On Wed, 26 May 2021 16:33:59 -0700 (PDT), Dean Hoffman
wrote:

On Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 5:31:36 PM UTC-5, Scott Lurndal wrote:
writes:
On Wed, 26 May 2021 13:48:07 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

There are plenty os studies that question the "green" aspects of E-85
and ethanol in general. Even if you throw out the carbon footprint of
the farmers and distillers you are still left with the water issues
that everyone forgets about. The Ogallala Aquifer that waters all of
that corn is dropping every day and that is fossil water that is not
being replaced nearly as fast as we pump it out. They are trying to
get farmers to change their ways but planting more corn to burn in
cars is not going to help.
Most of that corn is grown in Iowa and Illinois. There is no, zero, zilch
irrigation in either state. They use rainwater. They don't draw
down the aquifer.

Well, believe it or not there is irrigation in both.
Illinois had about 6,600 center pivots back in 2014.
https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/data/hydrology/illinois-center-pivot-irrigation
I couldn't find anything about pivots in Iowa. There is irrigation there too.
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Online_Resources/Farm_and_Ranch_Irrigation_Survey/fris_1_0001_0001.pdf
Part of it is driven by seed corn companies. Timing is important in getting the seed going in the spring. The seed should start growing at the same time as much as possible. And either using a pivot to chemigate or to activate chemicals is nice too.

Corn needs to be "knee high by the 4th of July" according to my
Indiana inlaws. Otherwise you may not get the crop in.