I consider myself an optimist with a dash of realist thrown in for good measure, but I don't feel so optimistic right now. Right now, I feel like we have the perfect storm building and it's going to crash over our heads in the next couple of months.
In consideration of the news of late, I have a weird feeling in the pit of my belly. Not anxiety. Not fear. Anticipation maybe? It's hard to watch the news and not come away with that funny feeling of anticipation. I don't particularly care about politics. I'm not afraid of terrorism. I'm not worried about Bin Laden and friends. (I wasn't worried about him before, so why worry now?) I'm worried about food.
I can speak first hand of the flooding locally. Creeks are up. Lakes are up. Reservoirs are 20ft above normal levels. Roads are closed. Fields are underwater. Fields that aren't underwater are so mucky they can't be planted. And this is considered mild flooding. It will probably be several weeks before farmers in my area can plant their wheat, corn and soy crops; and that's if it stops raining TODAY and doesn't rain for a week or two. They're a month behind as it is.
I read of flooding in the heartland along the Mississippi River; of levees blown, flooding thousands upon thousands of acres of good, rich farmland to save a small town. I'm sure the small town appreciates it. I pity the farmers who won't be able to use their land for many years because it's a mire of silty, polluted mud. My heart goes out to them.
I read of droughts in the western states, Texas and Colorado, where the soil is so dry it's cracking and crops are drying up under the feet of the farmers. Many are predicting a harvest of Nil. Nothing. Zip.
Our perfect storm is forming right now. Devalued dollar. High gas prices. Catastrophic weather. Ruined crops. Limited food supplies. Increasing inflation. I can't help but think that this is Wrath of God stuff. He talked about this kind of thing. In Revelations. Somehow I find comfort in that. But back to the subject at hand; food. Where there's no crop, there's no harvest. Where there's no harvest, there's no food.
I'm anticipating a real tough time this fall; when no corn is harvested to feed livestock. No soy harvested to produce a myriad of products, from tofu to salad dressing. No wheat harvested for cereals and breads (and doughnuts!) If those 3 grains aren't available, demand turns to other grains; millet, barley, rice. Anything to fill the void. And those shortages, in one form or another, WILL be passed along to us, the consumers. In higher food prices. In food shortages. In smaller packaging. Is it out of the realm of possibility that we could see empty shelves at Walmart this winter?
As I said earlier, I'm an optimist. I think in some way, we'll pull through. I'm optimistic that a dry spell will occur so farmers in our area can plant. I'm optimistic that the flooding along the Mississippi will recede and farmers will produce some sort of crop. I'm optimistic that drought-stricken areas will receive rain. Call it a God-thing. Somehow, good will out. Prayers will be answered. Alls well that ends well.
But I'm also a realist. And I realize that we should look to the ant and be ready for a tough season. This year, I plan to can anything and everything I can lay hands on. This year, I plan to skip low-yielding crops and plant vegs that will produce a lot of calories in a small area. This year, I'm stocking up on shelf-stable foods, especially those that will be impacted most by the loss of grain crops. I'm weaning the kids from daily meals of meat and finding filling dishes that are based on less expensive ingredients. Finding local sources of products like meat, milk and fruit.
And I'm praying.
For cessation of rainfall in the heartland of America.
For the recession of flood waters along the Mississippi.
For an end to the drought in western states.
For a release from the crazy weather patterns threatening America for the past couple months.
And, while we're at it, protection from terrorists. Foreign. And Domestic.
6 comments:
Now this is a pretty tense post, but I'm with you 100%. It IS dry here in Texas - even in EAST Texas where I'm at. Wish there was a way to send some of that flooding out to our western areas...My garden's a little bigger this year and I only planted what we'd actually eat. I think we're all gonna have to hunker down and get serious about this frugality business and relying on ourselves. Good post...
I'm with you. But, I also like to look back and realize that Americans figure things out when we need to. Necessity is the mother of all innovation...however, I think in this case it will be the mother of a return to homegrown lives...neighbor helping neighbor. Maybe it will encourage us to realize that we can't live like we've been living, and maybe in turn, we will see the positive affects of living in community once again...of having to tend the soil, alongside your family. Maybe I'm all optimist...but, I hope not.
My thoughts too, Andrea! Only said much more eloquently than I could have! I think folks will simply have to start to rely on their gardens and their neighbors more, which is a good thing! Thanks for the great post....
In southern Ontario, we've had such a cold, wet spring that many farmers haven't got their grains in yet. I spoke to the granary - he said if they can't get them in by the end of the week, they'll have to plant something else. I don't know, though ... the forecast is saying warm (well, if 20C is warm) and rainy.
That will mean that grains - barley, oats, wheat, rye - will have to be shipped in from places where they could get the crops in. Now one of my readers said that some farmers in eastern Ontario are doing okay.
I've put in my order for oats and barley, 25 kg each, and I already have 100 kg of white flour. We'll be okay.
At least right now, there's a possible ray of sunshine regarding food. Out here in California, we're chock full of water. Great rains in the state, and huge snow falls in the Sierra's. We're all caught up after 3 years of below average rain fall.
We had tens of thousands of acres of farmland laying fallow. The genius's in the state and federal government had allowed this land to go fallow when they would not allow water to be diverted to the farms to protect some non-native fish (the delta smelt).
I know that many farmers actually pulled up whole orchards of 20 year old trees after they had died because their water allotment was cut off. Whether these lands will be re-purposed and the other regular farmland will come back into use is unclear.
"Water, water everywhere but no plants to grow???"
I'm saying the same prayers these days.
And I'm feeling the same type of urgency about storing food.
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