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Nuclear Energy Alternative, Renewable?
Energy independence means displacing foreign oil for the most part. Nuclear has long been in the game for 50 years to do exactly that, as well as less enviromentally palatable coal fired plants. While coal is by no means out with "gasification", nuclear is also rejoining the debate. As we get better at safely managing nuclear plants the world has exploded in use of the "clean" silent energy source. Explore who has mastered the use of "clean" nuclear energy as part of the larger world "renewable" debate.
Corn Burning Cuts Bills Half
When it comes to finding money laying in your backyard, corn might be the ultimate pot of gold. Corn-burning furnaces are no joke. When combined with a small amount of wood pellets they have high BTU output, clean burning, and can beat home heating oil for fast payback of conversion.
Ag Sector Seizing Biofuels Opportunity
Call it a wave, or a landslide, but biofuels is heating up the agribusiness sector in every corner. Who are the "players" in this world-changing arena? Farmer-member commodity groups are hopping all over the idea they can command a "new energy" regime by turning their commodities into real value-added biofuels, and they are the early the early movers. Seed and chemical companies are endowing brands of ag products as "biofuel" ingredients. You'll see every kind of ag player trying to find some hook in this territory ahead. Follow this revolution as it happens here on the Country Roads Network's Ag Journal.
Oil Might Be Our Alternative Energy
We might find America's alternative to Middle East oil might be our own oil under Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. Long known as "Oil Shale" or "Tar Sands", many attempts have been made to make economic sense of this giant reserve. Many estimate it is larger than all known Arabian reserves, but remains largely locked up from use. Read about this major oil "vault" an how price controls its future use. When we say "oil" and "energy" we usually mean "cheap gas" and "cheap heat and electricity". Tomorrow may find us rethinking this equation of entitlement.
Alternative Energy In Your Backyard
You have a glut of alternative energy to mine in your own backyard. Geothermal has many advantages including faster payback than many other forms. Using heat pumps to remove heat or reversing for cooling your home is a long used and perfected system. Low maintenance, low cost and high efficiency sounds like an ideal formula. It just may be for you. More and more contractors are available for turn-key results, or you can simply "DIY" with great success, and save thousands on a typical install.
WIND: Your Own Utility
Farms now can become their own utility with wind energy. Power companies will work with farmers to get their feeds directly into the grid or to feed in the excess energy as a credit to their electrical use billing. If you go to this link Energy Department you will get a look at maps of your state and estimates of average wind energy available.
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Markets Soar As World Demands Press Supplies
Where will cost and price spirals end in agriculture? We can see grains moving sharply higher, but input costs are sailing up behind them. Fuels is no small factor, diesel running well over $4. Even a gross of a thousand an acre for commodity crops isn't going to offset price spirals for getting a crop in and out, no matter the yields. Country Roads editor Bob Miller was told recently of a large tract of top land going for over $300 an acre rents as result of an auction. Many passed $200 across the Cornbelt states this year, and it will be higher next year. The old 30% crop share with tenant paying all expenses is looking good in most zones. This rent scheme probably lowers risk for the tenant, even though it might look high in a top yield year.
Every agribusiness sector seems to sense frenzy of worldwide export buying and commodities are all abuzz. While analysts keep touting that "techs" are displacing agri-sector investments, nothing seems to be really cooling off. Soybeans and wheat heading toward the mid teens is now in the cards? A weak U.S. dollar has propelled markets, but recent stronger dollar has tempered some of wilder predictions. Still, a hint of weather trauma will still send prices beyond thresholds. What is the fallout from all these rapidly compressed fundamental changes? We'll be looking into each sector over the next weeks ahead as South American crop harvest ends, and North Americans start machinery rolling for 2008 cropping season. Stay tuned to the Country Roads Network as Spring work progresses across cropping zones. (CRNET PLANTING UPDATE)
(CRNET Editorial Update)
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