What type of corn is used to make ethanol?
Ethanol is made from field corn, which is not the same as the sweet corn we find in find in our grocery aisle. Field corn is used in some food products but only makes up five to eight percent of total corn usage, so it stands to reason that ethanol production weighs lightly in the spiking food prices being experienced. According to the National Corn Growers Association, ethanol production uses only the starch portion of the corn kernel. The remaining protein, fat, fiber and minerals are still used as high-value livestock feed (Dried Distiller’s Grain). The U.S. corn surplus for 2007 was approximately 1.8 billion bushels, which was significantly higher than the average over the past 20 years. The 2008 corn surplus is projected to be even larger than 2007, so there is more than enough corn to meet all the various kinds of demand. ************** What is soil erosion and what causes it? Soil erosion is the removal of soil by water or wind. The four main types of erosion are: Sheet erosion:
