August 2, 2006
Frank Miller spends a lot of money each month on energy. "We travel from Iowa City everyday to sell sweet corn, so we have to watch our costs there," says Johnson County Farmer Frank Miller. He says the combination of cooling his home, fueling his truck and harvesting his crops makes for a very tight budget.
Miller says the price of energy isn't the only thing destroying his profit margin. "Our corn prices are just terrible, we're actually producing right at cost, so we're not making anything," says Miller. He says he's looking to ethanol to take his farm to the next level. "We're hoping to get these plants going in Cedar Rapids, to use some our corn and beans for biodiesel," said Miller.
Miller's customer Curtis Edgar says he's just learned to deal with the high prices. He says he won't stop cooling his house or stop driving to save money. Edgar says,"If we're going to cutback, we'll cut back somewhere else."
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman says Iowans are on the right track with ethanol and using wind power. "I can tell you that this is a major crisis in a lot of American families. I know that the president knows that," said Secretary Bodman. Secretary Bodman says the government is working on getting more energy supplies to bring down prices. They are also investing in wind, solar and ethanol energies. Bodman says change will take time, but eventually prices should go down.
Edgar says,"Sometimes it might get tight at the end of the month, but it always works out." That's news Iowans like Frank Miller and Curtis Edgar are glad to hear. "The American public just can keep doing this forever," says Miller.
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