A Good Enough Reason to Prepare?

**Winnie** · 10-30-2009, 09:17 AM

I was sent this the other day and having now finished reading it, it's pretty worrying.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/c...eap-again.html

Whether or not it's scare-mongering by the press, the article has reinforced my own preps and the garden is going to get a makeover this winter to increase the size of my veg plot. I'm also thinking of asking the landlord if I can use the bit of waste ground out back to put more meat birds and possibly a pig or two on. There's also a distinct chance that the poacher in me may just make a re-appearance.

**Pal334** · 10-30-2009, 09:42 AM

THat is food for thought (forgive the pun). The most troubling seems to be : "China and Southeast Asia are switching to animal-protein diets as they grow wealthy, as the Koreans did before them. It takes roughly 3-5kgs of animal feed from grains to produce 1kg of meat." That is alot of people and alot of grain! Perhaps you are spot on with your preparations.

**Ken** · 10-30-2009, 09:47 AM

It may be time to start growing grain at home again.

Homegrown: New England Wheat - http://www.yankeemagazine.com/issues/2009-09/food/wheat

**Winnie** · 10-30-2009, 10:40 AM

By the looks of things, the U.S and UK will be in a similar situation as more and more agricultural land traditionally used for growing food crops is now being turned over to growing crops for biofuel. It's all very well producing fuel to become more self sufficient in the stuff, but surely feeding the people should come first.

I'm not sure of figures for the U.S but the UK now imports nearly 40% of it's food.

**Rick** · 10-30-2009, 02:18 PM

What I don't understand is why nothing was in the article about Mickey Mouse or South Pacific Canoes. Everything else under the sun was in it but those two. Personally, I think some reporter was either very bored or very lazy for an article.

**Top it off - let it idle** · 10-30-2009, 04:35 PM

Food supplies are something to keep an eye on. My wife and I buy some food in bulk. I was talking to the delivery driver who has been in the food business for some time and talks to a lot of people in the food distribution business. He was saying the exact same thing about grain and the notion that prices are unusually low. He also mentioned that he was talking to someone responsible for emergency food reserves and that these had reached very low levels in our state as well.

Now I know he wasn't just trying to sell me more food (they only provide meat). Since that conversation six months ago, I've seen several articles in various places all warning about the same things - drought in Asia, the shift to food going to biofuels and increasing demands based on population growth. While I'm not hoarding food, it does makes me more aware of our dependency on that little thing called the grocery store. Many of us are so out of touch with our source of food that we all assume that meat grows on trees in plastic shrink wrap and bread is born sliced.

I think your idea of adding a bit of garden and some sources of protein is a good one. I'm thinking of starting a garden as well. If anything, just for the knowledge and experience it will give to myself and my kids. We also take refrigeration for granted. Food preservation is another valuable skill that was a necessity for my grandparents but a lost art on even my mother.

**Old GI** · 10-30-2009, 05:09 PM

Let's see. Increase the demand for corn due to ethanol. Corn prices skyrocket affecting more than just the corn supply. Farmers stop growing other crops to cash in on the new demand for corn. Feed prices go way up.

Just an example of how the government improves our life.

**oldsoldier** · 10-31-2009, 02:38 PM

Added to the fact that the dept.of agriculture is still paying farmers here not to raise crops.

**Rick** · 10-31-2009, 02:50 PM

If all the farm land in America were turned int ethanol production we still wouldn't have enough land to produce what we need.

We imported 12,610,000 barrels of ethanol in 2008. The largest supplier was Brazil.

But the use of ethanol actually increases our use of petroleum. Since we get less MPG from ethanol based fuels we wind up using more gasoline...not less.

**oneraindog** · 11-04-2009, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

If all the farm land in America were turned int ethanol production we still wouldn't have enough land to produce what we need.

We imported 12,610,000 barrels of ethanol in 2008. The largest supplier was Brazil.

But the use of ethanol actually increases our use of petroleum. Since we get less MPG from ethanol based fuels we wind up using more gasoline...not less.

lets also not forget that getting ethanol requires burning petroleum. both in production and distribution. kind of a sad irony.