re: Biofuel Growth Is Decimating Wildlife Habitat in Corn Belt

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The academic centers from the world over all agree on GW... If you want a challenge, find a single peer reviewed scientific journal article published in the past five years that refutes Global Warming is occuring. I'll save you the work and tell you there arent many. If you do find one, then look who sponsored it and I'll bet you a beer that it was funded by a Big Oil related company. Since we're discussing science we will not be counting any articles published by a blogger, journalist or scientist that refused to submit to peer review. Those are nothing more than Op-Ed pieces...

The evidence is irrefutable and undeniable, the planet has in fact gotten warmer over the past century plus. We have hard data that proves it. What's debatable and will never be truly known is whether or not its entirely a result of human activity or if some part of the warming is associated with normal planetary heating and cooling cycles. The Scientific/Academic community seems to think the timing corresponds so well to the Industrial Revolution to modern era that man is certainly the dominant factor.

To be clear, I'm with you in that biofuel and green energy has major issues right now. A very interesting debate topic that some folks could go on for days about.

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I enjoyed that well thought out and written post. I wasn't sure if the people making those comments actually believed that GW wasn't happening.

I think something like 97% of scientists back global warming. Just to add to wiltz's comment on that. Coincidence that a lot are govt funded?

ETA learned last semester that electric cars are worse for the environment that ethanol run cars. :hippies:

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t's the same situation that happened with the ice age

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It warmed then because of all the methane from mammoth farts.

Late to the party, but just my $0.02.

No doubt global warming is real. But it's arrogant to think that roughly 100 years of industry is really a thread to the planet. The planet is how old? 6 billion years roughly? It has endured everything the entire cosmos could throw at it in that time, asteroids, comets, solar flares, black holes, super novas, volcanos, superstorms, mass extinctions, rise and fall of seas, ice ages, droughts, famine, and we really think a few years of plastic bags and a few internal combustion engines are gonna be the death of it?

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I don't think anyone is worried about killing the earth. The fear is killing the majority of people living on earth.

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Then say that. Don't say save the earth. That's just arrogant and manipulative.

And of course pollution is not a good thing.

CRP is a 10 to 15 year program, depending on species. In the south we plant pine trees,( 10 year contract )and hardwoods, (15 year contract). There are grassland contracts out west and north, not sure of the legth of contracts. A lot of the contracts are renewed yearly, many are not.The rent paid is to put farmland into the different native species, not farm rent.
A landowner can actually "buy out" of the CRP contract if he wants, by paying back all costs and funds he has received. This has actually happened in some cases when it has become much more profitable to farm the tract instead of collect the WRP payments. This could contribute to the decline of the acreage. Wetlnda tracts are like AIDS, (perpetual).
The entire idea, at this particular moment in time when we are soaring to a $20 trillion plus debt,that we are paying for some of these very expensive conservation programs is mind-blowing.
Wetlands Reserve Program easements are bringing in $1400 per acre and CRP payments over a 10 year period can go a lot higher over the 10-15 year contract. I think this is one area we can cut back significantly, budget wise. Just don't flippin do it for a couple of years.
In my opinion, in the next 25 years a majority of these tracts taken out of Ag production will be turned back into farmland at TAXPAYER expense. We will need the acreage.

So whats worse.

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The entire idea, at this particular moment in time when we are soaring to a $20 trillion plus debt,that we are paying for some of these very expensive conservation programs is mind-blowing.

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or the govt handing out money to large farmers?



I personally would rather drilling pads and pipelines running through my land than it covered in corn

damit now I am all pissed and high blood pressure.

And yea frickers I am whistlin Dixie

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Don't say save the earth. That's just arrogant and manipulative.

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I haven't seen anyone say that here.

i was just speaking in general, not addressing anyone specific.