Tim, No hemp farmer in Canada or Europe is expending $600 per acre in order to get a $600 return.
When you look at those who are cold pressing the seed for oil, you find that there is an inordinate amount of sludge that gets separated from the readily filterable oil. Cold pressing does not give the luxury of high immediate yields (although it does offer the luxury of "solvent free") and due to the nature of the food grade oil business a great percentage of the oil is discarded as sludge. Eventually the sludge separates even further, leaving approximately 60% of what was discarded to be used for "less than food grade" purposes. This is the oil that would be used for biodiesel, not the intially pressed oil. At present, several of the oil producers in Canada are stockpiling their sludge. This has resulted in large quantities of hemp seed oil becoming available for fuel conversion. Considering the fact that this was once considered to be a "waste product," utilizing it as farm fuel is not an unattractive end use. As well, the fines that settle out of the sludge are a superb chicken feed - yet another free product of what was once relegated to the category of "waste." Todd Swearingen ----- Original Message ----- From: Tim Castleman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <biofuels-biz@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 2:21 PM Subject: [biofuels-biz] Why not? (On farm fuel from hempseed oil) > From: "Appal Energy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: Hemp Fuel Conspiracy? > > Why not? > > > I also wonder about farming (i.e., if a Hemp farmer could make just > > enough to forestall having to go off-farm for fuel, if this could be > > worth it to him, just for his own fuel needs... probably not.) > > This is one of those impossible questions, the answer will never satisfy because the fact is hemp cannabis HAS been deliberately repressed, several million $ is spent each year on eradication efforts on feral hemp, for example. DEA drug warriors are emotionally and financially attached to their work, and so perpetuate many lies and place many barriers. Perhaps the most insidious of which are the divisions within the cannabis/hemp/marijuana culture itself. > > This repression has prevented development of the crop per se, thus leaving us with the familiar chicken and egg scenario. Bottom line, when petroleum stays at $30 bbl, a plant-based economy will emerge. > > Meanwhile, yes, a farmer could grow hemp, harvest the seed and extract the oil for on farm use, but why would he with all the other oil crops available that will produce much more oil than hemp? In a practical sense, and most farmers are practical to a fault, to spend $600 or so to grow $600 or so worth of fuel only works with government subsidies. He would rather just buy it and save himself all that work! > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > Biofuels at Journey to Forever > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > Biofuel at WebConX > http://webconx.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm > List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > Biofuels at Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel at WebConX http://webconx.green-trust.org/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech: http://archive.nnytech.net/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
