I have 53 acres of agriculture land in Texas. How can I grow corn there and make an ethenol plant?

Question

I have 53 acres of agriculture land in Texas. How can I grow corn there and make an ethenol plant?

Answer 1

They have been growing corn and operating ethanol plants very successfully for years in the hills here. 53 acres of corn will make a lot of alcohol.

http://www.stillcooker.com/pot_still.htm...

Answer 2

53 acres? no....5300 acres, maybe.  Still isn't worth it.  Ethanol won't/can't do it.  Peeing in your tank is just as effective(cause that is how much ethanol can be produced if all the worlds farmland were converted to ethanol production)  how long does it take for corn to grow?  The amount of alcohol produced won't equal 1 days consumption of oil(86 BBarrels (or 4300billiongallons a day ""today"").  And what are you suppose to eat while that corn is growing in all them fields/and gardens?

  I hope you planned to have the ethanol for drinking.

Answer 3

Contact your local county extension agent for a list of local crops, suggested varieties and practices.  

You will need a tractor, corn planter, corn harvester and some tillage implements. If you plan on minimum tillage, then you will need a minimum till planter (lots heavier), a sprayer, probably a shielded sprayer and a chisel or para plow.  You can have the fertilizer broadcast via custom applicators, but if you wish to apply the fertilizer in row or to the side, you will need fertilizer application equipment.  If you are going organic, then you will need a manure spreader and a significant source of manure.  If you don't want to have those initial equipment layouts, then you have to have all the work contracted.  There may or may not be a custom planter/crop manager within reasonable distance from you to plant and manage the crop.

BTW, unless you are up in Amarillo, your corn yield average for the last 20 years is less than 100 bu corn/acre.  Using that as a working average, you are talking 5300 bu or about 150 tons of corn.  Will that be sufficient to justify the investment in an ethanol plant?  Will the costs of growing the corn (cause producing corn in Texas ain't cheap) prevent your idea from being successful.  If you can't produce enough corn to justify the plant, will you have neighbors that are producing corn locally so you can continue to feed the ethanol production line?

Answer 4

You will need a good and steady supply of water and the ability to replenish the land from what you remove. I'm not sure if 53 acres is enough to warrant your own distillation and fermentation facility but the waste would be part of what you would need to return to the soil, as well as some fertilizers in some form. The returned organics might be enough to basically keep in production but count on needing some form of fertilizer on top of that, probably in the form of nitrogen. If the corn is sent out for processing I would think that the plant has to loose that waste product, some of which could go as feed for cattle so that may also be a consideration. You may want to see who is doing what in your area as Texas has a big difference in soils and water availability from one area to another. You will want to see what others (your neighbors) are doing, and spending, and see what you can expect for returns. In answer to your question, you will need water, basic soil (sandy light loams acceptable), and additions to that soil to maintain production (organics and/ or fertilizer).

Answer 5

The way things are going, you may be better off planting wheat or rice, the price of these is sky rocketing due to cropland being used for fuel crops. You can't survive on ethanol...

Answer 6

Do not try to compete with Exxon, they will eat you alive, check prices of some produce in México, this country is importing oats, rice (if you have water) lentils, annd many others. prices here are skyrocketing. Besides, 53 acres will give you corn to make a alcohol distiller that gives back 7 gallons an hour