Joseph
Inflation here and with it the possibility of a super-cycle for agricultural commodities. We’ve all seen fuel pump inflation and groceries, and heaven help you if you need to build something now. Recently ZeroHedge Posted an article on ag leaders predicting a super small cycle in commodities.
Let’s unpack this a bit.
What does the agricultural commodity supercycle mean for the average consumer?
The agricultural indicators Referred to in the article monitor a mixture of prices of wheat, corn, soybeans, coffee, sugar, cocoa and cotton. They were all up for a variety of reasons. One is the Chinese need to rebuild their pig herds after a devastating disease outbreak last year. Pig feed consists mainly of corn and soybeans. The growing interest in biofuels is also driving up prices.
Corn, soybeans, and cotton (along with plants such as rapeseed and sunflower) are used for biofuels and now have industrial applications, affecting their availability for use as food. We’ve already written about the steps you can take cooking oil production at home.
But what can we do about corn, wheat and soybeans?
Most of us think of agricultural commodities like corn and wheat as things that must be produced by people with special equipment. So out of reach of the average suburban gardener. This is true to some extent. However, you can grow corn in your own backyard and eat corn on the cob for a few weeks in the summer.
The kernel of truth about the atom
If you grow a lot, you can cut out the beans and then freeze them to supplement your diet in the winter. But to make any flour, whether it is from corn, wheat or other grains, you need grain mill. These are expensive enough to deter many people; until the cheaper than them Still a few hundred dollars. If you have a small plot of land to work on, it is probably not worth the expense. Unless you have a dozen friends who grow corn or wheat in their backyards, and you all plan to share it. (You will need Oh really Trust these friends.)
Let’s take it one step further. What do we use corn in? If you primarily eat prepared food from the store, just about everything. In Michael Pollan Carnivore dilemma, delves into a tremendous amount of detail about the ubiquity of the atom. If you eat TV dinners and fast food, you’ll see your food prices go up.
It may be time to make some dietary changes.
But what about wheat?
Good old fashioned wheat. I love wheat bread. Simple homemade bread, fresh from the oven, topped with butter is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s a regular side dish for eggs in the morning or soup in the evening at my house. It will be difficult to do without it.
How to grow half of your food (ad)
I don’t intend to do without it, not entirely. But I can use less. Do you know what makes a good side dish? Potatoes and most people can grow some potatoes or another type of root crop.
One potato, two potatoes…or other root crops
The potatoes themselves are a crapshoot on my property. Some years they do a great job, other years they get sick. But rutabaga is more consistent for me, and is something you can grow on a field scale or on a small plot in the suburbs. When I lived in Texas, it was too hot for kale, so we planted kale and sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are, in many ways, the perfect staple crop for suburban gardeners. The plants with their heart-shaped purple-green leaves are so beautiful that they can easily be confused with ornamentals. They need a very long growing season for Colorado. But it is an excellent choice for urban/suburban gardeners in southern states.
Now let’s look at soybeans
If you are a vegetarian, then soybeans may be a staple for you. If you eat meat and consume meat from the grocery store, you probably consume a lot of soy as well. It is an important component of most animal feed. Think you’re avoiding soy by eating organic? No, for most animals, the organic label means they are fed organic soybeans.
I have been avoiding soy for years. I’m not convinced it’s healthy in the amounts the average American eats. Like corn, it finds its way into all kinds of processed foods. And like corn, if we start avoiding processed foods, we will avoid one of the foods that will be affected by the upcoming agricultural commodity supercycle.
Ah, sugar, sugar
Next on the list is sugar. Like corn and soybeans, this is something we often eat without really thinking about it. The average American adult consumes 17 teaspoons of sugar per day, translates to about 57 pounds a year.
Like corn and soybeans, it’s something we can avoid if we avoid processed foods.
But what about enjoying food? You might think this is starting to sound like a very miserable thing to do. Or maybe you think that willing people shouldn’t care about the little compliments in life. I’m afraid I have to disagree. Lots of articles in Organic Prepper revolve around the importance Psychological health And the self care In SHTF scenarios, and for many of us, fun food is part of that.
How do you reduce your sugar intake?
Let me share an experience I’ve had regarding drastically cutting back on sugar. A few years ago, I spent a week in Aomori Prefecture, a rural part of Japan. I was there for a family wedding. Aomori Prefecture, at least the area I’ve been in, doesn’t cater to many tourists.
There was nothing in English. There were no burger joints. My brother, who lived there and spoke fluent Japanese, told me that all the food in the restaurants comes from a ten mile radius. They do not have a USDA equivalent. For example, if a gardener in the city has a lot of extra garlic or onions one day, he can take them to restaurants in the city, and that’s what they sell.
There was almost no sugar in anything
If you get a fruit pastry, it may taste like fruit. The cake frosting tasted like cream. was different. But I did spend time with my brother’s friends, many of whom are Americans who live there, and they all told me the same thing. At first, they found Japanese food strange, but since they were forced to deal with a lack of sugar, they all lost weight and got used to it. When they made trips back to the United States to visit family, they found that they no longer liked sugar.
I stayed there for about a week. However, at the end of the trip, my stomach felt better than it had been in years. When I got back to the US, I started experimenting with less sugar in my recipes. I can cut the sugar in half or even a quarter without affecting the flavor in most foods.
Strictly speaking, in general, we do not Need Sugar. However, it comes in handy food preservation. This is a complicated topic. If you keep your foods, I wouldn’t recommend changing anything without doing some research first. Putting food by by Hertzberg, von and Greene It is an excellent resource if you want to accurately determine the amount of sugar needed to preserve food safely.
Coffee, cocoa and cotton
coffeeCocoa and cotton are things that most of us have no control over. We can do without coffee and cocoa, although I prefer not to do without coffee. Regarding cotton, all most of us can do right now is buy clothes that will last a long time. They will cost more up front, but I think we’ll be out of the cheap options before too long.
We may also get things that will continue in our lives while we still can.
The Agricultural Commodity Super Cycle will affect all of us
If we are willing to be flexible in our food choices, we will find that we can handle the blows better than those who refuse to make changes.
The Membership Prepper He had a lot of great articles Recently all urban and suburban sedative. If these articles have inspired you, I encourage you to set aside a small amount of land or space to see what kind of high-calorie staple crops (potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, turnips) will suit you.
I will suburban gardener To be able to produce enough food for their families for a year? Mostly not. But you may have more options than you realize in terms of producing actual meals. suburban small farm By Amy Stross, he’ll show you how to grow your own fruits, herbs, and vegetables even under a limited schedule. From seed to harvest, this book will keep you on track so that you feel accomplished for your efforts.
What will you do to thrive now and in the years to come?
Preparation is not just about making sure you survive the distant doomsday. Preparation is also about adding to a file skill sets To give you peace of mind today. He accuses me of being pessimistic and cynical a lot in personal life, because I don’t think we ever get back to normal and I refuse to pretend that. However I am not miserable or depressed about it. I think I was doing everything I could to prepare accordingly. If it thrives in the coming years, that’s great. And if not, I know I did the best I could and I will have no regrets.
daisy written Published many articles about the importance of Gardens. If you’ve been inspired to grow a garden, or even just one tomato plant, let us know! We’d love to know what inspired you and how it went! What would you like to cut back in the event of an agricultural commodity super-cycle? Share with other readers in the comments section below.
Joanna has been homeschooling three children since 2012. In 2014, she moved to High Plains, Colorado. She and her children started out on a small farm, gardening and raising chickens for eggs and meat. He drove one animal to another, and these days they have livestock guard dogs, chickens, geese, ducks, alpacas, goats, pigs and a very spoiled cat.
Source: Organic Prepper
