YORKTON - How the world envisions turning off the tap in terms of reliance in fossil fuels is indeed interesting.
Of course living in Saskatchewan where oil and gas are significant contributors to the economy there will be many saying there is no need to change.
But, at present there is certainly a trend away from fossil fuels, and that means interest in alternate energy sources that include generating electricity from the sun, tides and wind, and turning to bio-fuels
The latter is of course the one of greatest interest for Prairie farmers.
Bio-fuels need to be created from some source material, so cereal grains can become ethanol – the long-standing plant at Lanigan an example, and canola oil can become bio-diesel.
There is no doubt that the significant growth in the canola crush sector in Saskatchewan has been in response to an expected increase in demand for canola oil for bio-diesel production.
Of course using cereal grains and oilseeds for fuel production, while diversifying markets for farmers, does beg the question of whether it’s the best use of the resource in a world where hunger still exits in large numbers and population continues to grow.
Would farmland being used to produce grains and oilseeds destined for bio-fuel production be better off producing human consumption foods?
That is likely at least in part what is driving efforts to diversify what source materials are used in bio-fuel production.
And, of course one also has to recognize the move away from fossil fuels is a process most certainly in a state of flux at this point.
Automobiles are naturally huge consumers of fuel especially in North America where the idea of mass transit, or bicycling to work, has never seemed to catch on at levels you might expect.
So we have seen a push toward a bio-fuel component at least at some station pumps, and a move to electric cars which is an even larger step from fossil fuel consumption.
But, will electric vehicles be the future?
Or, for example will the emerging hydrogen technology leave EVs as little more than a blip in the automotive industry?
For producers eyeing the bio-fuel sector in terms of markets, short term they look enticing, longer term the prospect seems less clear.
