Combines soybeans

I dont think that your are thinking enough. no offense If the american millionairs would invest in biodiesel plnats would the US be able to export the fuelIJ

Body of message: Big Oil, which has a lot of government clout, would have something to say about that, not wanting competition. Also, the NIMBY and environmental crowd doesn't want new industrial sites that refine stuff like biodiesel in places where they can actually be beneficial. Then, of course, the millionaires of this country who invest in things tend to go to places like China and South America with their money, since the labor costs are low and there are few if any regulations on how you do business, so that's more return on their dollar. Don't seem to give a hoot about putting people in their own country to work and helping the economy. Just want to line their own pockets. More than likely soybeans grown in South America will be processed there, and the biodiesel will be imported into the US. BTW, I think this methodolgy for investing applies to anyone with money these days, regardless of political affiliation.

A University research study done about 20 years ago in Oz and I think a parallel study in the US about the same time, had a look at the total energy inputs into growing a crop. This included the energy to mine the iron ore, steel production, manufacture of machinery, energy inputs to manufacture fertilizers, chemicals, transport and the whole shooting match. It was astonishing that the energy inputs required to produce a crop were almost exactly the same as the amount of energy actually produced by that crop. Maybe it is time to do that study again as the conversion of crops to fuel may in reality be little more than feel good factor as far as energy production is concerned. On the economic side, ask yourselves; If you had to accept world prices without any government supports of any type, would it pay to turn crops into fuelIJ Cheers!

My wife says the same thing, "I don't think your thinking enough", all the time. So no offense taken. I would think that it would have to be a group of small investers to start these biodiesel plants and if, and a big if, they are a great money maker then the big millionairs would buy them out. It would have to start with the small person that would be willing to risk it all. Ilnh