Just left the grocery store where they are talking about the price of milk going up alonge with meat and bacon doom!

It is a world wide issue to say the least.

7 reasons why the milk price will increase in 2012/13

1. The drought and stifling heat currently hitting the Mid-West of the US is forecast to continue into October. This has major consequences for the global dairy industry:

• US dairy cow production is down

• The likelihood of a reduced 2013/14 grain harvest will put further pressure on the US dairy industry’s ability to feed itself

• A reduction in US production and exports of soya beans and corn will affect the Chinese dairy industry (and others), which relies heavily on these crops to feed its cows

2. The profitability of the US dairy industry, which has a big influence on the dairy supply outlook, is at its lowest for years. The milk to feed price ratio has fallen to 1.24 – which means the industry is contracting and 80% of the milk cheque is being spent on feeding cows. Normally, the ratio would need to be above 2.5 for industry growth.



More at link, but those are the main points. [link to www.myfarm.co.nz]

meat has been sky high for a few years.
its already 7 bucks for 2 porkchops.
How much higher can it go?

Working a grocery store use to be a good job, when the unions were in. I started as a deli clerk for $7.45 an hour in 1977. my daughter starts at the same job this week end for $8.00 an hour.
With wages going in the dumpster for 30 years I wonder how we have all made it!



Cheap Bastards.

I'm seeing more families at the grocery stores with what appears to be two separate orders of groceries in one cart. What it turns out to be is that they watch the totals add up and when they have enough left in their budgets, they then unload the other items onto the belt for checkout, one at a time while keeping an eye on the whole bill.

And this isn't at the last week of the month anymore.

And yes, the size of my garden just grew (in my imagination only since we're in WA)and it's still too cold to plant anything (even the greenhouse is too cold to start things right now). Saw someone last year starting a vertical garden in a heavy duty shoe organizer with the open top pockets. That might just work to add new strawberries where the chickens can't get to them if I hang it on a trellis.

Have to do something extra this year to help out in our community.

With inflation, what you made in 1977 would be $28 and hour today. That is insane wages for a clerk to make. I think the unions, while helping some, were the downfall of many companies. Who could afford those wages these days? No one.

Here is a link to an inflation calculator:

[link to data.bls.gov]

There will be a breaking point, if it is not sold it rots on the shelf and no one makes money. Then the farmer goes out of business.

8% increase this year, 8% next year cumulatively and that’s just on beef. This 30% in pork increase is being down played by the industry so far, but it will become a hot topic as spring rolls in.

It’s a combination of things all coming together at once, from high feed prices to high fuel prices to uncertainty of the federal farm bill that was temporary extended till September 30, 2013 along with mandated biofuels and crop insurance they are still saying milk prices could double before the end of the year.

Chicken was 3.79 a pound already, the old lady’s at the deli are making less now even with the raises they got at the start of the year, they are all panicking and don’t know how they will get by.

It was a very strange atmosphere at the grocery store today, that’s for sure.






This is the fears of the farmers below, can’t blame them either.

Snip; When Congress finally gets around to debating a farm bill, crop insurance and direct payments for commodities will be two key elements at the top of discussion.

But the farm bill is not a high priority for the new congress. Bigger budget issues have priority before Congress will start work on a new farm bill, said K-State Extension Agriculture Economist Troy Dumler.

"The farm bill is in a holding pattern," Dumler said.
When the debate begins, farmers will keep a close eye on the status of crop insurance.

The entire state is in drought conditions with almost 80 percent of the state in extreme drought conditions and a little over a third of the state in exceptional drought conditions.

After two years of drought, the loss of dry land crops and yield reduction in irrigated crops has made the necessity of crop insurance even more important.

Compound that with the ever-increasing equipment and production costs, a solid crop insurance element in the farm bill is essential for farmers.

Another key element in the farm bill is replacing direct payments for commodities that are no longer offered. It will probably be replaced with something similar to crop insurance or a revenue support program.

About 80 percent of the last farm bill was dedicated to nutrition programs and have nothing to do with agriculture.

[link to www.pratttribune.com]


This includes bacon doom! This increase is basicaly set in stone already, 30%+ cost of pork by june.

Snip; Meat and dairy prices make up 52 percent of the FAO Food Price Index and are the primary drivers of the forecast for higher food prices. The Rabobank report projects prices for slaughter cattle will increase by 6 percent and feeder cattle by 8 percent between now and June 30, 2013. The price of pork, demonstrated by lean hog futures, will rise 31 percent during the same period, according to the report.

[link to www.dairyherd.com]


More info; [link to www.agweb.com]


Congresses temporary fix is not making the farmers happy who have to plan a year in advance, it will lead to rather large increases by July in preparation for September. Who knows what will happen but either way you’re looking at a rather large increase in food costs across the board in the next 8 months even if congress does act!

Working a grocery store use to be a good job, when the unions were in. I started as a deli clerk for $7.45 an hour in 1977. my daughter starts at the same job this week end for $8.00 an hour.
With wages going in the dumpster for 30 years I wonder how we have all made it!



Cheap Bastards.

Real wages and benefits for American workers hasn't been keeping up for 40 years. It actually has little to do with unions. And I'm not a union shill by any means. It's just the employer has all the cards in America, and they exercise this fact every chance they get. There has been a war on American workers for at least 40 years by upper management. Their pay and benefits package, golden parachutes, have skyrocketed while everyone elses, especially employee's at will [over 80% of American workers] have not even kept up with real inflation. This is a fact, not fantasy.

I hate bacon doom!

I can already get steak for less per pound than bacon when there is a sale. I love bacon -- NO BACON DOOM!!!!!!

Thanks Chrit. It astounds me how we're still using food for biofuels when it's blatantly obvious this year is going to see skyrocketing food prices mostly due to the drought situtaion the past couple years. We shouldn't be turning food into fuel at all that's insane. And how much food are we still going to export?

I don't know how some people are going to make it. Raised federal taxes, zerocare, gas going up, higher food prices... we're going to have to pull together more than ever now.

I wonder how producers expect people to buy their things when people have hardly any money now. I buy basics at the grocery store and buy my clothes second hand. No vacations either and somehow I don't really miss them. I use to make more and spend more but those days are over. Even if I started making more I would never go back to how I use to live. Frugal has become my lifestyle of choice now.

Good on you man and best of luck. I live in an apartment in a big city so I'm a bit screwed if the stuff hits the fan.

milk: cholesterol strokes and death
meat: arterial blockage and heart attacks
bacon: might as well ingest paint chips
----------------

wake me up when the price of broccolli hits 3 dollars a crown


untill then stfu loser

They will continue to raise prices until no one buys the product.

We will be eating Ramen noodles every night. because the only ones that will be able to afford will be the ones on the gov't dole.

It’s a combination of things all coming together at once, from high feed prices to high fuel prices to uncertainty of the federal farm bill that was temporary extended till September 30, 2013 along with mandated biofuels and crop insurance they are still saying milk prices could double before the end of the year.

Chicken was 3.79 a pound already, the old lady’s at the deli are making less now even with the raises they got at the start of the year, they are all panicking and don’t know how they will get by.

It was a very strange atmosphere at the grocery store today, that’s for sure.






This is the fears of the farmers below, can’t blame them either.

Snip; When Congress finally gets around to debating a farm bill, crop insurance and direct payments for commodities will be two key elements at the top of discussion.

But the farm bill is not a high priority for the new congress. Bigger budget issues have priority before Congress will start work on a new farm bill, said K-State Extension Agriculture Economist Troy Dumler.

"The farm bill is in a holding pattern," Dumler said.
When the debate begins, farmers will keep a close eye on the status of crop insurance.

The entire state is in drought conditions with almost 80 percent of the state in extreme drought conditions and a little over a third of the state in exceptional drought conditions.

After two years of drought, the loss of dry land crops and yield reduction in irrigated crops has made the necessity of crop insurance even more important.

Compound that with the ever-increasing equipment and production costs, a solid crop insurance element in the farm bill is essential for farmers.

Another key element in the farm bill is replacing direct payments for commodities that are no longer offered. It will probably be replaced with something similar to crop insurance or a revenue support program.

About 80 percent of the last farm bill was dedicated to nutrition programs and have nothing to do with agriculture.

[link to www.pratttribune.com]


This includes bacon doom! This increase is basicaly set in stone already, 30%+ cost of pork by june.

Snip; Meat and dairy prices make up 52 percent of the FAO Food Price Index and are the primary drivers of the forecast for higher food prices. The Rabobank report projects prices for slaughter cattle will increase by 6 percent and feeder cattle by 8 percent between now and June 30, 2013. The price of pork, demonstrated by lean hog futures, will rise 31 percent during the same period, according to the report.

[link to www.dairyherd.com]


More info; [link to www.agweb.com]


Congresses temporary fix is not making the farmers happy who have to plan a year in advance, it will lead to rather large increases by July in preparation for September. Who knows what will happen but either way you’re looking at a rather large increase in food costs across the board in the next 8 months even if congress does act!

They will continue to raise prices until no one buys the product.

We will be eating Ramen noodles every night. because the only ones that will be able to afford will be the ones on the gov't dole.

HAARP weather weapon can cause drought.