Food Security with The Corn & Wheat Belt looks Dismal
I have Been tracking farm reports about fuel prices, droughts, fertilizer shortages,Dust bowls and now No topsoil. This is could be a serious threat to national security soon if we lose our bread basket here in The USA. This is not a drill!
serf
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-nation-s-corn-belt-has-lost-a-third-of-its-topsoil
Scientists and farmers know that agricultural soil erosion has been a problem for decades, but quantifying soil loss from a hundred years of farming and across multiple states has proven difficult. Now a 2021 study led by geomorphologist Evan Thaler and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences attempts to answer the elusive question of how much topsoil has been eroded in the Corn Belt, which stretches roughly from Ohio to Nebraska and produces 75 percent of the nation’s corn. The study estimated that about 35 percent of the region has lost its topsoil completely, leaving carbon-poor lower soil layers to do the work of supporting crops. Having thick, healthy topsoil means plants can grow faster and healthier, increasing crop yields and keeping the field’s ecosystem running smoothly.
Comments
i do the same thing and tell anyone i can but they label me a anarchist that is crazy of the mind😱
The central issue with corn has always been its use in manufacturing ethanol rather than food. Dont forget the use of E 10 is mandated by law. If corn goes up, so does gas.
Consider the cost of fuel and fertilizer courtesy of Joe Biden driving up the costs. Several grocers in my area had to pay double the prices of some fruits and vegetables to the point few people would not buy, so they eventually had to sell at a lost before it spoiled.
Subsequently when grocers reorder, they order 50% less from the wholesalers and distributors, the wholesalers and distributors reciprocate and buy less and all falls back to the farmer who cant sell half his crop.
Joe Biden is presently greatest threat to our economy. I did not vote for him.
"The study estimated that about 35 percent of the region has lost its topsoil completely,"
That would come as one heck of a surprise to a lot of farmers. Sounds like someone is cherry picking numbers to get the results they want. Current agriculture isn't Granpa's agriculture and massive erosion is basically a thing of the past. Sure it happens but on a much lower scale than what was common in the 50's and 60's. Our cropland hasn't been plowed since 1990.
The family that has rented our fields for 30 years practice no till farming. They also rotate crops and plant a cover crop every year. Granted, I am not in the area discussed in the article, but I would bet our soil is in as good if not better shape than it was 30 years ago. I do recall 30 years ago seeing the displays at some of the rest stops along the highways in the corn belt illustrating the loss of topsoil, so this worry is nothing new. Modern farming practices have drastically slowed the loss in most areas to where it is not measurable. The farmers today know the soil is too valuable to let blow away or disappear from runoff. Sometimes studies and their conclusions are only done to provide grant income for colleges and professors. Bob
Droughts have a way to plow the land with high winds there bob, Then there is the dwindling Bee population so science and it's technology is causing a lot problems for The environment. Probably too late for bees to survive like that had in the past.
serf
https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2022/04/18/western-us-drought-approaches-historic-levelsheres-why-that-matters-to-you/
The implications of a dry western U.S. are numerous. Some of the countries most populated urban regions are in the region and rely on an already scarce water supply. Much of the countries agricultural productivity comes from the Central Valley of California and the Great Plains. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website, the Ogallala Aquifer, under an eight state region of the Great Plains, is responsible for, “Nearly one-fifth of the wheat, corn, cotton and cattle produced in the United States.” Geological action created the water reservoir over the past 1 million years, but we are using the water at unsustainable rates.
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/why-are-bees-vanishing-pesticides-disease-other-threats
Wind and drought have done a lot of bad things including the dust bowl. Modern practice have managed to lesson the effects. Since the weather runs in cycles we will probably get through this. Since all countries have limited resources our best bet for getting through this is to close our border and stop taking in more mouths to feed. Our politicians need to get it through their thick skulls that they need to look out for our citizens first and then worry about other countries if we have a surplus. Bob
This theory has been going on for decades. Soil is fine.. just the population cannot support it. There lies the whole issue in the world. World population the elite want is lower.
"Then there is the dwindling Bee population so science and it's technology is causing a lot problems for The environment. Probably too late for bees to survive like that had in the past."
^^Interesting comment. Do any of the environmentalist dudes understand that GMO crops can/will reduce the bee killing insecticide use?
Yep you will be dependent on what science &technology can do as the natural environment is overtaken by The agenda 2030 agenda From The U.N..Controlling food & water is The NWO greatest tool in all the politics of the world. They know it, just look at Bill Gates BUYING ALL THE FARMLAND.
serf
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/24/farmland-inequality-is-rising-around-the-world-finds-report
One per cent of the world’s farms operate 70% of crop fields, ranches and orchards, according to a report that highlights the impact of land inequality on the climate and nature crises.
Bill Gates buying all the farmland? He owns about 250,000 acres and the total American farm acreage is over 850 Million acres. Poor old Bill better get to buying a LOT more, because his holdings only amount to .03% of the total. Hyperbole does make for good conspiracy theories though. Bob
Yep especially after the article says 70% of Farms are owned by big LLC corporations already! Hows that's for dystopia data there Bob?
serf
https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/11869-big-changes-ahead-in-land-ownership-and-farm-operators
Well no, Big LLC companies don't own 70% of farms. Unless of course you think that a family farm with maybe 500 acres registered as a LLC is "big". The farmer that rents my meager acreage is registered as a LLC and he certainly isn't big business by anyone's measure. Yes there are a lot of what I would call big agribusiness companies but a lot of them rent many more acres than they own. If I could raise my concern enough about this subject, it would be about foreign ownership of U.S. farmland. Not much of a concern though as farmland isn't exactly portable and they can't take their land and go home. These are investors that have to keep the acreage producing to get returns on their investment.
It is sad that more and more young people are leaving farming. Part of the reason for leaving is a shift in our culture brought on by technology. Why work your fingers to the bone on the farm when you can move to an urban area and make more money and have the amenities that cities provide? That doesn't hold any allure for me but I am a couple of generations removed from today's youth. Another reason for renting out farmland is the cost of farming equipment. If you have to spend a million bucks on equipment it requires a lot more acreage to pay off that investment than just the typical family farm can provide. Of course we could always go back to inefficient 40 acre farms and the whole country would starve. Bob
Many family farms are turning to LLC or C-Corp type operations due to the extremely volatile market and increasingly high costs of operations.
Our custom farming operation involves an LLC to minimize personal financial consequences of accidents or mistakes. We're looking at a whole farm conversion to an LLC to shelter assets in case of health or death issues.
Big corporate farms is a misnomer. Even moderate sized family farms easily exceed $2-3M of assets that require legal protections.
But, but, but.... That doesn't make for good conspiracy theories. Your loads of experience and my little bit of knowledge combined with reams of non-sensationalist information won't stop the conspiracy folks from trying to spread panic. Website clicks equal money so even reputable sites use headlines that grab peoples attention. Most of the time if you actually read the article, it refutes the headlines premise, but a lot of folks don't bother to read the article so off the wall theories are born. It will only get worse because we have a population that thinks they can get all their info from 40 character tweets. 🙄 Bob
i don't know for sure but LLC farms are probably run to protect assets from being seized by Financial firms.I suspect the land is protected by this measure just in case The LLC fails from one year to another and written off for income taxes from the loan.
I also suspect any workers are contract only with 1099's so no social security is payed by the LLC. Probably a lot of other perks also that comes with S corporation destination also.
The day of forty acres farms ranches are over in this country unless it's just a hobby homestead to avoid high taxes with forest or agriculture exemptions. The organized always controls the disorganized and The working class is at the bottom of the rung.
serf
An S Corp is an entity that opts to be taxed under the provisions of Chapter 1, Subchapter S of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
S Corporations elect to "pass through" income, deductions, credits, and losses to the owners of the business. This makes owners responsible for reporting taxable activity of the company on their personal income tax returns and allows the S Corp to avoid double taxation. Owners are also treated as employees and may draw a reasonable salary from the profits of the business. Only these wages may be subject to self-employment taxes.
Missing the point of my comments.
CORPORATE FARMS may or may not be gigantic operations. In many cases, they're just multi-generational enterprises in which GrandPa doesn't want a poor decision by GrandSon to put both of them in the poor house.
Actual corporate stockholder type businesses don't do much farming. Too much hassle and too many quick decisions required.
Start laying in reserves for yourself and family.
Oatmeal has gone up 33% on the retail level here and if diesel goes to 6 dollars a gallon then the whole system of food supplies really gets real chaotic for the poor and middle class. Food banks are already running out of free food.
Crime will see a bigger swell in the big cities and begin the lawlessness for everyone to see. I would not rely on the experts to judge the conditions in the future, Our leaders are the cause of this not the solution of it.
serf
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-panic-buying-strains-food-banks-as-need-for-them-explodes
Local food banks are under duress. The United Food Bank in Mesa, Arizona, served roughly four times as many families in the last full week of March compared with the first week, all while battling a 40% reduction in grocery store food donations, said Tyson Nansel, the organization’s spokesperson.
The consequences have been immediate. A fifth of local meal assistance programs in Feeding America’s network have already shuttered at least temporarily, according to a survey of the organization’s food banks.
The overall U.S. food supply, experts say, is plentiful. But a burst in demand because of pandemic fears has led to temporarily empty shelves, said Ananth Iyer, department head of management at Purdue University and an expert on supply-chain management.