2007/08 the United States produced a corn crop of 13.1 billion bushels and consumed 12.8 billion bushels of corn 35 more than in 2002. While the amount consumed by ethanol production increased so too did the entire crop and every other usage.

Usage Bil. Bu Percentage of Total Use

Feed/residual 6.1 48
Export 2.4 19
Ethanol 3.0 23
Other 1.3 10

Source: US Department of Agriculture

Because the size of the annual corn crop continues to increase over time discussing corns various uses in the context of percentages can sometimes be misleading. For example a similar percentage of the crop was exported in 2002 and 2007; but in real numbers the amount of corn exported in 2007 was 800 million bushels more than in 2002 an increase of 50. Similarly a considerably smaller percentage of the crop was fed to livestock in 2007 than in 2002 but in real numbers the amount of corn fed to livestock increased by nearly 10.

When corn is used to produce ethanol onethird of the corn is left over as distillers grains or DDG and used as a high protein animal feed.

• Discussions of how much corn is used for ethanol must recognize the fact that onethird of the corn is returned as feed to the livestock feed market.
• Every 56pound bushel of corn that enters the dry mill ethanol process yields 2.8 gallons of fuel ethanol and 18 pounds of residual grains. These residual grains often referred to as distillers grains are fed to livestock and poultry.
• In 2008 33 of the corn crop will be used for ethanol on a gross basis according to the August 12 USDA WASDE report. However when the distillers grains feed is considered the net usage of the 2008 corn crop will be closer to 22.

• Net usage of corn by the ethanol industry in 2007/08 was about 16 of the corn crop.

Increased corn production and less commodity speculation have helped reduce corn prices.

• 2008 new crop corn futures DEC08 peaked in late June at 7.88 and were over 7 for just three weeks. DEC08 corn futures have fallen nearly 2.50 per bushel since the speculationfueled peak.
• Corn is currently selling for under 5 per bushel on the cash market in many locations. USDA is projecting the seasonaverage corn price in 2008/09 will be 5.40 per bushel and the average price last year was 4.25. USDA may be overestimating the amount of corn that will be processed into ethanol in 2008/09.
• Given current ethanol production economics the expected timing of new capacity coming online and the levels of ethanol blending required under the 2009 Renewable Fuels Standard RFS it seems unlikely that 08/09 ethanol use will reach 4.1 billion bushels as USDA projected in August. Other estimates place corn use for ethanol in 2008/09 closer to 3.8 billion bushels.
• It is also notable that USDA overestimated corn use for ethanol in the 2007/08 marketing year. In its first estimate of 2007/08 corn demand May 2007 WASDE USDA pegged marketing year ethanol use at 3.4 billion bushels. It wasnt until September 2007 that USDA marginally revised the estimate down to 3.3 billion bushels. The estimate was further revised down to 3.2 billion bushels in October 2007 followed by revisions to 3.1 billion bushels in April 2008 and 3.0 billion bushels in May 2008. USDAs latest estimate of corn use for the 2007/08 marketing year which ended August 31 remains at 3 billion bushels.

Higher energy prices have driven the corn farmers cost of production to unprecedented levels.

• Farmers are facing record prices for diesel fuel gasoline fertilizer and other fossil energyderived inputs. These higher energy costs are in part responsible for the higher corn prices facing ethanol producers and livestock feeders. In many locations this year if the price of corn drops below 3.50 per bushel farmers will not make a profit.

About the writer:  Matt Hartwig is the Communications Director for the Renewable”>http://www.ethanolrfa.org/”>Renewable Fuels Association in Washington DC. Previously he worked as the assistant media director for the Consumers Union in Washington. Prior to that he was the Democratic Communications Director for the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Essential Ways To Take Care Of Your Car

To keep your car looking good and performing well OzFreeOnline offers some simple guidelines that will give you all the information you need to know. Each week we will offer you some excellent suggestions in taking optimum care of your car.

UNDER THE BONNET

Do you know your way around under the hood of your car? While not as critical as it used to be periodically checking under the hood can head off problems before they become costly. Today with selfservice gas stations everywhere often the only way you will get it done is for you to do it yourself.

Start by reading your car owners manual or search for your car models manual on line if you bought a used automobile which most of the times doesn’t have manuals for the drivers for them. There will always be a section on under bonnet checks. A word about safety though: read the safety warnings in your owners manual and any safety warning stickers under the hood. Also its advisable that you keep a pair of old gloves and a roll of paper towels in the boot.

If the engine has been running for any length of time there are areas under the hood that can be very hot. Except for checking transmission fluid level all checks should be done while the engine is turned off. If the engine is running do not put your hands near any belts or fans.

BATTERY

Most batteries today are maintenance free which simply means that you cant check the water level. This doesnt mean however that there is nothing to check. The main things to check are the top of the battery which should be clean and dry and the terminal connections which should be clean and tight. If the top of the battery continuously becomes damp or corroded soon after cleaning then have the charging system and battery checked by your mechanic. If by chance you are considering to buy used cars from dealers and know nothing about batteries you might wanna check it by looking and inspecting the connection wires. If it is corroded it is rusty or white chemicals are forming you can ask the used car dealer to clean it or change the battery to save you more money.

Happy motoring and remember the best source to buy a used car today is OzFreeOnline.com Cars Section. To sell your car you can use our free car listings We promise itll cost you nothing.

To keep your car looking good and performing well OzFreeOnline offers you suggestions on checking the Coolant Antifreeze level as well as the engine oil level.

COOLANT ANTIFREEZE LEVEL

Never open the radiator of a car that has just been running. The cooling system of a car is under high pressure with fluid that is usually hotter than boiling water. Look for the cooling system reserve tank somewhere near the radiator. It is usually translucent white so you can see the fluid level without opening it. Do not confuse it with the windshield washer tank. The reserve tank will have two marks on the side of it. FULL HOT and FULL COLD. If the level frequently goes below full cold after adding fluid you probably have a leak which should be checked as soon as possible. Todays engines are much more susceptible to damage from overheating so do not neglect this important system. If your car is prone to overheating you might wanna change your engine coolant or have your radiator checked up. Cars bought from car auctions usually have this problem so you might wanna research the used car value and asking for the cars service and damage/accident history to be aware of this kind of problems. Having an overheating engine on the road could be a very difficult thing to deal with.

ENGINE OIL LEVEL

An engine cannot run without oil; oil is what prevents serious engine damage or total destruction! To check the oil level make sure that the engine is turned off then find the engine oil dipstick and remove it. With a paper towel or rag wipe off the end of the stick and notice the markings on it. You will usually see a mark for Full and another mark for Add’. If you have just acquired a used automobile it is wise to check the oil immediately to determine if it is required to refill or do an oil change. Clean oil also is best for car engines.

Check your owners manual to be sure. Push the stick back into the tube until it sets then immediately pull it out to see the oil level. You should not add oil unless the level is below the Add mark and NEVER add oil to bring the level above the Full mark. Your main concern with this check is that oil consumption is not rapidly increasing. If it is take your car to a repair shop as soon as possible and have it checked out. It is acceptable for the oil to be dark as long as you change it at the recommended intervals. However it should never be foamy and should never have a strong petrol smell. If either of these conditions exists have it checked out soon. Remember you can browse sites like OzFreeOnline to give you some tips and advices in properly maintaining your car but it is also advisable to pay a few dollars for an expert periodically to check your car to get it to its best condition.

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Entrust Your Cars Maximum Compression To The Volvo Head Gasket

Among the many complicated parts of a car one should always be knowledgeable in managing and handling all of them. Who drives a car without knowing where his coil springs are located? And what is an oxygen sensor? How about the head gasket? Because most of the car’s compression is caused by a good head gasket. One can not just run a vehicle without thinking about his car’s good compression.

Volvo the Swedish genius behind the evolution of modern cars today is continuously innovating its technology to better serve its loyal patrons. They are responsible for most of the production of trusted quality car parts and they make it easier for drivers to locate their coil springs oxygen sensors and head gasket. How? Because these parts are sure to function without fail.Among the bestinclass products of Volvo is the Volvo Head Gasket. The Volvo Head Gasket is a gasket between the engine block and cylinder head in an internal combustion engine. Its purpose is to seal the cylinders to ensure maximum compression and avoid leakage of coolant or engine oil into the cylinders.

There are three types of Head Gaskets with different makes. There is an MLS gasket or a Multiple Layers Steel which could be commonly found in most modern head engines. These typically consist of three layers of steel. Another one is the Solid Copper. A solid sheet of copper and typically requires special machining called “oringing” that places a piece of wire around the circumference of the cylinder to bite into the copper. Last is the Composite which is an older technology made from asbestos or graphite but is becoming rare nowadays because it is more prone to blowouts.

Sometimes the compression in the cylinder may cause a leak to form in the gasket usually referred to as a blown head gasket. Fortunately this will be a rare occurrence when a car is hooked up with the Volvo Head Gasket. Because for nearly 80 years of service Volvo is almost sublime.

About the writer:  Miranda Restelle is a freelance writer and car enthusiast. She believes that women should see the beauty and style in cars as they see the beauty and style in fashion.