Million dollar rain!

[Constance]

The corn here in southern Illinois has been looking pretty good, but it's getting ready to tassel, and a good rain is crucial at this time.
It's been awfully dry for the last couple of months, but the farmers must have gone to church and prayed for rain Sunday, because we got a nice one that afternoon, and it's been raining off and on for the last two days...nothing torential, just nice and steady...the kind that soaks in, instead of running off!

Speaking of rain, looks like the UK has been getting more than it's share. I hope none of our British friends here are having flooding problems!

 

[Uncle Bob]

The corn here has been very thirsty, but has been getting some nice cool drinks lately too Miss Connie

 

[kitchenelf]

That's great! Now maybe we won't have to pay a million for 5 ears of corn!

 

[Constance]

I know what you mean, Kitchenelf. Sweet corn is high here, too. But it shouldn't be. They use field corn for Ethanol.

Ethanol production could be a really good thing for our area. When the coal mines went, the jobs went.
But now, they're building a couple of Ethanol plants around here. We have plenty of water a lots of people needing jobs, so that's a good thing.
I don't know about how I'm going to feel about having one just a few miles up the road from us, though.

It's about time farmers started getting a decent price for their corn. It's not just coal miners that have lost work here; our small farmers have taken a big hit too. It's a simple matter of higher production costs and low prices on the product. A couple of bad years, or a worker gets hurt and sues, and it's all over.

Thing being, gasoline prices are driving the prices of all our goods way up. If we can get ourselves out of this dependancy of foreign oil, it will help lower all our prices.

I'm not a chemist, but I think that Ethanol is basically grain alcohol.

 

[bethzaring]

Great news on the rain Connie. Please send some my way! At the end of April my area was listed as being in an incipient drought and by the end of May we dropped to a severe drought. So far in June I have had one inch and 3/10ths. We got one inch the first week of June, so got 3/10ths of one inch since then. We have a 70% chance of rain for tomorrow.

I drove from Jackson to Chillicothe yesterday and saw drought stressed corn and beans, looked pretty said. The point of my mission was to purchase a front loading washing machine. I am trading a washing machine that uses 40 gallons of water for one load, for one that takes a bigger load of clothes and uses 14 gallons of water. Will be delivered today WOOOHOOOO.

 

[ronjohn55]

Thing being, gasoline prices are driving the prices of all our goods way up. If we can get ourselves out of this dependancy of foreign oil, it will help lower all our prices.

I'm not a chemist, but I think that Ethanol is basically grain alcohol.

Yep, grain alcohol. Or sugar, or any other fermentable sugar.

I don't see it really lowering gas prices (and the fear is that other crop prices will spike due to farmers planting more profitable corn instead of other crops), but I've come to look at it like this.

Ethanol has a lower tailpipe missions level. It's more renewable (Although not nearly as efficient a fuel). It's a locally producable product - infact the more local the better (It doesn't travel real well - absorbs water. Bad Juju for engines), and it helps farmers.

Seems like a decent deal to me for now.

John

 

[In the Kitchen]

Coast to Coast

I don't know if any of you stay up after 12, but I listen to program called Coast to Coast on the radio. Some wild stuff but mainly interesting pertaining to the world economy. The man, who specialized in world stocks and economy stated if country goes with ethanol, people will have to make a choice if they want to eat or use their car? Said it would deplete the corn so fast, forgive me for not recalling amount per auto, that wouldn't be enough corn left to eat.

He stated people have to learn other forms of transportation in order to by pass this shortage of fuel. Find other source of transportation than what we have. People with big SUV's are thinking the economy will bounce back. That is dreaming. The days of having it all are gone. Take a look at General Motors, you think they would have ever had problems. People just don't want to do without and are just ignoring 'save for rainy day' syndrome. I don't like doom and gloom any more than the next person. Facts are facts and we should pay attention.

I do not know if the fault lies with our leaders or with the people themselves? We should question whether we are trying to conserve the way the rest of the world does. Other countries aren't building SUV's. Oh, and owning a big boat too doesn't help.

Just my thoughts

 

[Run_Out]

Weather is crazy, Texas has had more rain than I can ever remember. We have already surpassed a full years rain and it's not even July. I read this morning that Okla. City has rain for 15 straight days, 28in so far this year.

I don't need a PHD to know that the weather patterns here are changing.

later

 

[sparrowgrass]

Constance, I drove thru Southern Illinois last Friday, from Cape Girardeau to Anna to Harrisburg to Carmi, and we noticed how curled the corn was.

We came back thru in a lovely rain on Sunday, and I said then, "Gosh, I hope some of this is hitting my house."

Be careful what you wish for--I had gullies in my driveway deep enough to lose a Nissan Frontier in.

I got 2 inches of rain, the zucchinis are rapping on the door, and the lawn is knee-high.

 

[ronjohn55]

We're finally getting some rain here today.

Wouldn't you know that after not raining for over 2 weeks, the storms show up the day of the big fireworks display on the Detroit river!

But, we need the rain, so I'm not complaining.

John

 

[Loprraine]

Glad to hear you finally got rain, Constance. If you have any extra, please send it hear. We've been put on partial water restriction.

Beth, you'll notice a big difference with your new washer. Enjoy!!!