April 3, 2007
- Ethanol's Ripple Effect
The US government has been subsidizing the research, development
and use of ethanol. This is being done in an effort to provide an
alternative solution to importing costly oil and gas for use here
in the United States.Â
Some day, ethanol might be a great alternative. However, it is
having a "ripple effect" in the economy. This is from the Daily
Herald, a paper in suburban Chicago, on March 11, 2007:
    The Department of Agriculture said recently that strong
    demand for corn from ethanol plants is driving up the
    cost of livestock and will raise prices for beef, pork
    and chicken. Meat and poultry production will fall as
    producers face higher feed costs, the department said in
    its monthly crop report. (…)



