A Rare Agreement: On the Ethanol Boondoggle

In today's Minneapolis StarTribune, conservative columnist Katherine Kersten writes a very good article on the (major) problems with ethanol. In Ethanol: Is it a miracle cure or another dose of snake oil? she questions our Republican governor and Democratic-majority Congress on the subsidizing and ethics of ethanol production. I am happy to agree with her for once!

I am sorry to write against the farmers who are so happy to have a crop that is making them money finally, but I just can not support ethanol. Kersten lays out the reasons very well in her column. They include the fact that it takes more fossil fuels/energy to produce ethanol than the energy that ethanol will provide. Also the fact that more grasslands are being converted to corn-growing land is causing more pollution. And, perhaps most importantly, the ethanol boom is causing skyrocketing food prices due to shortages of grain for food, and this is causing starvation in some poorer countries and even for too many Americans. It's worth clicking on the link and reading Kersten's column.

Here are some farmers who I can happily support:

Pastures A Plenty--my dad's cousin's farm in Southwestern MN, which supplies excellent pork sustainably raised.

Ploughshares Farm--a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm near Alexandria, MN

Whole Farm Co-op--a co-op of many Central MN farmers supplying local, sustainable farm products of all kinds, from meat to produce to soaps and crafts. You can order directly from their site, as well as see a list of their producers and where to find them.

And there are so many more! For a general Minnesota link, click on The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota's website.

For a list of Minnesota CSAs and sustainable meat producers, check out Minnesota Grown.

And for a national (USA) list, go to Local Harvest.org. This is a great resource to find farmers, CSAs, and farmer's markets in your area.

And do check out your local farmer's market this summer! I'm looking forward to the fresh, local fruits and vegetables already.