Mthead, I enjoy your posts and voicing of your concerns. Please keep them coming when you've got them.
I, guessing, think grain is about to go up sharply. China now using grain out of their gov stock piles, feeding a rueling economy and inflation. US dollar with its own implications in that. If grain goes up? It is good for some things and bad for others as we each can surmise.
Bad for grain based ethanol. SO CLME is not food source ethanol. But distribution is rooted in ALL ethanol. Therefore this can be bad for us too.
Governments, big Sam particularly, need to make better commitments to ethanol for investments therein to be less risky. A bit of waiting on a front or two, bill and lobby, and a known election might(?) reward in benefits.
Also, though I am likely ignorant here, the ethanol field seems to be developing its tech rapidly, while protection through patents seem weak...each ideasman with one to few patents for protection. Mostly I see this still/plant making a use of known construction designs by way of cleaver interpretation. I think once one builds one, instantly one sees a better way to do things...upon building the next, right away better and more efficient ways of seeing things, and so it goes.
I once had an idea, which turned out to be of very few and not easily protected patents, for a blooming and novel industry. It was extremely heavy, k's of parts, shipping a nightmare. Everything, I had to firsthand idealize...layout of the plant, its optimum size as well; where or what fields I would draw employees from; types and systems of inside and outside sales; loaded investors had to be found, they were ignorant also!; systems for everything had to be originated, no plan or example existed before us. States and feds had to develope ways of fitting us in their dominance, complete with new certifications and licenses a small few of which I took the exams for the first time anyone took them. Quality control, while being spied by gov's (using some of their own former burger flippers, lol), on a new industry is a cursing word nightmare.
Some competitors sit back to watch. Later they even tried to hire me. They likely gained a great deal by waiting to see how things were generally done. How we set up the plants, did sales, the quiality control "nightmare", the trucking system, crane use, rigging, engineering that could easily be designed "beside". Yes, that compitition gained by watching a moment until the wheel was rolling...did not have to have the pit of ignorant investors we did, who caused so much trouble from the inside. Waiting a bit helped them.
Though, previously I was and remained a successfull commercial bldgs contractor right through the manufacturing years, I did retire at 47 and went to college for my first time....loved it, thanks. Most said I would be back to the work, I was right when I disagreed. Starting a new industry, to whatever degree I did, took a huge toll.
My buying and holding (I do) a pink is not a reflection of good choices, for me, I think. If I am making excuses for them, this reflects bad choices.
Name ID for being first is of no use in some fields.
But I question why this or anything is taken public before an item is made. A taco stand does more business. I found that first talk of going public was but always based in greed and fortune, by people who generally refered to *themselves* as "entrepreneur" or perhaps as "Mister". Mothers love them.
