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... how Sun-Maid made their raisins disappear ...

Because of the worst drought since 1988 the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared a federal disaster area in almost one-third of all the counties in the United States - more than 1,300 counties covering 29 states, the largest disaster declaration ever made by the USDA. Only in the 1930s and 1950s has a drought covered more land. The United States Drought Monitor shows 88 percent of corn, and 87 percent of soybean crops are in drought-stricken regions. This map show the counties affected: “We just had a crop report today, which indicated a significant reduction in corn production as well...

[Snip]...I have long felt that one of the biggest threats to the U.S. ethanol industry is a major drought/crop failure in the heart of corn country. This year we may be experiencing such an event. Recent reports indicate that what had been expected to be a record crop of corn has been downgraded such that only 40% of the corn crop is being classified as in good or excellent condition. This is down 48% versus last week and 69% versus a year ago.

A shocking and disturbing video taken by an undercover investigator at a pig farm depicts the horrific extent of animal cruelty being practiced at a pork-supply company used by Walmart. Mercy For Animals released the graphic video which documents the daily animal abuse allegedly taking place at Christensen Farms in Minnesota. The video depicts hundreds of pigs packed into cages so tiny, they can barely move or even turn around. Some of the usually-social animals bite down on the bars just for something to do.

Corn prices are nearing the record highs of last summer as the U.S. Midwest suffers its worst drought since 1956. Shoppers should expect higher grocery bills, because corn is used in three-quarters of supermarket products. But don’t panic. Overall cost hikes are likely to be modest. “A 50% increase in the price of corn tends to raise total shopping bills by about 1%,” says Ricky Volpe, a research economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Corn’s price has jumped 45% this summer. Of course, even a modest increase to shopping bills is unwelcome news for households on tight budgets. Strange...

The Largest Natural Disaster In U.S. History: The Endless Drought Of 2012 Will Bake America Well Into AugustRobert WenzelJuly 16, 2012 Why is the heartland of the United States experiencing such a horrific drought right now? At the moment, approximately 61 percent of the entire nation is experiencing drought conditions, and this is absolutely devastating farmers and ranchers all over the country. Less than two weeks ago I wrote an article asking what would happen if these drought conditions persisted, and now we are finding out. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has created the largest natural disaster area in U.S....

California’s Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act will be on November’s ballot as Proposition 37, according to proposition numbers released late yesterday by the California Secretary of State’s office. The Right to Know measure calls for labeling genetically engineered foods and, if passed, would be the first law in the United States requiring labeling of a wide range of genetically engineered foods. “Prop 37 is about our fundamental right to know what’s in the food we eat and feed our children,” said Stacy Malkan, a spokesperson for the California Right to Know campaign. “Given the broad support in the...

llinois corn growers are seeing problems already. Corn that has been genetically engineered by Monsanto Co. to kill pests is being damaged by those pests instead – and it's weeks earlier than they typically show up. “We're still early in the growing season, and the adults are about a month ahead of schedule,” explained Mike Gray, a professor of entomology with the University of Illinois. “I was surprised to see them – and there were a lot.” Last year, farmers in several states found that the western corn rootworm – a major crop pest that has the potential to seriously...

May 7, 2012 9:23:00 AMOn May 4, 2012, Diamond Pet Foods expanded a pet food recall due to possible salmonella contamination.  More than a dozen people in several states may have been infected due to contact with contaminated pet food.   Affected foods include specific lots of dry dog and cat food branded as:Diamond Pet Food Kirkland Signature (Costco brand) Natural Balance Wellness (WelPet LLC)Canidae Apex Pet Foods These foods were widely distributed in the U.S. and Canada. You can check your pet food to see if it has been recalled.  Affected bags of food have best-before dates between December...

a full hour and a half before the store would open, about two dozen people were already in line shortages of staples like milk, meat and toilet paper are a chronic part of life here The shortages affect both the poor and the well-off “I’m wasting my day here standing in line to buy one chicken and some rice.” Venezuela was long one of the most prosperous countries in the region, with sophisticated manufacturing, vibrant agriculture and strong businesses, making it hard for many residents to accept such widespread scarcities. many economists call it a classic case of a government...

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index Data for March 2012, the Consumer Price Index for fresh vegetables purchased for home use rose 4.5 percent from the same time last year. Recent USDA data also shows that the price of grains such as corn, wheat, rice, and soybeans has increased 234% since January 2002...

Old MacDonald had a farm. Until the Marxists stepped in, that is. With the American dream of the Constitutional Republic fast fading from view, the family farm is next on the Obama regime’s ever expanding hit list. ...The agenda to wipe out the family farm is being set by a deadly duo, George Soros, who is buying up farmland like some folks buy Black Friday goodies, and the Communist-cheered Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. We the People can count on food being the new frontier for takeover by control seeking Marxists frontier for takeover by control seeking Marxists installed...

Seeking to meet new regulations on low-carbon emission fuels, Europeans are battling over millions of hectares of African land in order to grow biofuels. This is detrimental to food crop production, warn NGOs. A jatropha nursery field by Stefano Valentino Imagine a surface the size of Switzerland – 4 million hectares – totally covered in plantations aimed at supplying fuel to vehicles and electricity plants. That's the total land currently exploited in Africa by Western countries in order to supply biofuels. The British are in the lead with a record 1.6 million hectares of cultivated land, followed by the Italians,...

Animal rights activists are behind the burning of cattle trucks at the Harris Ranch truck lot early Sunday, according to a statement from the purported arsonists. The statement, released Monday, describes how the fire, which heavily damaged 14 tractors and several trailers, was set and says the attack was aimed at "the horrors of factory farming." Spokeswoman Nicoal R. Sheen of the Animal Liberation Press Office, which released the statement, said the office doesn't take part in illegal actions but distributes communiqués from those who do. Fresno County sheriff's spokesman Chris Curtice said detectives are looking into the claim. He...

You can now add peanut butter, a long-time recession staple food item, to the list of things that "the 99 percent" may no longer be able to afford. Thanks to droughts, the price of peanut butter has gone up from $450 a ton to $1,150 a ton in just one year and now peanut butter makers are about to pass on the increased costs to consumers. The Wall Street Journal reports that wholesale prices for Jif are going up 30 percent beginning in November. Peter Pan will increase its prices by as much as 24 percent in a couple of...

The head of the world's biggest food company Nestle said on Friday that rising food prices have created conditions "similar" to 2008 when hunger riots took place in many countries. "The situation is similar (to 2008). This has become the new reality," the Swiss giant's chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe told the Salzburger Nachrichten daily in his native Austria in an interview. "We have reached a level of food prices that is substantially higher than before. It will likely settle down at this level. "If you live in a developing country and spend 80 percent of your income on food then of...

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told members of the National Restaurant Association on Monday that Americans need to “adjust” their tastes so that they like the kind of food the government believes they should eat—and “we have to make sure that what we do is create the appropriate transition.”

… Beef, veal, pork, eggs and such dairy products as butter, milk and cheese have seen the biggest increases in the past year, said Richard Volpe, an economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The price of groceries rose 5.4 percent from July 2010 to this July, according to the USDA's latest report. ... Now the rising cost of energy, the weaker dollar and growing global food demand are driving the price. Beef and veal prices are expected to increase as much as 8 percent this year, with pork projected to go up as much as 7.5 percent. Beef prices...

Food and stability in North Korea Deprive and rule Why does North Korea’s dictatorship remain so entrenched despite causing such hunger and misery? Sep 17th 2011 | SEOUL | IF NOBODY else, at least Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s leader, appears to have found something to fill his belly with during the annual Chuseok harvest festival in North Korea this week. “His face beaming with a smile,” as his propaganda machine put it, he dropped into a shop in Pyongyang selling pancakes stuffed with meat. Outside the capital there are few such treats. Much of the rest of the country...

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – You may see fewer peanuts on grocery store shelves this year and will likely pay more for peanut butter. The US Department of Agriculture estimates this year's peanut crop could be 13 percent smaller than last year's because many farmers in Georgia and Texas have lost their crops to dry and hot weather conditions. Many farmers in our area believe the demand for peanuts could help the local economy, despite also suffering a loss. Some peanut butter companies have already raise their prices by a least 50 cents.