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Well that $600.00 would cover about 25 % of a months mortgage for me  so forget that !

opec can go F#@& them selves. They keep saying that, they keep compiling they don't have enough money, yet they have the highest profits ever, and demand is higher then ever. It doesn't make since.

There is no reason why oil should have ever even gotten close to where it is now. And as long as the dollar is weak its going to be like this. Yet, we have so much damn here to lower the price back to a dollar a gallon, but we can't get it, or refine it, because those damn liberal envro. nuts say "oh your going to hurt and kill the animals"

IDK about you all but at this point I don't care if we drill through a F#@&en caribou's head in alaska to get the oil. its there, its ours, lets go get it.

I can go stand on the beach and see the perfect spot to drill for cheap oil yet we can't do it, again because of the F#@&en liberals, But china can, in our own god damn water.

Corn fuel is worse than oil.  We burn oil to refine it, we cut down trees to make land to grow the corn, and when farmers crow corn for biofuel, it hurts the food supply. 

What is the most common element in the universe?  Hydrogen....

USDA ISSUES $1.8 BILLION IN CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM RENTAL PAYMENTS

 

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2007 - Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner announced that beginning today, USDA will distribute approximately $1.8 billion in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) rental payments to participants across the country for fiscal year 2008 for completed performance in the prior fiscal year.

 

"By participating in CRP, producers and other landowners throughout the nation are improving air and water quality, enhancing wildlife habitat and reducing erosion," said Conner. "These practices are making a real difference today and promoting a healthier environment for the next generation."

 

Producers holding about 782,000 contracts on 441,000 farms will receive an average of $49.49 per acre. The number of contracts is higher than the number of farms because some producers may have multiple contracts on a single farm. The payments allow producers to earn an average of $4,130 per farm enrolled in the program.

 

Included in the totals are 355,000 contracts (3.9 million acres) for CRP's continuous sign-up and 427,000 contracts (32.9 million acres) for general sign-up. Under continuous sign-up, producers may enroll high priority conservation practices such as filter strips and riparian buffers at any time without competition.

 

Currently, enrollment stands at 36.8 million acres, making CRP the largest public-private partnership for conservation and wildlife habitat in the United States.

The Soil Conservation Act of 1935 (PL 74-46) established the Soil Conservation Service and made funding available for farmers who established soil conservation practices. This mode of bringing cash to farmers had not been challenged in court, so it became the basis of economic relief in the next farm bill: the 1936 Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (PL 74-461).

Agricultural Act of 1956 (PL 70-540) created the Soil Bank, which took 29 million acres out of production. By transferring these acres into conserving practices, the government could decrease surplus supply as well as deal with (as stated in the act) "the stifling effects of erosion that threatened the welfare of every American and disrupted markets and commerce on the whole." These acres were to be diverted into soil, water, forest, and wildlife conservation programs in exchange for government rental payments for 10 years.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985 and nationwide enrollment was capped at 45,000,000 acres (180,000 km²). CRP offers annual payments for 10-15 year contracts to participants who establish grass, shrub and tree cover on environmentally sensitive lands. It was reauthorized in the 1996 Farm Bill and the 2002 Farm Bill and the nationwide cap is now 39,200,000 acres (159,000 km²). Currently, 34,500,000 acres (140,000 km²) are enrolled.

The goals of the CRP are five-fold:

• reduce soil erosion on highly erodible land

• protect ground and surface water by reducing runoff and sedimentation

• increase benefits for wildlife

• protect the nation’s long-term capacity to provide food and fiber and

• provide income support to producers by curbing the production of surplus commodities

To date, CRP has arguably been the most successful conservation program in the U. S. in terms of improving water quality, soil quality and building wildlife populations.

Enrollments in 2007 have been down 21 percent compared with 2006. This drop can primarily be attributed to competition with rising cash rental rates on existing cropland. The growing biofuels industry has caused commodity prices to surge and cash rental rates have increased substantially. Rental rates on CRP have failed to keep pace and in many cases are only half of the going rates on nearby cropland.

Congress is currently considering reauthorizing CRP in the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill.

Bit of late (bad ) news
Opec warns oil could reach $200

Opec, the oil producing cartel, has warned that the price of crude could keep rising to reach $200 a barrel.

Opec president Chakib Khelil blamed the falling value of the US dollar, which makes other assets, including oil, more attractive for foreign investors.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7370441.stm