[Paul R.]

I don't mean this in a nasty way: If we are producing "too much", then why are food prices (overall) rising so quickly? I don't care what the gov't statistics are, I know what I see when I go to the grocery store, compared to 2-3 years ago.

NVDave says "China et al are buying HUGE stocks of our crops and taking away all prior assumptions of year-to-year surpluses (called “carry-out” in farmer lingo)."

That makes absolute sense when I look at food prices & our family food budget.

[Paul R.]

Follow up: For an average income citizen (and I’m pretty darn average income at best, depending on if 2011 goes well) —

For every dollar of my taxes that goes to agriculture subsidies (ethanol aside for the moment), what is the return in lower food prices for, say, a “typical” family of 4? (Ok, my family is 3, but 4 is close enough.) :-)

I do realize that food prices in the U.S. are a relatively low % of a family’s expenditures, but if the prices are going to double, what is the return? Or presently, just what return are my tax dollars used for subsidies getting?

[Balding_Eagle]

Fair question you asked.

Almost all of the price increases you’re seeing at the store are a result of increased energy costs, everything from diesel fuel to electricity. Remember, even just preparing the field to plant a crop requires a lot of diesel fuel.

AND nearly all of those increases can be laid at the feet of the eco-nazis.