Posted on 01/15/2010 9:21:42 AM PST by 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:
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Exactly. Fertilizer has been at all time highs for the last several yrs along with seed and chems not far behind. This yr I’m planning to use poultry house cleanings instead of fertilizer. While less precise then chem fertilizer its worlds cheaper...and better for the soil in the long run. I’m also not going to buy GM or hybrid seed still under patent. While yields won’t be as good at least I’ll keep more of my $$$. his way I *might* be able to pay my taxes.
Jim Rogers is a one dimensional commodities bull. He’s been pitching sugar and coffee as an investment for the past 2 years on Fox’s Bulls and Bears.
The USDA just estimated the 2009/2010 corn and soybean crops and are expecting a surprisingly big crop. Corn prices plunged 13% in 2 days because it looks like we’ll have lots of supply. With corn prices falling, some farmers will plant more soy and wheat, which will bring those prices down as well. By the way, we grow so much excess corn in U.S., we burn 1/3 of the total crop in our cars in the form of ethanol.
Unlike oil, agriculture is a renewable resource that as we apply technology and capital, we get more and more production.
I understand and sympathize. You may find it much harder to fertilize without chemicals, but I think you’ll see what you do become a work to be very proud of. It all depends, of course, on your acreage. Large farms can’t do it, but it certainly pays to use it as much as possible.
I just suffered through paying my taxes, so it’s tough everywhere, but my only investment is the clothes I wear and the car I drive to and from work. When I tote up what a farmer puts into just showing up for work each day, I faint. ;-) Okay, I don’t faint, but my head starts to feel like it’s going to explode.
There are also a lot of well armed LEOs on the block. normally a comfort, but if they haven't prepared.....
Maybe we can all go to Haiti—and they can all come here. That’ll work!
Gardening ping?
Quite of few of my neighbors and I have gone to mostly a wheat-soybean rotation. Corn is too expensive to plant, fertilizer is way high let alone seed corn, for the price. I couldn’t plant wheat this fall because of the weather. I couldn’t get the beans off till November a lot of guys were in the same situation around here.
I no-till.
That might be good except for this:
Ug99 Fungus Threatens Wheat Crop
The Ug99 fungus, called stem rust, could wipe out more than 80% of the worlds wheat as it spreads from Africa, scientists fear. The race is on to breed resistant plants before it reaches the U.S.
The spores arrived from Kenya on dried, infected leaves ensconced in layers of envelopes.
Working inside a bio-secure greenhouse outfitted with motion detectors and surveillance cameras, government scientists at the Cereal Disease Laboratory in St. Paul, Minn., suspended the fungal spores in a light mineral oil and sprayed them onto thousands of healthy wheat plants. After two weeks, the stalks were covered with deadly reddish blisters characteristic of the scourge known as Ug99.Nearly all the plants were goners.
Crop scientists fear the Ug99 fungus could wipe out more than 80% of worldwide wheat crops as it spreads from eastern Africa. It has already jumped the Red Sea and traveled as far as Iran. Experts say it is poised to enter the breadbasket of northern India and Pakistan, and the wind will inevitably carry it to Russia, China and even North America if it doesnt hitch a ride with people first.
Its a time bomb, said Jim Peterson, a professor of wheat breeding and genetics at Oregon State University in Corvallis. It moves in the air, it can move in clothing on an airplane. We know its going to be here. Its a matter of how long its going to take.
http://jutiagroup.com/2009/07/24/ug99-fungus-threatens-wheat-crop/
Google “wheat crop failure 2009” and you will see problems in Afghanistan, Argentina, Austrailia, and the list goes on and on.
2009 wheat situation may not be a pretty picture
http://southwestfarmpress.com/grains/wheat-price-0305/
We live in the mountains of WV and use grass clippings(try to limit weeds) and scraps to compost with and fertilizer as needed. Our soil is a clay mix and not that good, it takes time to build it up. You may want to get the book, “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” It is a good resource for many things.
My principal product is cattle. I generally plant enough corn to feed my own herd plus, give or take an equivalent amount to market for cash, which tends to act as a hedge. Corn following several years of alfalfa or following intensive pasture requires very little anhydrous and is not particularly susceptible to insect or disease because of the long rotation.
Someone sent me a mail suggesting horse manure. I do have horses around and some barns have large, old piles outside. I need to figure out how I would haul it.
The article prediciting a 2009 wheat failure proved incorrect. The US crop came in at 2.22 Billion bushels and the price today for near term soft red winter wheat is about $.15 per bushel less than when the article you referenced was written.
It may have something to do with the mold disease that went thru the mid-atlantic crops this year that the farmers couldn’t sell. They’re sure not going to plant wheat and go thru that again
Thanks for the info. I don’t think they have found a solution to the rust yet. Hopefully, the solution won’t be worse than the rust.
The gene the rust works on has apparently been identified, so some evil private corporation like Monsanto or Syngenta will probably develope a resistant strain and then expect to be paid for it (just for saving the world from starvation).
FYI: When I was a kid, our neighbors were from Kansas and knew how to work a farm. They always grew their own veg and used egg shells and coffee grounds as fertilizer.
Is he buying food or pieces of paper that says he is buying food?
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.