When they first figured out that, you could use grain to make an alternative to petroleum products such as gas and diesel fuel everyone thought we were free from the high prices of fuel.  What no one realized was the impact that would have on the cost of all commodities in general.  When the farmers sell their grain to biodiesel or ethanol plants instead of to a consumption plant the demand for consumable crops goes up and so does the price for that crop.

On the other hand, if we do not use the grain for fuel how long will the oil we have last.  If you think about how much diesel farmers use to grow their crops it may be worth the little extra cost to keep producing the bio fuel.  When a farmer grows crops he need diesel for his tractor to break, seed, fertilize and cultivate the ground and to harvest the crop.  Then there is the cost of transporting the crop to the granary.  Another cost is to prepare the crops for consumption and canning it.

The final thing you have to look at is the cost of shipping the finished product to your store.  All this is being done with petroleum products now.

When looking at what it cost in fuel for farmers to grow food the most expensive thing is the fertilizer.  Not only does it have to be shipped to the farm it also has to be produced before the farmer can get it.  Production and ingredients of fertilizer are both done with fossil fuel.

With the advancement of syntheses of nitrogen fertilizer known as Harbor-bosh process the amount of fertilizer went from 4 million tons a year to over a hundred million tons a year.  This process consumes a full one percent of the total use of natural gas for the world.  Does this process not only use a lot of energy it also after a long period of use causes the soil to die and not produce good crops.

Therefore, if you live in a big city the time is coming when it will be hard to get fresh fruits and vegetables.  Do to decline in fossil fuel when you are able to get the fresh fruits and vegetables only the rich will be able to afford them.

If you think, the alternate fuels we have now are going to take the place of fossil fuels think again.  If you look at the available farm land we have it is nowhere near enough to supply the world in fuel and food.

If you live in the country, you can help this problem and yourself by growing your own food in a garden.  Moreover, if you have the land you can raise a calf up for butcher.  You may even want to have a few chickens that will lay eggs.

If you live in a rural area and do not have the room for such a farm talk to the people that live around you and start a community garden.  You may have a vacant lot that the neighborhood could go together and buy.