9 to 1 Energy Return from Sugar Beets?

Nova Scotian beet farmers expect big things from their beets-to-ethanol crop harvest this year.

Coles said sugar beets have twice the ethanol potential as corn and, for every unit of energy they put into producing the beets, they expect to get nine units of energy in return. He said there is a significant amount of cropland currently out of production and this initiative could help revitalize it. They hope to have 5,000 acres in active beet production next year and they’re moving toward 17,000 acres, although not all necessarily in Nova Scotia. Parts of our province could even produce winter beets, and ABC has several locations lined up to test such a crop. _checkbiotech

Interesting alternative to maize, and beets can be grown across a very wide range of climates, where sugar cane will not grow.