Dl4— Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 4,1980
York County farmers use alcohol as fuel
LEWISBERRY - With
the experience of more than
1000 miles of operation
behind them, directors of the
York County FUEL
Cooperative Monday un
veiled a standard pickup
truck and tractor which have
been operating on straight
alcohol fuel.
George Hoke, president of
the Farmers Union Energy
League Cooperative
(FUEL), said engine ad
justments were minimal,
Appeals court allows
pseudo-product labeling
DES MOINES, lA. - Pork
producers are disappointed
in the ruling from the Court
of Appeals in St. Louis which
upholds the USDA regulation
permitting uncured meat
products to look like and
bear the names of
traditionally cured products
such as hot dogs and
bologna.
“Our concern for con
sumer safety is only
heightened by the new court
decision,” said National
Pork Producers Council
President Bill Buller. “The
lower court concluded this
regulation would confuse, if
not deceive consumers,”
said Buller, “and we still
agree.”
NPPC said it challenged
the regulation last year out
of concern for the public’s
safety. The industry con
tended that consumers
would be confused by “look
alikes” and would suffer
food poisoning as a result of
handling the unpreserved
products in the same
manner they now handle the
cured or preserved products.
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and that overall per
formance of alcohol is at
least comparable to
gasoline.
“The greatest advantage
of alcohol” said Hoke, “is
that we can produce it from
corn in Central Penn
sylvania and OPEC can keep
its oil.”
FUEL, established in
March, 1980, is a non-profit
cooperative incorporated
under the Cooperative
Agricultural Association Act
“People with an active
interest in avoiding nitrite
may spot the difference
between the look-alikes,”
said Buller. “But what’s to
happen to the ordinary
American consumer who
spends little time studying
the labels of what appear to
be plain oldhot dogs?”
In appealing the lower
court ruling, USDA argued
that it was obligated to
provide consumers with an
alternative to nitrite cured
products since nitrite was
believed to be a health
hazard. In mid-August
KNNSYIVANIA ABMCUtVUIIC
I; A
WE’RE GROWING BETTER
Model 350
t At
of Pennsylvania. Since its
inception, the cooperative
has advocated farmer
controlled production and
use of alcohol as a farm fuel.
York County members
hope to create a dependable
source of domestic fuel for
farm operations of mem
bers.
Both the truck, owned by
Albert Bentz of
Tbomasville, operated on
straight 190-proof alcohol.
Bentz’ truck, a 1974 Chevy
USDA and FDA refuted the
study condemning nitrites,
saying that there is no basis
for regulatory action against
nitrites at this time.
“Tuesday’s court ruling is
especially unfortunate,”
said NPPC Executive Vice
President Orville Sweet, “in
that the public is again the
loser in this regulatory
battle. Individual consumers
now face the burden of
avoiding botulism poisoning
through their own extreme
care and preventive action.”
The possibility of further
appeals or action by NPPC is
being studied at this time.
Cheyenne pickup, has logged
almost 1,000 miles on alcohol
fuel. The eight cylinder, 350
cubic inch engine has been
slightly modified to run
smoothly.
Its “alcohol” mileage
equals its gas mileage, both
at nine to ten miles per
gallon.
The tractor operates just
as efficiently on alcohol as it
does on gasoline, according
to. Goodlander. He says the
tractor starts more quickly
and has more power when
using alcohol as a fuel.
On hand for the demon
stration were Victor K. Ray,
vice president of the
National Farmers Union,
George F.-Hoke, president of
the York County FUEL Co
op, FUEL members and
representatives from the
. Pennsylvania Farmers
Union.
The Denver, Colorado
based National Farmers
Union has been urging its
members to become in
volved with alcohol fuel
experimentation.
Ray, who has coordinated
NFU efforts, said he believes
farmer-controlled producti
on and use of alcohol as a
farm fuel can truly be a
“Declaration of In
dependence” for fanners
and for America.
Board members of the
York County FUEL Co-op
have spent countless hours
during the last six months in
research and development of
the project. Hie idea of
experimenting with alter
native forms of fuel came
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DONALD ERDLEY CAP FULTZ
R.D. 1 R.D. 1
Lewisburg, Pa. Spring Mills, Pi
717-524-2410 814-422-8805
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R.D. 2
Williamsburg, Pa.
814-793-3731
CLAIR J. MYERS
R.D. 1
Thomasville, Pa.
717-259-0453
PETERMAN FARM
EQUIPMENT INC.
225 York Rd.
Carlisle, Pa.
717-249-5338
when farmers, like
everyone, were faced with
rapidly rising petroleum
prices and gasoline shor
tages.
The cooperative is ap
plying for $1 million in
financing from the federal
Department of Energy to
construct a million gallon
per year alcohol fuel plant.
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WERTZ GARAGE
Lineboro, MD
301-374-2672
This amount would account
for nearly 40 percent of the
total $2.2 million required to
build and operate the
facility*
The new alcohol fuel plant
would bolster the economy of
York County, provide an
additional market for grain,
and generate a local supply
of alcohol fuel.
VERNON STUP
R.D.2
Frederick, Md.
301-663-3185
0
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Belleville, Pa.
717-935-2948