Why Are Food Prices Rising So Fast? (2013, expenses, buy)

[freemkt]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

What's a Monday without another jolt of DOOOOOOOOM from the economic collapse blog?

Well, economics IS the dismal science...

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I can't speak for other U.S. farming areas but here on the Texas south plains, we have had no rain in months.

Indeed.

As for my own family, I'm keeping two old farm tractors warmed up in case I have to turn my 20 acres of grassland into crops.

Will you be able to afford fuel for them?

Only half-joking and about half-real on that.

We are going with Electric Farming based on the half-real part.

But either way, can't grow much without water.

probably the Tea Party folks blocking payments on the rain.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

Around here the employment situation is pretty good and so walmart is near the bottom of the barrell in terms of work options. (In other places it's the opposite.)

As such, the workers at the walmart around here are often more interesting than the patrons.

You do not want to go there around the time of the month right after the govt. assistance checks come out. Ditto for going near any of the area casinos.

Kansas has next to no good employment outside of Johnson County

[sundrop]

Originally Posted by jtur88

People have become so busy, with their two jobs, and working wives, and kids who cannot play by themselves, and their entertainment imperatives, that the guiding principles of competition no longer apply. You only have time to go to one supermarket and rush through the aisles, so they can charge whatever they want, with minimal risk that you will drive 5 miles to an unfamiliar competitor for lower prices. Americans have become captive consumers, and the marketeers are licking their lips.

Good....no great post!

[dazzleman]

Transportation costs are a big component of food prices, and fuel prices are very high.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by Philip T

Indeed.

Will you be able to afford fuel for them?

My tractors were built way before EPA and will run if they have three simple ingredients, e.g., compression, fuel and spark. I am sure I could make them run on alternate fuels if I had to.

Originally Posted by Philip T

But either way, can't grow much without water.

Now that one I cannot solve no matter my level of tinkering skills. This problem I leave to simple faith.

[texdav]

Demand. When two coutnies that comprise 1/4 of the world's population have growing demand for everything that is a huge amount of demand.

[tickyul]

Ethanol subsidies..........high demand for corn is sending corn futures through the roof.............just a big scam. The price of corn goes up....well of course that is a big part of animal feed......so meat is just through the roof.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by tickyul

Ethanol subsidies..........high demand for corn is sending corn futures through the roof.............just a big scam. The price of corn goes up....well of course that is a big part of animal feed......so meat is just through the roof.

It seems like that gasoline at $4.00 a gallon is the point at which investors start to look at ethanol production. We've had several ethanol plants out here on the High Plains whose plans to build have been off and on as gasoline bounced around $4.00.

Whether or not ethanol is a scam remains to be seen. Food is fuel to animals just as gasoline is fuel to piston engines. The potential for cross-over uses becomes more obvious as energy supplies for one or the other dwindles.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Kansas has next to no good employment outside of Johnson County

Wyandotte is up and coming.

I'm generally hard-pressed to say good things about government competance but the folks running the show up in Wyandotte have been nothing short of brilliant.