Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Food shortages are going to happen when you subsidize the burning of your crops for inefficient biofuels (corn ethanol) in the name of modern Druidism (aka Global Warming).
yep.
continuing to use corn instead of things like switchgrass(which doesnt need to eat up farmland) for ethanol will drive up all prices as growers switch to corn because the profit is artificially more than other crops due to government subsidy. you have a massive hops shortage already this year in part because of it. you have less wheat. you have higher food prices for corn. its just not good. we need to get away from subsidy and we need to get away from corn as fuel
Not only fuel use but the government pays people to not grow things (for example, fruit trees get cut down and aren't replanted for so many years), which also, not surprisingly, makes us import more food and rely more heavily on other countries. Absolutely absurd policy. Sure low food prices can hurt farmers, but, this "solution" is just dumb.
My heart goes out to the Haitians and people in other 3rd world countries who truly cannot afford to eat. But here in the U.S. 34% of adults are obese. We have a way to go before anyone can say we are suffering a real food shortage.
continuing to use corn instead of things like switchgrass(which doesnt need to eat up farmland) for ethanol will drive up all prices as growers switch to corn because the profit is artificially more than other crops due to government subsidy. you have a massive hops shortage already this year in part because of it. you have less wheat. you have higher food prices for corn. its just not good. we need to get away from subsidy and we need to get away from corn as fuel
Agreed. Plus, ethanol-based fuel has a lower energy content per unit than any other popular fuel sources. So in the end, you need more fuel to go the same distance as other fuels.
My heart goes out to the Haitians and people in other 3rd world countries who truly cannot afford to eat. But here in the U.S. 34% of adults are obese. We have a way to go before anyone can say we are suffering a real food shortage.
though part of that obesity is not necessarily the food we eat or all of the food we eat, its the stuff they use to make the food. we have gone away from eating fresh food and drinking pure drinks like water, milk, juice, even beer and wine.
more and more of our diet is made up of bleached flour, high fructose corn syrup, non-natural preservatives, carmel coloring, etc etc. there is a reason that diet coke inhibits weight loss when compared to water and it has nothing to do with caloric content.
this is partly a factor of society, which forces both adults to be wage earners to afford a proper home and also doesnt allow as much time for family time(for cooking, tending an herb garden, etc) compared to previous times so people pick up fast food, tv dinners, etc.
all im saying is that overeating is not the only cause for obesity problems
though part of that obesity is not necessarily the food we eat or all of the food we eat, its the stuff they use to make the food. we have gone away from eating fresh food and drinking pure drinks like water, milk, juice, even beer and wine.
more and more of our diet is made up of bleached flour, high fructose corn syrup, non-natural preservatives, carmel coloring, etc etc. there is a reason that diet coke inhibits weight loss when compared to water and it has nothing to do with caloric content.
this is partly a factor of society, which forces both adults to be wage earners to afford a proper home and also doesnt allow as much time for family time(for cooking, tending an herb garden, etc) compared to previous times so people pick up fast food, tv dinners, etc.
all im saying is that overeating is not the only cause for obesity problems
I agree with all that you're saying. But still, when you look at pictures of people taken during the depression, none of them are fat. A better diet is part of it, but it's also a fact that no one in the US is facing a calorie shortage at this point.
Location: Georgia, on the Florida line, right above Tallahassee
10,471 posts, read 15,789,212 times
Reputation: 6435
Quote:
Originally Posted by arctichomesteader
Not only fuel use but the government pays people to not grow things (for example, fruit trees get cut down and aren't replanted for so many years), which also, not surprisingly, makes us import more food and rely more heavily on other countries. Absolutely absurd policy. Sure low food prices can hurt farmers, but, this "solution" is just dumb.
Can the conglomerates who own our food sources go on strike?
They're threatening it in Argentina. At least, Reuters says they are.
Here is a more balanced view, but it basically talks about the same problem - a shortage of food, especially in developing countries.
World Food Program warns of 'silent tsunami' of hunger - Yahoo! News (broken link)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
