wendy’s Recent Comments

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  farm equipment and biodiesel

  Sure, farm equipment can run on biodiesel. I'm sure the farmer would prefer the smell. But I don't know any farmer who could afford the extra cost. Besides which, making the biodiesel consumes more energy than it produces. However, since a large part of the energy cost is in transportation, an on-farm biodiesel production unit might make sense...On Rising price of growing oil alternatives raises demand for oil posted 3 years, 5 months ago 6 Responses

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  energy cost of producing ethanol

  To grow, harvest, transport and turn into ethanol:
  Corn uses 29% more fossil energy than it produces
  Switch grass  "   45%  "
  Wood biomass  "   57%  "

  For production of biodiesel:
  Soybeans      "    27%  "
  Sunflowers    "   118%  "

  This info from a study by Pimental of Cornell Univ, see www.news.cornell.edu/stories/July05/ethanol.toocostly.ssl.html
   On Kick the Oil Habit posted 3 years, 5 months ago 8 Responses

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  rBGH and twins

  Yes. Stay away from milk unless you're a friend of the farmer, know he doesn't use rBGH, and can buy his milk right off the farm. Even organic milk, I'm sorry to say, can contain these genetically modified growth hormones, because of a loophole in the organic standards which allows (usually BIG) farmers to bring conventionally raised calves into their herds. There is no reason to believe that a calf whose mother was given rBGH is "clean", the stuff persists, and causes some strange things to happen in the offspring.On The recipe for twins (sorry, vegans) posted 3 years, 5 months ago 1 Response

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  the price

  You have to break out of the money syndrome. I help (on a volunteer basis) a small dairy farmer. While I expect no reward, he expresses his gratitude by giving me all the milk I can drink, plus often some less than choice cuts of beef and all the heart and liver I can manage. I watch him give away food all the time, on this trade-for-work basis.
  I'm sure vegetable farmers are the same. Also you can probably make your own harvest off of fields which have been harvested, a little work, but rewarding. I used to do this to feed pigs.
  Another idea: get chickens. Get a cow if you can. Plant a garden, if it's only potatoes [I read once that humans can live fine on only potatoes and (presumably raw) milk].
  Last idea: get poor. The income limit for foodstamps is surprisingly high, and my experience there (granted, it was 30 years ago) is that the foodstamp allotment for a family is sufficient to eat luxuriously as long as you are willing to prepare your own food.On Umbra on the cost of organics posted 3 years, 5 months ago 6 Responses