Maybe some truth but a fair amount of BS or at least fast-and-loose here.
Corn for one. Here is hard data showing US corn production has been increasing significantly year-over-year and has reached record levels:
http://www.ncga.com/corn-production-trends
Some has been driven by ethanol, sure. But that corn could be diverted to food instead, the point is we are producing it already. No shortage.
Whenever some blogger trying to pimp his website and/or book and/or newsletter claims there’s “reduced production” and “decade low inventories” without any proof, it becomes accepted as fact (?)
With all due respect, the fact that you appear to know very little about the matter should not be confused with:
“Whenever some blogger trying to pimp his website and/or book and/or newsletter claims there’s “reduced production” and “decade low inventories” without any proof, it becomes accepted as fact (?)”
It will take some time, and frankly I have little desire to look up all the articles for you, but will see what I can do in the next few minutes. However, I will enlighten you with a few points.
A) Corn raised for ethanol and HFCS is NOT the same as traditional corn as it has been bred/engineered for high carbohydrate and low protein, and is often not fit as a human food, as ethanol corn while “corn” is engineered to become a fuel, not food. However, before the newfound genetic manipulation began, the main source of corn for ethanol was feed corn, not food corn. Ie Motor oil is not vegetable oil.
B) Last year despite claiming we were going to have a bumper crop of soybeans, the USDA also reported that a large number (I believe more than half) of the counties that produce food for our country suffered a loss of over 25% of their crops, and many suffered a loss of more than 40%.
C) To address the “decade low inventories,” it’s apparent that you are also unaware that the company which manages our wheat reserves for the U.S. Government (I believe it transferred from public to private hands some decades ago, IIRC), sold off the last of the grain they had 2 years ago in their attempts to keep grain prices low.
Like I said, don’t blame the blogger for not citing info, and call it blog pimping. Just like people who talk on threads don’t source everything that is common knowledge from historical fact to current events. Your opinion that someone should source information is idealistic, to be sure, and your desire to verify fact is commendable, but while an honest desire for knowledge and inquiry is great, spouting off your contempt is not. Remember that the U.S. Government has been massaging numbers for decades, lest you be caught unaware.
I’ll give you some references. As I recently stopped using Google, finding info is harder and I don’t keep links to every article (dozens to hundreds) I read everyday. But this will give you info that you can start factchecking if you so choose.
On the selling off of the reserves:
http://www.barternews.com/us_government_wheat_stocks_collapse.htm
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread487766/pg1
The differences in corn (Which thanks to you, I just learned is a growing concern for corn growers and the food industry, thanks!):
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/business/12corn.html?_r=1
http://www.ehow.com/about_6331420_type-corn-goes-animal-feed.html
(To Note, tis last article explains: “Corn used for livestock feed is typically grown as silage. Corn intended for silage is planted very close together and harvested before it is ripe. At the time the corn is harvested, it is still a little green on top. The whole plant is put through silage cutters, a rough cutting machine, to produce the feed. This is fit for cows and pigs. Chickens eat only the corn kernels. In this preparation, the cob is removed using specialized machines. Pigs can also eat the kernels of corn.” The author notes that feed corn can be eaten by humans, however that which is already planted is planted differently (very close together), and would not necessarily be nutrient dense enough to be used as humans until the next planting, and a revision of it’s processing—my interjection, not in the article).
The bottom line is that there is a problem, like it or not. And it would be wise for everyone to get their houses in order. I personally have been telling people to keep things in perspective, and maybe it’s the same mentality that keeps you from thinking there is a problem. What I tell people is this: “There will ALWAYS be food, the problem is at what cost?” While the price of rice/wheat etc. DOUBLING from let’s say $1/lb. to $2/lb. doesn’t seem to be a lot to the U.S., it is for many people around the world. Once it doubles a few times, it starts becoming a problem for more and more people.”
I personally believe the bible to be literal. A measure of wheat for a whole day’s wages. And I think it’s coming upon faster than not. I’m grateful for the time people have left to prepare, but I have pity for those that will, as in the days of Noah, eat and drink until it’s too late, rather than prepare. My two cents.
