Food is going up. WAY up.

[Capt Caveman]

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

 

[Rakewell]

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

 

[CPA]

Oh oh oh... I was waiting for Dave to post something here... let me get you a little more riled up while I have you.

What about the FACT that corn is the #1 subsidized crop in the US, and given than we're looking at a near TOTAL loss this year for corn crops the US taxpayer will basically be paying 110% of the average farmer's income this year? (Pulled that number out my ass, but you get the picture).

Mad props to farmers for doing their work, but honestly... the subsidies are ridiculous.

---

Oh, AND... I bet we'll STILL export more corn this next 12 months than we will consume - all on the taxpayer's dime - just as we have every year for the last decade.

Correct me if I'm wrong, part of that subsidy is to encourage farmers NOT to grow corn in some instances.

 

[Chiropteran]

I don't understand all of this.

Why don't the farmers irrigate when there isn't enough rain? It's not rocket science, you pump water to the fields and sprinkle it over the plants. Isn't this a technique we figured out thousands of years ago? Why don't modern farmers use it?

Second, corn is dirt cheap currently. $1 for 2 ears typically. So what if it doubles or triples in price? I'll be paying $1.50 for corn instead of $.50, boohoo

 

[SunnyD]

Correct me if I'm wrong, part of that subsidy is to encourage farmers NOT to grow corn in some instances.

It's to encourage them not to grow other things (like cane sugar).

 

[techs]

What about the FACT that corn is the #1 subsidized crop in the US, and given than we're looking at a near TOTAL loss this year for corn crops the US taxpayer will basically be paying 110% of the average farmer's income this year? (Pulled that number out my ass, but you get the picture).

Mad props to farmers for doing their work, but honestly... the subsidies are ridiculous.

---

Oh, AND... I bet we'll STILL export more corn this next 12 months than we will consume - all on the taxpayer's dime - just as we have every year for the last decade.

Well, I would argue that food, to use a familiar phrase, is too big to fail. You can't let a large percentage of farmers go out of business and leave the land fallow. A second bad year could actually lead to starvation.

On top of that it may be that modern economics and modern farming techniques would not work without some sort of support since farming is such a variable business with such a low profit margin in good times and the possibility of going bankrupt the next year.

 

[techs]

I don't understand all of this.

Why don't the farmers irrigate when there isn't enough rain? It's not rocket science, you pump water to the fields and sprinkle it over the plants. Isn't this a technique we figured out thousands of years ago? Why don't modern farmers use it?

Second, corn is dirt cheap currently. $1 for 2 ears typically. So what if it doubles or triples in price? I'll be paying $1.50 for corn instead of $.50, boohoo

Most farmers don't have access to water to irrigate their fields. They depend on mother nature.

And home sweet corn is an entirely different market. The huge bulk of corn is grown for feed, oil and sugar. And in fact is inedible for the home user.

 

[Rakewell]

I don't understand all of this.

Why don't the farmers irrigate when there isn't enough rain? It's not rocket science, you pump water to the fields and sprinkle it over the plants. Isn't this a technique we figured out thousands of years ago? Why don't modern farmers use it?

Second, corn is dirt cheap currently. $1 for 2 ears typically. So what if it doubles or triples in price? I'll be paying $1.50 for corn instead of $.50, boohoo

What you're talking about is sweet corn.

The bulk of the grain belt produces field corn which is used to feed animals, additives, fuel, plastic, you name it. Second to field corn is soybeans. Which also is in everything.

This means that everything we buy will double and triple in price. Not just sweet corn.

 

[waggy]

Oh oh oh... I was waiting for Dave to post something here... let me get you a little more riled up while I have you.

What about the FACT that corn is the #1 subsidized crop in the US, and given than we're looking at a near TOTAL loss this year for corn crops the US taxpayer will basically be paying 110% of the average farmer's income this year? (Pulled that number out my ass, but you get the picture).

Mad props to farmers for doing their work, but honestly... the subsidies are ridiculous.

---

Oh, AND... I bet we'll STILL export more corn this next 12 months than we will consume - all on the taxpayer's dime - just as we have every year for the last decade.

yeah we will but thats fine.

IF we don't a good percentage of the small farmers will be bankrupt and have to sale to big corperations (witch will be fine even with the druaght). They already own a large amount of the farms as it is. I really don't want them owning more.

If you think food and such is high now it won't get better with them owning more.

the main point of the subsidizer was to keep small family owned farms in the hands of family. 1 bad year can bankrupt them. 2? fuck they are done.

Next year is going to be a very important year.

 

[BladeVenom]

8-3-2012

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/surging-corn-prices-spark-food-073432514.html

Surging Corn Prices Spark 'Food vs Fuel' Debate



The surge in grain prices amid the worst drought in the U.S. in more than half a century, has led to livestock farmers demanding the Obama administration reduce or temporarily cancel a federal mandate, which requires part of the corn crop be set aside to produce ethanol for blending into cleaner-burning gasoline.



This year gasoline refiners will use some 13.2 billion gallons of ethanol, which will consume some 40 percent of the corn crop.


The debate is resurrecting painful memories of the food crisis of 2008 when farmers diverted corn crops from food production into the lucrative biofuel market. That contributed to a jump in prices and sparked food riots in Haiti, Bangladesh, Egypt and Mexico.

But cattlemen and ranchers looking for a reprieve of the mandate by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are likely to be disappointed. Washington "remains unwilling to make changes to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and is therefore not likely to grant waivers," said Divya Reddy, Global Energy & Natural Resources analyst at consultancy Eurasia Group.


Granting a waiver will send a negative signal about the administration's support for biofuels, Reddy said, ahead of the November presidential election.

Too bad the President doesn't have a brain. He could keep food prices down, by requiring less ethanol in gasoline.

 

[Chiropteran]

What you're talking about is sweet corn.

The bulk of the grain belt produces field corn which is used to feed animals, additives, fuel, plastic, you name it. Second to field corn is soybeans. Which also is in everything.

This means that everything we buy will double and triple in price. Not just sweet corn.

Sounds like FUD to me. I eat grass-fed beef. This "field corn" isn't actually grass is it? I don't see how an increase it's price could cause grass-fed beef to triple in cost. Some increase due to rise in demand, sure, but I don't think it'll be significant enough to worry about.

All the soda and such that is made with corn syrup, but there are "real sugar" versions of most of them (Mountain Dew Throwback), which cost the exact same to end consumers, so I suspect if the cost of corn syrup costs increase too much the soda companies will just switch back to sugar and that will be a huge relaxation of the corn market.

Plastic made from corn? Damn, those plastic bags I get will triple in price from free to free

I only see this effecting poor people in other countries.

Most farmers don't have access to water to irrigate their fields. They depend on mother nature.

Well, that sounds dumb of them. Why do they ignore thousand year old techniques and instead risk their whole crop at the whims of nature? I'm guessing the cost of irrigation is higher than insurance, which seems like a flaw in the insurance system if that is the case.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Sounds like FUD to me. I eat grass-fed beef. This "field corn" isn't actually grass is it? I don't see how an increase it's price could cause grass-fed beef to triple in cost. Some increase due to rise in demand, sure, but I don't think it'll be significant enough to worry about.

All the soda and such that is made with corn syrup, but there are "real sugar" versions of most of them (Mountain Dew Throwback), which cost the exact same to end consumers, so I suspect if the cost of corn syrup costs increase too much the soda companies will just switch back to sugar and that will be a huge relaxation of the corn market.

Plastic made from corn? Damn, those plastic bags I get will triple in price from free to free

I only see this effecting poor people in other countries.



Well, that sounds dumb of them. Why do they ignore thousand year old techniques and instead risk their whole crop at the whims of nature? I'm guessing the cost of irrigation is higher than insurance, which seems like a flaw in the insurance system if that is the case.

Wow. The ignorance is strong with you.

 

[Chiropteran]

Wow. The ignorance is strong with you.

Yes it is. I didn't claim to know anything about this, but I asked some questions and the answers I got didn't not actually answer ANYTHING. If you can explain how increased corn prices will increase the cost of soda made with sugar containing zero corn, please enlighten me.

Also, if this was such a crisis the farmers would have paid the price for irrigation, whatever it is. The fact they don't have irrigation proves they didn't really care about losing crops occasionally.

 

[waggy]

Yes it is. I didn't claim to know anything about this, but I asked some questions and the answers I got didn't not actually answer ANYTHING.

Also, if this was such a crisis the farmers would have paid the price for irrigation, whatever it is. The fact they don't have irrigation proves they didn't really care about losing crops occasionally.

where do you wan't them to get the water? do you have any idea HOW large a area that would need to cover?

In a drought like we are in now the water tables ARE LOW too.


1000 years ago they were not doing the size of farming we do now so it was possible. today? not really

also the US nearly always has enough rain. hell we more often have to much.

 

[darkxshade]

Yes it is. I didn't claim to know anything about this, but I asked some questions and the answers I got didn't not actually answer ANYTHING. If you can explain how increased corn prices will increase the cost of soda made with sugar containing zero corn, please enlighten me.

Also, if this was such a crisis the farmers would have paid the price for irrigation, whatever it is. The fact they don't have irrigation proves they didn't really care about losing crops occasionally.

I would recommend taking a course in economics 101.

 

[sm625]

Solar cycle 24 is projected to peak within a year from now. The peak effects of the solar cycle on our climate will occur two to four years from now.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Yes it is. I didn't claim to know anything about this, but I asked some questions and the answers I got didn't not actually answer ANYTHING. If you can explain how increased corn prices will increase the cost of soda made with sugar containing zero corn, please enlighten me.

Also, if this was such a crisis the farmers would have paid the price for irrigation, whatever it is. The fact they don't have irrigation proves they didn't really care about losing crops occasionally.

Where do you expect farmers to get this water to irrigate their farms? Farm land covers a large area of the US that is not accessible to bodies of water. With the drought, water tables are so low that they wouldn't be able to pump enough water to irrigate their crops.

And the cost to do such would put them out of business.

The drought also effects grasslands which your grassfed cattle grazes on. Less grass, less cattle, higher prices.

 

[Chiropteran]

where do you wan't them to get the water? do you have any idea HOW large a area that would need to cover?

In a drought like we are in now the water tables ARE LOW too.

Same place everyone gets water? I'm sure it's a huge hardship, but apparently the dead corn is a super disaster according to some of the posters in this thread.

If irrigation is cheaper than tripling the price of ZOMG EVERYTHING like some of the doomsday preachers in this thread, we should have had irrigation.

1000 years ago they were not doing the size of farming we do now so it was possible. today? not really

Progress is suppose to improve things in time, not make them worse. If our farming techniques of a thousand years ago were drought resistant, why the fuck did we change them to what we use now?

also the US nearly always has enough rain. hell we more often have to much.

Yeah, and drunk drivers can nearly always drive home without killing anyone, but once in awhile it happens, so we don't drive drunk. Why are the farmers allowed to farm without irrigation? I don't care if it's a small risk, if it's a big deal than we shouldn't take the chance.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Yeah, and drunk drivers can nearly always drive home without killing anyone, but once in awhile it happens, so we don't drive drunk. Why are the farmers allowed to farm without irrigation? I don't care if it's a small risk, if it's a big deal than we shouldn't take the chance.

 

[Chiropteran]

And the cost to do such would put them out of business.

But the drought is going to MAKE EVERYTHING COST TRIPLE! Surely the cost to irrigate is less than tripling the expenses of every living human on the planet earth.

Either

A: people are exagerrating about the negatives of this corn crop failure,

-or -

B: the farmers and/or US government are incredibly stupid and shortsighted to not pay the price for irrigation, as high as it might be, because it can't possibly be as expensive as tripling the living expenses of the entire planet.

One or the other is true. I think it's A

 

[Chiropteran]

Oh so you are a drunk driver defender too? You think it's okay to drive home after a few beers and slaughter a mother and her 2 kids because you crossed over into her lane?

God damn sicko.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Same place everyone gets water? I'm sure it's a huge hardship, but apparently the dead corn is a super disaster according to some of the posters in this thread.

If irrigation is cheaper than tripling the price of ZOMG EVERYTHING like some of the doomsday preachers in this thread, we should have had irrigation.




Progress is suppose to improve things in time, not make them worse. If our farming techniques of a thousand years ago were drought resistant, why the fuck did we change them to what we use now?



Yeah, and drunk drivers can nearly always drive home without killing anyone, but once in awhile it happens, so we don't drive drunk. Why are the farmers allowed to farm without irrigation? I don't care if it's a small risk, if it's a big deal than we shouldn't take the chance.

I don't think you understand the scale at which we're talking here. Methods that work for small farming communities don't work as well when the scale is about 10000x bigger.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Oh so you are a drunk driver defender too? You think it's okay to drive home after a few beers and slaughter a mother and her 2 kids because you crossed over into her lane?

God damn sicko.

She was feeding those kids formula. No jury in the nation would convict, it was a good kill.

 

[SunnyD]

yeah we will but thats fine.

IF we don't a good percentage of the small farmers will be bankrupt and have to sale to big corperations (witch will be fine even with the druaght). They already own a large amount of the farms as it is. I really don't want them owning more.

If you think food and such is high now it won't get better with them owning more.

the main point of the subsidizer was to keep small family owned farms in the hands of family. 1 bad year can bankrupt them. 2? fuck they are done.

Next year is going to be a very important year.

Big corp already owns the bulk of food manufacturing (including farming) anyway. What's left in the drop in the bucket. Big corp is getting those exact same subsidies too.

Here's the kicker though, if subsidies are paying to keep those farms in the hands of small families, what's the difference between subsidies and just letting those families draw welfare? (I know I know - those families actually WORK for their welfare checks)

 

[Capt Caveman]

But the drought is going to MAKE EVERYTHING COST TRIPLE! Surely the cost to irrigate is less than tripling the expenses of every living human on the planet earth.

Either

A: people are exagerrating about the negatives of this corn crop failure,

-or -

B: the farmers and/or US government are incredibly stupid and shortsighted to not pay the price for irrigation, as high as it might be, because it can't possibly be as expensive as tripling the living expenses of the entire planet.

One or the other is true. I think it's A

/facepalm

The answer is neither A or B. As suggested, take an economics class. And a clue of the enormity of the problem to irrigate all farm land.