Is Biodiesel Really That Great?



Given the image of being clean and safe, but do we
really want it?
Accessed 25, August 2011 from Autoblog



There has recently been much talk involving climate change and global warming. While I believe that it is something that we should be aware of and our overconsumption as a post-industrialized society is not helping matters, I also believe that many people are buying into the panic and “state of fear” which has been perpetuated through the media and other outlets. In anycase, the government has recently created policies which require by law for all farm (dyed) diesels to be converted to biodiesel during this current year. One can only assume that this has been implemented in order to quell upset over greenhouse gas emissions.

Sure, switching farm fuels to ethanol-mixed fuels is a good idea on paper but in reality, many more problems are created which have been severely overlooked. One of the main problems stems from the fact that after a period of time of approximately six months, biodiesel fuels begin to break down and turn to sludge. Now in any farming operation machinery can sit unused for months at a time. A $300,000+ combine is used for two or three months of the year and sit dormant for the remainder. So, in order to save a little bit of oil every fall a farmer must now drain and clean out the fuel systems of any diesel machine which will not be used within the next six months.



Combines such as this one can cost over $300,000.
Accessed 25 August, 2011 from http://www.colbyag.com/



But of course, the farmer will not mind since the usage of cereal crops in creating biodiesel only boosts his profits as the cost of said cereal crops increases. Unless of course that farmer also has cattle, in which case the increased profit from  crops will be negated due to the fact that cattle feed also increases in cost. Never mind the fact that half of Africa is currently starving to death while we burn crops.

One website I stumbled upon while reading into this issue stated the following:

While the general consensus is clear that corn ethanol isn't as great as once proclaimed, biodiesel has somewhat escaped the criticism swarm (palm plantation biodiesel being the big exception). That may change now that a new study from the Woods Institute for the Environment has found that crop-based biofuels, any of them, will likely speed up global warming rates. The study found that, overall, biofuels pump "far more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than they could possibly save as a replacement for fossil fuels," according to the AFP. The study authors looked at 20 years' worth (1980-2000) of satellite photos of tropical areas and discovered that half of the biofuel cropland came from virgin rainforests. The imbalance of this deforestation means that it'll take somewhere between 40 and 120 years to pay back the "carbon debt." Algae and cellulosic biofuel sources can not get here soon enough.

Clearly, action does need to be taken in order to help us preserve our environment but simply changing one facet of our lives such as the diesel that farmers use is not a solution. It is a band-aid for a broken leg. There are many more issues at play which affect the local and global environments that need to be taken into account and dealt with in order to create a sustainable future.

I'M BAAACCCKKKK!

Hey All!

So the judging has finished on my blog. Thank you all for your support over the summer! Since the blog is no longer being judged expect to see a few slight changes in it. I don't have unlimited time to write down all the silly stuff I think about, and I'm not sure anyone really cares anyway but I think I'm going to continue blogging whenever I find something exciting to blog about.

Here's a picture to brighten your day. This is what chicks look like after 2 months:

My dad thinks chickens are gross and they "remind him of Jurassic Park."
I thought this picture was epically Jurassic Park-like.



Mount Everest



Mount Everest.
Accessed on 19 June from http://www.worldsultimate.net/mount-everest.htm.



On June 30th, the Balzac 4-H Beef Club will be having its annual awards banquet. Trophies are awarded to celebrate successes from Achievement Day but for me the real highlight is the guest speaker. This year, our guest speaker is Laurie Skreslet. Mr. Skreslet has climbed Mount Everest several times and was actually the first Canadian to climb Everest!

I think this is so cool and Mr. Skreslet is a great guy who has been friends with my family for years. One year when I was about 12 he gave my dad a blue winter coat. Dad didn't want to wear it because in the winter he likes to wear one-piece Carharts so I wore it. Apparently it looked awful on me and despite the fact that it was really warm one day I came home from school to find that my mom had given it away to the Salvation Army.



Laurie Skreslet.
Accessed 19 June from
http://www.laurieskreslet.com/.



He has his own website which can be accessed at http://www.laurieskreslet.com/. His website also has some brief overviews of other presentations he has done and I also noticed a nice little link to one of his future climbing expeditions. Over Christmas he is taking a group of climbers to Aconcagua, a mountain located in Argentina near the Chile border. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the western hemisphere and is surrounded by desert while having snow-covered peaks. I cannot get over how cool this sounds!

Anyway, to get back to the main point here, if you received an invite to the Balzac Beef Awards Banquet and are debating attending I encourage you to come! Although I am not sure whether he will be talking about his climbs or he will be talking about motivational-related stuff but surprises are always nice and I assure you it will be worth your time.

What is a steak?

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between all those different types of steaks you can buy at the grocery store? Why exactly does a tiny piece of tenderloin cost more than a piece of sirloin? And never mind the difference between "top sirloin" and sirloin!

Well never fear. What follows is a brief tutorial into the unique world of beef cuts.  Rather than go into complex explanations of where on the animal these cuts come from, I direct your attention to the diagram below. Also, since there are so many different cuts that can be used for so many different things I will stick to the most common steaks.




Accessed on 14 June, 2011 from http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/meats/beef/glossary.asp.

 

The first thing that most people use as a basis for beef cut judgement is tenderness. Tenderness is associated with muscles that are not used very much therefore they are very soft. Thus the prime cut comes from the tenderloin, or the filet mignon if it is cut into smaller pieces. Allow me to clarify at this point that the best cuts come from steers and heifers between 8 and 16 months; as an animal ages its meat becomes tougher.



A perfectly cooked tenderloin!
Accessed on 14 June, 2011 from
http://www.wizardrecipes.com/recipes/spice+rubbed+beef+tenderloin.html.



The next cut is the sirloin. When you buy sirloin steaks, you actually want to make sure that you are buying top sirloin, since the top sirloin has more tender steaks than the "bottom sirloin."

Next is the short loin, which is usually cut into strip steaks such as New York Strip or the t-bone steaks. The t-bone, like the porterhouse contains part of the tenderloin.

Other cuts of steak that you could purchase would include round steaks, or chuck steaks.

I also stumbled upon an interesting website on beef cuts titled Best Value Steak Cuts; The World's First Steak Guide to "Sustainable Steaks" Excludes Tenderloins, Strip Steaks & Rib Steaks. To summarize this website which can be found here, they rate the top three beef cuts as follows:

1. Boneless Blade Steak (one of the aforementioned chuck steaks),
2. Thin Flank Steak (often overlooked and used in recipes such as stir frys),
3. Tri Tip Steak (a bottom sirloin steak)

Allow me to also say that this website made a valid point that I must pass on. They wrote that

...there is lot to be said about the flavor in tougher cuts of meat that is not present in the more tender cuts. Many argue that fat content is the sole factor in the determination of flavor, but chefs and food scientists have known for decades that there is an inverse relationship between flavor and tenderness, i.e. tougher cuts, regardless of fat content, are more flavorful. To this day, it is still a mystery, scientifically speaking, as to why tougher cuts tend to have more flavor. Our theory is that the increased flow of blood to a well-used muscle develops its meaty taste (or beefiness, in the case of beef). In any case, tougher cuts benefit from a fullness of flavor that is simply not present in the more tender cuts.

In closing, I believe that in the end, you can start out with the best cut of steak and ruin it with poor cooking. At the same time, you can take a "lesser" cut such as a round or chuck and improve it with proper cooking!

I'm Back!

Well, I'm finally back from the Yukon! Unfortunately, I was having a lot of trouble with the Internet connection there; I think it probably has to do with the fact that everyone in the North is on the same Internet provider and they don't have a very strong system.

Anyway, the trip was great and I've included some pictures for your viewing pleasure!