The whole ethanol concept is flawed. To make an important contribution to fuel needs, forests would be mowed down, production of food grains cut, and the environment impacted.
Small processing plants using waste are feasible, but unlimited allowables would be destructive to the environment.

This thread has digressed from Lonesome EJ's original idea, but not in a destructive way, we all need to think about energy and push candidates to do the same. I wonder about his sugar beets, since the crop in both the U. S. and Canada already has a ready market. The waste, however, may be useful- I don't know about this.

One ton of sugar beets yields 19.5 gallons of ethanol.
Ethanol production from corn costs $1.05/gallon; from sugar beets or sugar cane $2.35-$2.40/gallon.
USDA figures, July, 2006 (Prices in the market for sugar beets has risen since then).
http://www.usda.gov/oce/EthanolSugarFeasibilityReport3.pdf