Author: dclarker

While crude oil prices continue to soar there is one old-fashioned method of heating that, for now, is very cheap – corn.

In August of this year Light Crude Oil prices hit $70 per barrel.  Since then prices have fallen, but home-owners know $59 per barrel is no bargain.

Meanwhile, the price of corn futures dipped below the $2 per bushel level this month, which traders know is a good time to start buying the yellow stuff.

"At time of year in this pattern, I can't give any better advice for March corn than get in," said trading advisor T.J. Jolicoeur, of Paso Robles, California.

Although heating with corn is no longer common, reporter Kevin Blind said the tasty grain is experiencing a revival. In his story for Lee Agri-Media this month, Blind said various firms are designing stoves as an alternative home-heating system.

Blind said Depression-Era farmers used corn to stoke their pot-belly stoves because it cost less to burn it than haul it into town to sell.

Today's consumer likes corn as a heating source not only because it is cheap. Corn is attracting attention because it is a "green fuel" and renewable, thus lowering dependence of foreign energy sources.

Heating with corn could prove particularly economical for those people living in areas where corn is grown, such as Iowa and Minnesota.

Frank Robison, who sells corn-burning stoves in Farwell, Michigan told a reporter from the Midland Daily News that this method of heating is a "no-brainer" because not only does the money for fuel stay in the United States it also stays local. Not to mention burning corn helps the environment, he said.

The cost of corn-burning stoves now range from about $1,700 to $3,200. The cost to heat a home throughout winter can be as low as $400. A bushel of corn that can be purchased for less than $2 provides the same amount of energy as five gallons of propane and 3.4 gallons of fuel oil, Robison said

Getting your hands on a stove this season might be difficult. The hurricane catastrophes in New Orleans and Texas have created a demand for the economical heaters that has caught manufacturers off guard. Consumers are advised to do their research now and get in line for buying a heating stove before next year's winter season.

Concern about rising corn prices need not dissuade consumers from considering this form of heat. Like farmers who hedge their crop price by trading in the futures market, home-owners can easily learn to do the same. Although this same method could be used in the Light Crude Oil futures market, it costs a lot more to trade energy commodities and the trading exchange, in my experience, can be tricky. Those interested in learning about trading corn can visit the Chicago Board of Trade website.

Article distributed by HydroponicSearch.com - The Hydroponics Gardening Search Engine & Educational Community Site.