According to this article in today’s Peoria Journal Star, the bottom may be falling out for ethanol producers in Illinois. However, it may only be for a short time as the new Farm Bill will soon be up for debate in Congress. At issue now is several companies have taken millions upon millions of our tax dollars to build new plants in and around the Midwest. Several have found that the price of building corn distilleries for ethanol production has risen enormously. It seems that an unintended beneficiary has been found in the ethanol con. Building contractors have upped their prices since the government has loosed this particular teat. Also, many planned ethanol plants seemed to be derailed for other reasons too. Some expected more handouts, which surprisingly they didn’t receive…yet. In Canton, it seems residents are blocking the building of new train tracks leading into and out of the plant site. A railroad is essential infrastructure for this type of plant. I wonder if the people truly don’t want the tracks, or if they are looking for above top dollar for the land needed.

This years corn harvest is going to be a very large one according to this article from The Peoria Journal Star. And why shouldn’t it be? The federal and state governments have been subsidizing the corn growers, and all farmers, for years. But lately it has gotten worse. With the government trying to change consumers behavior, nothing new I know, corn growers stand to reap more this year than ever. The craze that is being brought on by ethanol is the driving force behind the fleecing of our tax dollars.

I have been waiting for a while to post on the ethanol subject as I am waiting for a report that is forthcoming. However, when C.J. at The Peoria Chronicle posted on the increase of the consumer prices and a commenter blamed ethanol, I thought I’d chime in. The other day I was listening to talk radio and someone said that the price of milk was extremely high and his counterpart blamed it on the cost of feed corn. Later the markets reporter chided them and blamed most all price increases on fuel costs. Who is correct?