In response to Mr. Woell’s agonizingly “factitious” and out-dated review of ethanol, I must ask him how many bushels of corn did he raise last year?ÿ If Mr. Woell was even raised in the vicinity of a farm, he would have a different viewpoint.ÿI don’t dispute there are pros and cons when comparing anything.ÿScientists have debated ethanol since the early ’80s and still discuss if the federal government should subsidize it.ÿ

Where would you rather see your money go? To the oil companies, which have enough money and power to hold the consumer by the ankles?ÿOr would you rather see at least part of it go back to the farmer?ÿIn 1998 there were 550 million bushels processed into 1,300 million gallons of ethanol. At $2.00/bushel, that is 1.1 billion dollars back into farmers’ pockets.ÿ

Granted, there are production costs and other inefficiencies, yet there is presently a billion dollar market for farmers that would otherwise not be there.ÿ

There is room for that market to grow if more people purchase ethanol-added fuels.ÿCurrently, there are cars that can run on what is called E85. These are vehicles that operate on an 85 percent ethanol fuel blend.ÿ

Ethanol production and consumption may not be the most cost-efficient, but technology has greatly improved since production first started.ÿ

Ethanol reduces the demand for foreign oil by 100,000 barrels a day.ÿ Should we be concerned with Mr. Woell’s numbers? Yes.ÿShould we be concerned with keeping a sizable market open for farmers?ÿYes. Should we buy ethanol blended fuels to at least conserve our non-renewable energy resources for the future of the world? Yes.

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Chris Reimann

Alumnus

North Platte, Neb.