Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
Rich Products Corporation Announces Nation Wide Voluntary Recall of Farm Rich Breaded Vegetable Sticks Due to Possible Egg Allergen Health Risk (April 7)
Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:21:00 -0500
Rich Products Corporation is voluntarily recalling its Farm Rich Breaded Vegetable Sticks manufactured for foodservice operators nationwide because the product contains an incorrect ingredient list appearing on the shipping label. Specifically, the ingredient listing on the incorrect labels do not include the allergen egg. People who have an allergy to eggs run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/rich04_09.html
When we run out of pet food, the pets become food. Just saying... Anyway - I love lurking on this thread. TONS of great insights.<<<
If it reaches that point, yes, all pets will become food.
LOL, you have blown your cover, and are not a lurker any longer, so just take the plunge and jump in, you are welcome here.
You and the other lurkers are all welcome.
>>> Anyway - I love lurking on this thread. TONS of great insights. <<<
Welcome ex-lurker.. please jump in,..
from the looks of the main board topics, we need every suggestion and tip,
and quick..!!
again, welcome..
Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Chinese & Russian Spies
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123914805204099085.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#
WASHINGTON — Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left
behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according
to current and former national-security officials.
The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said,
and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system
and its controls. The intruders haven’t sought to damage the power grid or
other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a
crisis or war.
“The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the
electrical grid,” said a senior intelligence official. “So have the
Russians.”
continued.
If you are bothered by occasional or frequent constipation,
look in the mirror
repeat the following phrase three times in succession when symptoms occur:
“My financial and personal well being are totally in the hands of Ba-rack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Tim Geithner, Rahm Emmanual, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and Al Gore”
If that doesn't scare it out of you,
then you are probably destined to be backed up for the rest of your life.
There is no need to thank me for this advice,
I'm just doing a public service. ( Dr Newman )
>>> Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Chinese & Russian Spies <<<
wow.. brings to mind another topic.
1-2 hours of work and a few dollars could make a very big difference if needed..
it’s dated,,... but the fix is still the same since 1958.
http://www.endtimesreport.com/faraday_cages.html
Mumbai, India - City Farmers recycle waste to generate organic farm products right
in their homes
At 80, Y V Damle conducts laughter therapy classes for women at Hindu colony, Dadar
East. But the “fees” for his efforts is rather interesting - a bag of garbage!
On
other occasions, he trudges to the Dadar sabzi mandi where, along with greens and
fruits, he asks the vendors to pack in vegetable peels and sundry rubbish. All of
which find their way into plastic bags, drums and laundry baskets in his terrace
where the retired BMC engineer farms for veggies, fruits and flowers.
Baltimore’s Mayor plans to turn the formal gardens in front of City Hall into vegetable
gardens
Baltimore, which sometimes carries a poor-cousin chip on its shoulder when it comes
to the nation’s capital, is about to trump the city to the south.
Mayor Sheila Dixon is planning to turn the formal gardens in front of City Hall
into vegetable gardens covering about 2,000 square feet.
Michelle Obama’s White
House
vegetable garden measures only 1,100 square feet.
60,000 Bees on Green Roof of New Vancouver Convention Centre
The six-acre green roof is the largest in Canada, with 400,000 indigenous plants
and grasses and several beehives installed to house a colony of bees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All stories here:
City Farmer News [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102544750221&s=1304&e=0019FQcKCBFjbpUbhhBHD90JvlxBnswEUgQ0JjIcm8GqzYVzZjYNNdzzvxgBC_moVk7nhl7Po0gj2xPL-ZVW6P_6aK-ATCZG_joQ4VxXsnbBhGsW5T2aVx20g==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Levenston
City Farmer - Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ear/ims-toc.html
IMS List
Sanitation Compliance and Enforcement Ratings
of Interstate Milk Shippers
* Subscribe to IMS e-mail updates
Table of Contents
* IMS Lists (PDF for printing)
* Subscribe/Unsubscribe to IMS List
* Rules For Inclusion In The IMS
* National Uniform Coding System For Packaging Identification Of Milk And Milk Product Processing
* Sanitation Compliance And Enforcement Ratings Of Interstate Milk Shippers - Domestic
* Sanitation Compliance And Enforcement Ratings Of Interstate Milk Shippers - Foreign
o Product Codes
* Abbreviations
* Certified Manufacturers Of Single-Service Containers And Closures And Related Products For Milk and Milk Products - Domestic
o Explanation of Product and Material Codes
* Certified Manufacturers Of Single-Service Containers And Closures And Related Products for Milk and Milk Products - Foreign
* Milk Laboratories Approved By Federal And State Agencies
o Lab Procedures, Codes, Lab Number Codes And Lab Classification
* Milk Laboratory Supervisors
* PHS/FDA Milk Specialists
* FDA CFSAN Personnel
* State Grade A Milk Regulatory, Rating and Laboratory Personnel
o Definitions
* International Certification Pilot Program Third Party Certifiers
* Single-Service Consultants for Foreign Single-Service Manufacturer Certification
* Coded Memoranda (Milk Safety References)
continued......above are live links at site.
“My financial and personal well being are totally in the hands of Ba-rack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Tim Geithner, Rahm Emmanual, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and Al Gore”<<<
Not enough air in my lungs for all those names, but today, just looking in a mirror would do the needed scaring.
Every place I look it is worse and then even more worse.
it’s dated,,... but the fix is still the same since 1958.
http://www.endtimesreport.com/faraday_cages.html
<<<<<<
There was a lot of talk about them in the run up to Y2K.
The radio says that there will be tea parties all over the county on the 15th.
A surprise, as this area has not been involved very much in the past.
A surprise, as this area has not been involved very much in the past. <<
I think that Most are coming out of the fog and realizing that the future looks like a repeat of Jimmi or worse..
people would have probably had to be directly affected by the ‘70s slow-down to appreciate when Reagan took the oath of office... at least that's my take.
Having trouble viewing this email?
Click here
http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001zhxIANf2OP4KNrc-H8q1BkEn9pQeZBOcTJWMLxU8HAZjMjOGNZStaS-Qk86nvlqT6AkTOI8SiCtt5V7z9J0x8dCUxGVlFnBUQcF4_0G0Tzc2bHaz4TRrActLLKJhtjlNONUQJ_gzSia5zJWECTWty62EOqCEGw4TmfzfJHt5rXmSm5D6j3cMsPv6bPxMIyQGBkyBUYfTf_g%3D
Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - April 8, 2009
Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service Web site. The Weekly Harvest Newsletter is also available online (http://attra.ncat.org/newsletter/archives.html#wh).
Share The Harvest: Please forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues who might be interested in the latest sustainable agriculture news, funding opportunities, and events.
News & Resources
* Farm Life Ecology Program Seeking Applicants
* Guide Helps Explain Meat Labels
* Dairy Farmers To Learn How To Tell Their Story
* USDA, Canada Agree to Organic Equivalency
* New Agriculture Resource Center Opening in Florida
* Demand Up for Non-Genetically Modified Soybeans.
Funding Opportunities
* North Dakota Farmers Market Mini-grants
* Commodity Partnerships for Small Agricultural Risk Management Education Grant
* Pennsylvania Healthy Farms, Healthy Schools Grantn
Coming Events
* Grow Your Own Food In Small Places
* Atlanta Local Food Forward
* Straw Bale Gardening Workshop
News & Resources
Farm Life Ecology Program Seeking Applicants
http://www.greenmtn.edu/farm_intensive.aspx
Green Mountain College is seeking applicants for its Farm Life Ecology Summer Program. The 13 week, 12 credit summer intensive program allows students to manage all elements of the farm’s operation while gaining a strong curricular foundation in sustainable agriculture.
Guide Helps Explain Meat Labels
http://www.sustainabletable.org/getinvolved/materials/GlossaryofMeatProductionMethods.pdf
Sustainable Table has published a Glossary of Meat Production Methods for consumers to use while shopping. You can download a copy of the glossary (PDF/2.3MB) at the above website. This guide covers meat labels such as biodynamic, cage free, and heritage.
Related ATTRA Publication: Beef Marketing Alternatives
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/beefmark.html
Dairy Farmers to Learn How To Tell Their Story
http://www.wdexpo.org/2009/04/02/mid-atlantic-dairy-farmers-invited-to-learn-how-to-share-their-stories/
The Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program invite local dairy producers to learn how to share your dairy story with the non-farm public. The training sessions, called the Dairy Farmers Speakers Bureau will be held on April 21 and April 23. By participating in the speakers bureau, farmers can make a difference in helping their non-farm neighbors better understand how dairy farmers take care of their animals and land, provide the safest products possible, and play a vital role in the local community.
USDA, Canada Agree to Organic Equivalency
http://ccof.org/canada.php#equiv
The United States and Canada have agreed to sign a letter of agreement to have an equivalency agreement in place in time for June 30, 2009, the Canadian Organic Regime implementation date. Therefore, Canada and the United States are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that would act as an equivalency agreement for organic imports and exports between the two countries.
New Agriculture Resource Center Opening in Florida
http://www.bradenton.com/business/story/1338033.html
Florida West Coast Resource Conservation and Development recently announced it is opening a farming resource center in Manatee County. A resource center is a state and local partnership effort to create more small farming businesses and jobs in the area. The center will open in the fall at Gamble Creek Farm in Parrish and will serve as a business resource center to help expand the local farming and agricultural industry. Jacob Leech, site manager for the Center for Integrated Agriculture, said the center will offer educational and training programs to teach people how to grow local, organic food.
Demand Up for Non-Genetically Modified Soybeans
http://www.usagnet.com/story-national.php?Id=771&yr=2009
Cheaper seed and lucrative premiums are driving more crop producers to plant non-genetically modified soybeans this year. U.S. soybean production is 95 percent dominated by genetically modified Round Up Ready soybeans. However a small percentage of that crop — perhaps 5 percent — will be planted to non-GM soybeans, and the trend toward the latter is expected to continue in the near future, said Jim Beuerlein, the Ohio State University Extension agronomist.
More Breaking News (http://attra.ncat.org/news/)
Funding Opportunities
North Dakota Farmers’ Market Mini-grants
http://www.northdakotaagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=271&yr=2009
The grants help farmers’ markets spread the word about their locations and hours of operation, and recruit new vendors. Eligible uses for the funds include media advertising, circulars, flyers, posters, banners, in-market activities or entertainment and point-of-sale promotional materials. The $500 grants are available only to farmers’ markets, not individual vendors.
Proposals are due May 1, 2009.
Commodity Partnerships for Small Agricultural Risk Management Education Grant
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=x4VWJSWG18vLNXZzfRtmBFD5Bgps5JfbsFxFF0GHKDP4Q8Ty5jTD!-444435078?oppId=46382&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), announces the availability of approximately $900,000 for Commodity Partnerships for Small Agricultural Risk Management Education Sessions (Commodity Partnerships Small Sessions Program). The purpose of this cooperative partnership agreement program is to deliver training and information in the management of production, marketing, and financial risk to U.S. agricultural producers in small sessions. The program will give priority to educating producers of crops not insurable with federal crop insurance, specialty crops, and underserved commodities, including livestock and forage.
Proposals are due May 11, 2009.
Pennsylvania Healthy Farms, Healthy Schools Grant
http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=144973
The Healthy Farms and Healthy Schools Program was established to educate kindergartners and their families about the importance of choosing healthy, locally produced foods while increasing awareness of Pennsylvania agriculture. Any Pennsylvania school district, charter or private school with a kindergarten program is eligible to apply for the Healthy Farms and Healthy Schools funds.
Proposals are due May 13, 2009.
More Funding Opportunities (http://attra.ncat.org/funding/)
Coming Events
Grow Your Own Food In Small Places
http://www.kerrcenter.com/HTML/events.html#smallspaces
April 18, 2009
Red Rock, Oklahoma
Learn how to grow your own organic vegetables in a small space, with few weeds and a minimal amount of work.
Atlanta Local Food Forward
http://www.georgiaorganics.org/events/event.php?id=852
May 1, 2009
Atlanta, Georgia
The Atlanta Local Food Initiative (ALFI), a coalition of citizens and organizations, has begun a grassroots movement to reconfigure our food system to promote the health of our people, our economy, and our environment. We invite you to participate in a daylong invitational event to create an action plan for achieving the vision outlined in ‘A Plan for Atlanta’s Sustainable Food Future.’
Straw Bale Gardening Workshop
http://www.tilth.org/events/oec-classes/straw-bale-gardening
May 21, 2009
Portland, Oregon
Straw bale gardening is referred to as “inspired laziness” and creates an instant garden that can be planted in just a few weeks! In an urban garden, this technique rejuvenates compacted or depleted soil and is a great way to grow your own raised bed. Join us for this fun, hands-on class to learn about this innovative growing technique!
More Events (http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/)
New & Updated Publications
Agriculture, Climate Change and Carbon Sequestration
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/new_pubs.php/2009/01/27/agriculture_climate_change_and_carbon_se
Equipo para Producción Aviar Alternativa
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/new_pubs.php/2009/01/09/equipo_para_produccion_aviar_alternativa
Organic Poultry Production in the United States
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/new_pubs.php/2008/12/31/organic_poultry_production_in_the_united
Question of the Week
What information can you give me on fly control methods?
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/question.php/2009/04/06/what_information_can_you_give_me_on_fly
Website of the Week
Farm Beginnings
http://attra.ncat.org/wow/
Ask a Sustainable Agriculture Expert
Submit questions to our professional staff online
http://attra.ncat.org/ask.php
ATTRA Spanish Newsletter
Subscribe to Cosecha Mensual (http://attra.ncat.org/espanol/boletin.php)
(Monthly Harvest), ATTRA’s Spanish-language e-newsletter
Subscribe to the Weekly Harvest
(http://visitor.roving.com/optin.jsp?m=1011223551022&ea=)
Comments? Questions? Go to http://www.attra.ncat.org/management/contact.html.
Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews Archives Available Online
(http://attra.ncat.org/newsletter/archives.html)
Digital versions of recent Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews newsletters are available online. ATTRAnews is the newsletter of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
(http://attra.ncat.org/)
ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service (http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/index.html). Visit the NCAT Web site (http://www.ncat.org/sarc_current.php) for more information on our sustainable agriculture projects.
Copyright 2009 NCAT
From: hhs.gov
FDA Clears Rapid Test for Avian Influenza A Virus in Humans
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared for marketing a new, more rapid test for the detection of influenza A/H5N1, a disease-causing subtype of the avian influenza A virus that can infect humans.
The test, called AVantage A/H5N1 Flu Test, detects influenza A/H5N1 in throat or nose swabs collected from patients who have flu-like symptoms. The test identifies in less than 40 minutes a specific protein (NS1) that indicates the presence of the influenza A/H5N1 virus subtype. Previous tests cleared by the FDA to detect this influenza A virus subtype can take three or four hours to produce results.
“This test is an important tool to help quickly identify emerging influenza A/H5N1 infections and reduce exposure to large populations,” said Daniel G. Schultz, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The clearance of this test represents a major step toward protecting the public from the threat of pandemic flu.”
Influenza A infects both humans and animals. H5N1 is a subtype that is found mostly in birds, although infections have also occurred in humans, mostly in people who have come into contact with the virus through infected poultry. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the few avian influenza viruses that have infected humans, the H5N1 subtype has caused the largest number of detected cases of serious disease and death.
There is a possibility that the influenza A/H5N1 virus subtype could mutate further and spread quickly to humans, causing an influenza pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, there are 412 confirmed human cases of infection from this virus, almost all in Asia and northern Africa. This virus subtype, which can cause life-threatening illness, has not been detected in the Americas.
In clinical studies, the test correctly identified the absence of infection in more than 700 specimens. In addition, the test correctly detected the presence of influenza A/H5N1 virus subtype in 24 cultured specimens from infected patients.
AVantage A/H5N1 Flu Test is manufactured by Arbor Vita Corporation, located in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Visit http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW01987.html to see the news release.
I think that Most are coming out of the fog and realizing that the future looks like a repeat of Jimmi or worse..<<<
My son works in a casino, he says that a lot of them do not get the message of what is coming, except that they know that all their jobs are in danger, there have been lay-offs and are waiting for more on May 1st.
At least my son at last, got the message, for in the past, he was sure I was wrong.
LOL, could have something to do with being 56 years old and finding out that parents are right some of the time.
The Illinois Nut and Candy Company Recalls Pistachios and Passover Mixed Nuts and Bark Containing Pistachos (April 7)
Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:26:00 -0500
The Illinois Nut and Candy Company is recalling all Pistachios and Passover Mixed nuts containing Pistachios as well as Passover Mixed Nut Bark containing pistachios. The nuts were supplied to them from Setton Farms which has issued a recall.
from: fda.gov
Drought, Cold Devastating Texas Crops
It’s going to be potentially really tough – Brad Morrison, Texas Agrilife Extension
April 7, 2009
By David Rupkalvis
Graham Leader - Graham, TX
A lack of rain was hard enough on the wheat crop in Young County, Texas.
Add in late freezing temperatures, and the crop is likely a total loss.
Brad Morrison, the Young County agent for Texas Agrilife Extension, said the vast majority of wheat farmers in the county will have nothing to sell this year.
“A lot of people with insurance are just zeroing them out,” Morrison said. “What will happen to it is they’ll probably graze it or they’ll cut it for hay.”
Morrison said the wheat crop is a hearty crop that can survive almost anything. This crop was no exception. The cold temperatures over the winter and almost no rain slowed growth but did not kill the plants. Instead, the weather pattern caused the wheat to mature quickly.
“The wheat crop, because of a lack of moisture, had kind of headed out,” Morrison said. “It’s so much earlier than normal.”
Morrison explained that wheat grows a lot like grass through the winter and only turns into the crop once the weather warms up. As the heat increases, the head of the wheat pushed through the plant to flower and make seed. The head is the part that is actually harvested and used to make breads. Once the head is exposed, the plant is much like any other garden plant that can be killed by freezing temperatures.
“We hit those warm days, and the plant just jumped through itself,” Morrison said. “The average last freeze date is March 13, and here it is April 6, and we’re expecting a hard freeze.”
Freezing temperatures last week damaged but did not kill the plant, Morrison said. An expected hard freeze Tuesday night likely would be too much to overcome.
“It’s going to be potentially really tough,” he said.
Morrison said the outlook for farmers and ranchers is not good right now, but there is a bit of good news.
“The only positive on that is that with ag producers this is not uncommon for them,” Morrison said. “They are used to it.”
Because of that, the vast majority have insurance that will cover much of the losses.
With the wheat crop likely lost, Morrison said many farmers and ranchers are already looking ahead. Unfortunately, what they are seeing is not too positive. Morrison said the biggest crop grown in Young County is haygrazer, but unless it rains, that crop is also threatened.
“It ought to start to go in now, but they’re holding off,” Morrison said.
Heavy rains the last two summers led to bountiful hay crops, but the excess is gone.
“We stored a bunch, but we’ve used it,” Morrison said. “It’s depleted. We had a long seasonal need for hay. Some people were supplementing in September. We need a hay crop.”
Those who grow hay have their fields ready, but before they can put in a crop it must rain.
“We need a slow rain to replenish the soil,” Morrison said. “Then we need some hard rain to fill the tanks.”
http://www.grahamleader.com/news/get-news.asp?id=15415&catid=1&cpg=get-news.asp
Wintry Weather Slams Plains Wheat; Will the Crop Recover?
Don’t rush judgement on crop damage, specialist says.
April 7, 2009
By Jeff Caldwell
Agriculture Online
Farmer anxiety
Another spring, another season of winter wheat crop-threatening cold temperatures and wintry precipitation. That’s been the case for a lot of wheat farmers from the Dakotas to the southern Plains, where tough weather conditions continue to pressure the crop that’s in the process of coming out of dormancy.
Farmers are expressing anxiety about their wheat crop from Oklahoma to North Dakota, now as the crop’s just starting to come out of dormancy and around the jointing phase of development. It’s a touchy time for the crop, and some fear the freezing temps are taking an irreparable toll.
Earlier this week, Agriculture Online Marketing Talk member ebright c ks said the forecast lows in the teens had him concerned. Still, fellow Marketing Talk member dafeeder says it may be some time before any damage shows, and even then, it may not be permanent.
“It will be a few weeks or a month before you can see any damage unless it just lays it over,” he says. “I saw a field do that once,a nd it bounced back and made an average yield. So, it’s just too hard to tell.
“It’s anybody’s guess on the total impact of it at this point in time, and it’s a long time until the wheat is in the bin, so anything can happen,” he adds.
Cold temperatures may not affect the crop at all, however; it all depends on where the crop is in its development. If the wheat’s come out of dormancy, it could sustain freeze damage. But, if it’s still dormant, like Farmers for the Future social network member Cameron Rogers says it is in his area of South Dakota, it should make it.
“We haven’t even had a week where the temperature got above 50 degrees. Our wheat isn’t even out of dormancy yet,” he writes. “I’d say as long as you’re not past the 3-leaf stage, you ‘should’ be okay.”
If that’s the case, fellow Farmers for the Future social network member Michael says his wheat — which is also behind its usual development pace — ought to bounce back from the temperatures in his area that struggled to get above 10 degrees Fahrenheit earlier this week.
“Our wheat was starting to green up. This morning, the temperature here was 12 degrees,” he said Tuesday. “Our wheat is not that far along yet, so I hope it will be okay. I guess there’s nothing much to do except ride these cold temps out and hope that we get some warmer weather soon. The weatherman says we are supposed to get some warmer temps this week.”
Precipitation damage
The low temperatures aren’t the only potential yield-robbers of late. Mix in winter precipitation, and the crop may sustain other types of damage, according to Kansas State University Extension agronomist Jim Shroyer. There are two “common maladies” in the crop in parts of the Plains now, after the recent winter blast.
“After the recent sleet storms and heavy snows, there appeared to be ‘webs’ on the wheat. These webs quickly dissolved when touched or disturbed by wind. The problem in this case was a disintegration of the outer leaf surface layer from a hard, driving sleet and possible small hail storm immediately preceding the heavy snow that fell on March 28. The sleet and small hail physically damaged the outer coating of the leaves, and a web of cellulosic fibers and plant cell materials more or less exploded across the upper canopy,” Shroyer said this week after scouting fields in the south-central part of Kansas where snow and ice were severe.
“It is possible, though by no means certain, that heads at this stage to be severely damaged by hard sleet or hail. By next week, it should be possible to determine if the heads are still alive. If the head is watersoaked and off-color at that time, and new leaves coming from the whorl are yellow, that head is damaged,” he adds. “Where heads are damaged, new tillers may start growing soon. In that case, the ultimate yield potential will depend on weather conditions through the remainder of the spring, but yields will probably be reduced to some extent.”
http://www.agriculture.com/ag/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ag/story/data/1239137252732.xml
On April 2, 2009, the work of July 4, 1776 was nullified at the meeting of the G-20 in London. The joint communique essentially announces a global economic union with uniform regulations and bylaws for all nations, including the United States. Henceforth, our SEC, Commodities Trading Commission, Federal Reserve Board and other regulators will have to march to the beat of drums pounded by the Financial Stability Board (FSB), a body of central bankers from each of the G-20 states and the European Union.
The mandate conferred on the FSB is remarkable for its scope and open-endedness. It is to set a "framework of internationally agreed high standards that a global financial system requires." These standards are to include the extension of "regulation and oversight to all systemically important financial institutions, instruments, and markets...[including] systemically important hedge funds."
Note the key word: "all." If the FSB, in its international wisdom, considers an institution or company "systemically important", it may regulate and over see it. This provision extends and internationalizes the proposals of the Obama Administration to regulate all firms, in whatever sector of the economy that it deems to be "too big to fail."
The FSB is also charged with "implementing...tough new principles on pay and compensation and to support sustainable compensation schemes and the corporate social responsibility of all firms."
That means that the FSB will regulate how much executives are to be paid and will enforce its idea of corporate social responsibility at "all firms."
The head of the Financial Stability Forum, the precursor to the new FSB, is Mario Draghi, Italy's central bank president. In a speech on February 21, 2009, he gave us clues to his thinking. He noted that "the progress we have made in revising the global regulatory framework...would have been unthinkable just months ago."
He said that "every financial institution capable of creating systemic risk will be subject to supervision." He adds that "it is envisaged that, at international level, the governance of financial institutions, executive compensation, and the special duties of intermediaries to protect retail investors will be subject to explicit supervision."
In remarks right before the London conference, Draghi said that while "I don't see the FSF [now the FSB] as a global regulator at the present time...it should be a standard setter that coordinates national agencies."
This "coordination of national agencies" and the "setting" of "standards" is an explicit statement of the mandate the FSB will have over our national regulatory agencies.
Obama, perhaps feeling guilty for the US role in triggering the international crisis, has, indeed, given away the store. Now we may no longer look to presidential appointees, confirmed by the Senate, to make policy for our economy. These decisions will be made internationally.
And Europe will dominate them. The FSF and, presumably, the FSB, is now composed of the central bankers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States plus representatives of the World Bank, the European Union, the IMF, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Europe, in other words, has six of the twelve national members. The G-20 will enlarge the FSB to include all its member nations, but the pro-European bias will be clear. The United States, with a GDP three times that of the next largest G-20 member (Japan), will have one vote. So will Italy.
The Europeans have been trying to get their hands on our financial system for decades. It is essential to them that they rein in American free enterprise so that their socialist heaven will not be polluted by vices such as the profit motive. Now, with President Obama's approval, they have done it.
http://jewishworldreview.com/0409/morris070409.php3
Brian Williams did a segment on the Evening News tonight on this. Very scary, indeed.
” Sold our Soul for Rock and Roll...” wait... wrong song /sarc
If it wasn't so sadly serious, it would be ridiculous.
Darn dw , I take a hour away to watch survivor-man and KO’d in the first.. ha!
seriously, thank you for the posts,.. will lay in more flour.
Dumb Question: anybody know if it's possible to can a “hostess ham”...???
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.