It’s Schmoe worst nightmare come true! According to the Telegraph (UK), Mexican farmers are clearing away agave fields — used to make tequila — for more profitable wheat or corn crops. With the US paying big money for biofuels, tequila may become a thing of the past.
Corn currently sells for a record 18 cents a pound as US motorists turn towards biofuels in an attempt to avoid the soaring cost of petrol — now $2 a gallon.
In contrast, agave, which was worth approximately 80 cents a pound six years ago, now sells for less than two cents.
As a result, farmers have taken the difficult decision to let their agave crops burn to clear the way for more lucrative crops.
I imagine at this very moment, having read this, there is a Schmoe-shaped cloud above his spinning office chair, as Schmoe tears off to the closest liquor store to stockpile bottles of patron.
(Found via Digg.com.)
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was going to be the basis of my rebuttal (and it was supposed to be in the newest podcast), but it really doesn’t change the main point: [url=http://cleantechnica.com/2008/08/08/drink-it-or-drive-it-the-promise-of-agave-for-ethanol/#more-825]Less agave for tequila. Bah.[/url]