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March 5, 2008 at 19:42:00

Headlined on 3/5/08:
Is Time Magazine Warning us Of A Looming Food Crisis?

by William Cormier     Page 1 of 3 page(s)

www.opednews.com

 

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After reading an article on Time Magazine, discussed later in this article, it seemed that Time was sending a not so subtle message to the public, via innuendo, that required us to take a closer look at the situation in regards to the nation's food supply. On February 20, Bloomberg.com published an article that should have enjoyed wide media coverage, however was relegated to the alternative news as our MSM didn’t see fit to warn America of the possibility of a looming global famine - and have been negligent in informing us that the food on hand in the United States is at a historic low, without question an issue of national security and survival. We investigated this matter in-depth and an eventual probability of famine in the US is avoidable, at least in the short term, but without the public understanding the danger we face, nothing will be done to alleviate this danger to America:

Famines May Occur Without Record Crops This Year, Potash Says

By Christopher Donville

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) — Grain farmers will need to harvest record crops every year to meet increasing global food demand and avoid famine, Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. Chief Executive Officer William Doyle said.

People and livestock are consuming more grain than ever, draining world inventories and increasing the likelihood of shortages, Doyle said yesterday in an interview on Bloomberg Television. Global grain stockpiles fell to about 53 days of supply last year, the lowest level since record-keeping began in 1960, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“If you had any major upset where you didn’t have a crop in a major growing agricultural region this year, I believe you’d see famine,” Doyle, 57, said in New York. (Emphasis added)

Crop prices have soared as much as fourfold this decade because of increased demand for food in India and China, where hundreds of millions of people are moving up to the middle class and can afford to eat more meat from animals raised on grain- based feeds, Doyle said.

Soybean futures rose to a record $14.2875 a bushel yesterday on the Chicago Board of Trade, capping an 85 percent gain in the past 12 months. Wheat prices, which have more than doubled in the past year in Chicago, reached a record on Feb. 11, and corn climbed to a record on Feb. 6.

“There is a dietary shift occurring in China today, particularly amongst the young,” Hugh Grant, chief executive officer of Monsanto Co., the world’s biggest seed producer, said in a Feb. 6 interview. “As protein consumption increases, as they move from fish to chicken, chicken to pork, and pork to beef, the demand for commodities increases almost by an order of magnitude.”

'Enormous Pressure’

“We keep going to the cupboard without replacing and so there is enormous pressure on agriculture to have a record crop every year,” Doyle said. “We need to have a record crop in 2008 just to stay even with this very low inventory situation.”
MUCH MORE, EXTREMELY INFORMATIVE ARTICLE

It is this author’s contention that this impending disaster, which I believe is essentially transparent once the facts are revealed, is being manufactured by political interests that place profit and power above the health and safety of the American public. Spring isn’t here yet, and this is an issue the public can change if enough people become aware of the facts that are widely available on the Internet, but our fascist MSM continues to ignore and/or downplay the issues that are of vital interest to the average American. It’s no secret to the informed public that a global famine is destined to occur due to the persistent drought conditions which are worsening as per the effects of global warming and climate change. Tough times lie ahead, but in today’s world, it’s unconscionable that the American public is being ripped-off so the wealthy can acquire more wealth while we suffer every time we visit the local store(s) when the US food crisis is currently avoidable.

The crisis we face is two-fold; the economic crisis, and the lopsided effect it will have on the lower middle-class, poor, and the countless millions of social security recipients and disabled is staggering! Some families have attempted to stretch their budgets by driving less, and for the first time in years, gas consumption actually decreased and strapped families are curbing their driving in an effort to compensate for the rise in costs of the essentials that feed and supply every American family. LINK On the other hand, the nation’s bulk of Social Security recipients, many who are already stretched to the max, face cutting “what” to make their budgets meet? For those who exist on less than a thousand dollars per month, who number in the millions, what essentials are they to cut out of their budgets to simply survive as we watch everything we buy rise in cost while wages remain stagnant and many are actually declining? This is a lower-class nightmare in the making, and for some, the reality of the nightmare has already come home to roost! 2007 was rough, but 2008 looks even worse and none of us know what nature has in store for us as it pertains to unusual weather patterns that have plagued the US for several years, affecting our agriculture, and are becoming even more unpredictable.

Food industry says prices headed up again in ‘08

By Rene Pastor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans who dug deeper into their pockets for groceries last year will face sticker shock again this year when shopping for food, experts said on Thursday.

“There’s going to be real food inflation in this country,” C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive of U.S. beef processor Smithfield Foods Inc., said at the U.S. Agriculture Department’s annual outlook conference.

Prices of grain futures have surged lately. For example, wheat futures have more than doubled on the Chicago Board of Trade over the last 12 months. Pope said meat shoppers eventually will pay for the rally because farmers who raise livestock cannot absorb the sharp escalation in feed costs. MORE

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http://justanothercoverup.com/

I am nothing more than a patriotic American that is doing whatever I can to further the cause of democracy, the rule of law, and am absolutely outraged on how the Bush administration is defying our Congress, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights! Footnote: I write in a style that I believe is appropriate in today's world where we can't trust the Mainstream News Media, and rather than concentrating on one article alone, which may or may not receive the exposure and emphasis it should, I prefer to meld several relevant stories together, that each taken alone may not expose the entire situation, but when taken-in as a whole, tend to give the reader a better understanding of the subject. One article or story alone does not represent the "Big Picture" - but when several are effectively tied-together it often reveals a trend or broader view of the subject matter that is important to completely understand any given situation. http://justanothercoverup.com/

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Barbara H. Peterson is retired from the California Department of Corrections, where she worked as a Correctional Officer at Folsom Prison. She was one of the first females to work at the facility in this classification. After retirement, she went to college online to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Business, and graduated with honors.

The most valuable thing she received from her time with UOP was a realization that her life's passion is writing. Now her business degree sits in her d...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Barbara PetersonBarbara H. Peterson is retired from the California Department of Corrections, where she worked as a Correctional Officer at Folsom Prison. She was one of the first females to work at the facility in this classification. After retirement, she went to college online to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Business, and graduated with honors.

The most valuable thing she received from her time with UOP was a realization that her life's passion is writing. Now her business degree sits in her d...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Grocery store

All one needs to do is go into a grocery store to see the prices we are paying. If we do not learn to grow and raise some of our own food and get more self-sufficient, we will either be mal-nourished or simply go hungry. It is a matter of survival, and I intend to survive for as long as possible. We need water, food, and shelter. These items are being used as WMDs against us in an immoral war for power. Taking away the WMDs by refusing to comply and growing your own means they will have to come at us from a different direction, but at least we will not be hungry.

by Barbara Peterson (46 articles, 80 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 416 comments) on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 8:15:10 PM
 


August Adams is a CPA and holds a Masters Degree in Psychology. He is an activist striving to create a fair and just world for all.
August AdamsAugust Adams is a CPA and holds a Masters Degree in Psychology. He is an activist striving to create a fair and just world for all.

Could we see Double Digit Inflation?

From the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center: 

The average cost of a market basket of goods and services in the United States increased 0.4 percent in January from December, on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI). The January level of 212.5 is 4.4 percent higher than in January 2007.   

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U increased 0.4 percent in January. The energy index advanced 0.7 percent, following increases in December of 0.1 and 1.7 percent, respectively. Prices increased in these categories: apparel (+0.4), education and communication (+0.4), food and beverages (+0.7), housing (+0.2), medical care (+0.5), other goods and services (+0.4), recreation (+0.2) and transportation (+0.5).  

The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, increased 0.3 percent in January and was 0.2 percent in December. Year-over-year core inflation in January was 2.5 percent.

The CPI is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors’ and dentists’ services, drugs, and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Prices are collected in 87 urban areas across the country (including Kansas City and St. Louis) from about 50,000 housing units and approximately 23,000 stores, hospitals and other types of service establishments.

The actual index is expressed as a number derived by comparing the current cost of goods and services to the cost of the same items between 1982-1984. The reference year is given a value equal to 100. Subsequent indices are expressed as a percentage of the base year.

   CPI January 2008

My Notes: 

January 2008's inflation was 4.4% over January 2007.

Year-over-year core inflation in January was 2.5 percent.  If that continues month over month we could see double digit inflation for the year.  (2.5% for the month of January x 12 months = 30% annualized inflation).

Not Pretty times. 

by August Adams (10 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 427 comments) on Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 12:54:05 PM
 


My name is Jimmy.
Jimmy LMy name is Jimmy.

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

The good news is that farmers are being incentivized to produce more food. This helps build capacity for the future. High prices also incentivize others to build capacity in the same way. In effect, we're actually ensuring that we have enough food for the future.

The bad news is that this food is being used for fuel in the short term. This is a waste of food, in my opinion. But, it might be a necessary waste if it gets people producing more.

Now for the ugly. With over 1 billion people being pulled out of poverty in the next couple of decades, we are going to need more than the 10-50% price increases that we've seen. Prices could skyrocket as high as 500-50,000% to build enough capacity. The short-term outlook for food prices is definitely not good.

If you're a drudge fan: drudgetracker.com

by Jimmy L (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 12:55:26 PM
 


'The people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.' Thomas Jefferson 1787
Munich'The people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.' Thomas Jefferson 1787

Food as a weapon?

Or do they intend to use food as a weapon?

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,765334,00.html

I believe they are preparing us for the inevitable. Many are predicting a recession which could last years, in-fact just yesterday CNN had an analyst on who was talking about a depression. The dollar is crashing and our Constitution is in the toilet along with an economy following close behind. Sadly, there are still ten months left of this bellicose Bush administration. This is enough time for them to God forbid, attack at Iran which would then shut down the Strait of Hormuz where between 15 and 16.5 million barrels of oil transit each day.  Combine all of this and we are in for one heck of a ride. As a result there would rioting and we could possibily see Martial Law and they would probably have control over our food. Let's put it this way, an attack on Iran and there might not be any gasoline at your local filling station. Plain and simple it isn't a very pretty picture.

It is time though that Americans woke up and got off their kesters and took to the streets and demand their dam country back! Or will they just wait until there's a total collapse? By then it's too late. This isn't the America that I once knew.

by Munich (0 articles, 52 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 714 comments) on Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 3:53:12 PM
 


This quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism:

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons

Kathryn SmithThis quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism:

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons

Here's another "spin" on the situation:

"Poppycock!" Said a youngster in his 20s. "The United Nations wants to scare us. We here in America are so used to such over-abundance that at times like this, we say 'oh no, we can't afford to be morbidly obese anymore, it must be a famine' ". He has a good point.

I also suggest that the word "famine" may be a cognitive distortion. Because it takes much more than just grains to feed a nation. And cattle can graze on grassland.

That said, I also realistically am looking at the fact that we are in a recession while Congress continues to fund the war, buying our way into a depression, using our own tax dollars to do it. This has got to be an act of deliberation. I believe it's wise to be prepared.

See Barbara Peterson's excellent article "Surviving the Middle Class Crash, part four" here: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_barbara__080302_surviving_the_middle.htm

I wanted to give you the URL link to my article titled Emergency Preparedness Kit, but the URL link is not working. Strange, since every single one of my articles also carries a Web Scam alert, and comments posted as long discussion threads to some of my articles on Digg have mysteriously disappeared.

 The thing to do is to type "Emergency Preparedness Kit" in the search box at the top of the Opednews web page, searching the site of course. It will come up. I have listed emergency supplies such as solar generators, insulated thermoses which will keep liquids hot for several days, food storage tips, and more.  A pharmacist also posted a link to download emergency medication lists. If this proves helpful, check it out and pass it on. THanks.

by Kathryn Smith (85 articles, 2 quicklinks, 35 diaries, 320 comments) on Friday, March 7, 2008 at 10:48:09 AM
 

 

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