Jim Rogers: Brace Yourself For Food Shortages, Thanks To The Banks Hoarding Cash

The Business Insider ^ | 1/15/10 | Vincent Fernando

[FromLori]

Jim Rogers is sounding the alarm -- buy agricultural commodities ahead of the riots. The financial crisis has cut off investment in agriculture, with many farmers unable to get loans for fertilizer according to Mr. Rogers. Of course, this means agricultural commodities will make a killing:

CNBC: "Sometimes in the next few years we're going to have very serious shortages of food everywhere in the world and prices are going to go through the roof."

Cotton and coffee are good buys because they are very distressed, while sugar, despite the fact that it has gone up a lot, is still down 70 percent from its all-time high, according to Rogers.

"I don't think that the problems of the world are behind us yet," he said.

Starting at 1:30 in the video:

[opentalk]

realized that after hit post, sorry.

[MtnClimber]

I grew my first garden last year, trying to learn too. I live in the Colorado Rockies so have very rocky and poor soil. I have been composting leaves, pine needles and kitchen scraps to build up the soil in the garden areas. Your state agricultural extension office can probably recommend crops that will do well in your area and let you know about common pests to be prepared for.

[lfrancis]

What crops are farmers shifting to?

[lfrancis]

What crops are farmers shifting to?

[GeronL]

Plus they know they can always be punished by the Dems if they don’t buy the bonds.

The Democrats can use whatever crises comes from their policies to get even more power for themselves.

[MtnClimber]

The California Human-caused water shortage won’t help either. I have predicted for the last year that the government will look for a food “crisis” that they can exploit to take over food growing and distribution.

[10Ring]

Translation: Jimmy, a guy who began his career working for George Soros, starts an Ag ETF in 2007 that is down 24%. What’s he gonna say “Please by my Ag Fund?” or “Food Fight!”. I doubt he is planting a garden in Singapore. (He gets extra credit for naming his daughters Happy and Baby Bee).

[Misterioso]

. . . and then have the harvest wiped out by a disease or insects.

Or starving marauders.

[opentalk]

Monsanto’s GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals
In a study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, analyzing the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers found that agricultural giant Monsanto’s GM corn is linked to organ damage in rats.Jan 13, 2010

This cant help either.

[Max in Utah]

I have been composting leaves, pine needles and kitchen scraps to build up the soil in the garden areas.

Never use leaves from walnut trees because they may contain a chemical that inhibits plant growth. Just a tip...

[MtnClimber]

There is a weekly gardening thread here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2428924/posts?page=38#38

Just ask to be added to the ping list if you like. This is where I got lots of good advise for my garden.

[blam]

There's growing concern about food shortages.

Global Food Crisis 2010 Means Financial Armageddon

[verity]

I thought Mr. Rogers had passed.

[TexasRepublic]

Food shortages are common in all communist countries. You’d better get used to the idea.

[Steve0113]

ping

[SatinDoll]

Matt - New Jersey is the Garden State. Good luck with your gardening adventure but don’t do what I did with my first garden: I like zucchini so much I planted 40 plants. Big mistake!

We had zucchini still hanging around in the freezer twelve years later! If I never see or taste another piece of zucchini bread it will be too soon.

[Freddd]

LOL

Good reason to dehydrate. It lasts for 20 years or more. (If stored properly)

[Mr. Lucky]

In my part of the corn belt, winter wheat was traditionally planted in a corn-beans-wheat three year rotation. The market price of wheat generally doesn't justify it as a crop, but it's heavily subsidized and the wheat stubble added tilth to the soil. Soybeans being a legume, much of the nitrogen requirement of the wheat was provided by carry-over, so the input cost of raising wheat wasn't all that much.

But farmers have moved away from intensive tillage and don't really need the wheat stubble to maintain soil tilth on their better ground. With the input cost of nitrogen drifting so high, many farmer have dropped wheat from the rotation and have gone to a corn-beans two year rotation, allowing the nitrogen carry-over from the bean crop to reduce the anhydrous ammonia required to fertilize the corn crop.

On the other hand, to the extent that taking wheat out a rotation creates a sort of vacuum in the marketplace, you can expect that vacuum to be filled by the planting of wheat on more marginal ground less suitable for soybeans and corn (which is how the marketplace should work).

[nina0113]

I guess I will need to stock up on fertilizer and some sort of chemicals to preserve the crop.

You need a hot-water-bath canner for fruit and a pressure canner for vegetables and meat. Get a copy of the Ball Blue Book and plenty of jars.

Start a compost heap NOW - I don't throw so much as a cherry stem in the trash any more, it all goes in the bin. I got a really nice one at Lowe's for $50.

Raised beds (Lowe's again for landscape timbers, drill holes in the corners and hammer spikes or rebar through) will protect your garden from flooding.

I live on a third of an acre and bought almost no produce last summer, though I was a slacker about putting any up for the winter.

[nina0113]

. . and then have the harvest wiped out by a disease or insects.

Or starving marauders.

They SAY you shouldn't put meat in a compost bin, but exceptions can be made. A little extra compost starter should help.