Diesel shortage could hinder (US) wheat harvest

[jpak]

http://www.kansas.com/101/story/92265.html

Forget about high fuel prices. As harvest nears in western Kansas, the bigger concern is fuel supply. "I'm telling our producers to get their tanks full," said Pat Peterson, general manager of the United Plains Ag cooperative in Sharon Springs. "Supply is more important than price."

A shortage of diesel fuel supplies is the result of a combination of weather and maintenance problems at refineries and terminals in the region that have caused slowdowns in production and problems with delivery.

Storms the weekend of the Greensburg tornado severely damaged the loading rack and two above-ground storage tanks at the Magellan terminal near Great Bend.

Refinery problems in Colorado and Oklahoma have caused a short supply of fuel, leaving the Magellan terminal near Scott City -- which supplies most of the cooperatives in an 80-mile radius -- short of fuel. Problems in eastern Colorado have sent producers there into Kansas looking for fuel, putting further pressure on supplies at Scott City.

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[kestrel91316]

1. Uh oh.

[DURHAM D]

2. On the other hand, large parts of central Kansas have had so

much rain that they will not have a wheat crop period. So, no need for fuel.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. My family is in eastern CO...

If this keeps up, harvest time is going to suck. :(

[hatrack]

11. Heard this morning on the radio news that Sumner County's harvest basically sucks

Sumner's kind of the litmus county for the KS wheat harvest.

The report mentioned the harvest there might not even make $50/acre. The Easter freeze followed by lots of rain really put the blocks to the winter wheat.

[NNadir]

4. Couldn't they just use biodiesel?

One always wonders why none of these biofuels farms operate as closed systems.

[jpak]

5. Folks are begnning to do just that

Why depend on the oil companies when you can produce your own reliable supply for less???

http://biofuels.coop/

[NNadir]

6. We breathlessly await the day farm states, like Iowa, stop importing oil.

When d'ya think? 2080? 2100?

Make sure you announce a date long enough so that anyone who could check on your prediction will be dead.

[jpak]

7. Farmers are far more intelligent and resourceful than you give them credit

It takes less than a year to build a large biodiesel plant and smaller portable biodiesel plants are already on the market.

Local distribution systems are easily established as well.

Modifications to farm equipment to run on 100% biodiesel are not major or expensive.

When push comes to shove, farm coops will be making their own biodiesel (and ethanol) in short order.

Count on it.

[NNadir]

8. If this is true...

...why are you writing a thread about diesel shortages on farms?

You write:

It takes less than a year to build a large biodiesel plant and smaller portable biodiesel plants are already on the market...

You're always here telling us how easy it is to use renewable energy.

I have not indicated that I think farmers are unintelligent. In fact, I would guess that most farmers are far too intelligent to be impressed by a bunch of wishful thinking handwaving.

Either there is a diesel fuel shortage for farms or there isn't. Note that I have not excluded biodiesel from the set of possible diesel fuels. It everything was as easy as you say - and I don't really believe much of what you say by the way - there should be no shortage. Every farmer would just cook up some home grown corn oil with some lye and methanol and run his damn tractor.

The diesel consumption, gasoline consumption and other petroleum products used in Iowa can be seen here: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_sum_mkt_dcu_SIA_m.htm

It looks like petroleum use is climbing not falling. Maybe you should send all Iowans an email about your special insight.

[Ready4Change]

9. Because everyone OVERestimates the intelligence of BIG farm operators.

My grandfather laughed at the big farm operations that were buying up all the small farms in his area in Iowa. He laughed because they'd come in, consult with 'experts' from chemical fertilizer companies, who'd tell them what products to apply to the rich/ dark fields they'd acquired. They'd apply, plow, apply, plant, apply apply apply and harvest.And yah, they'd get higher yields that first year.

Next year yields would drop. More consults, more products, more applications. Next year, yields would PLUMMET. The soil was grey, going dusty. Crops were yellowing. Profits getting narrow as the crops were totally dependant on chemical fertilizers.

Meanwhile my grandfather kept rotating his crops in his rich, dark earth, barely needing fertilizers or pesticides.

Then he died. Last I was out there the big farm operation that bought his fields had turned them to ash too.

Very few big operators will implement their own solution. They'll just pay anyone promising to solve their problem, then beg the Gov for yet another handout due to their unforseeable circumstances.

Small operators, like my grandfather had been, are already brewing their own in 50 gallon water heater tanks, I suspect.

[razzleberry]

10. refineries not making red-dye-diesel?

how about home heating fuel oil?