coming crisis in farming

[izzy_mack]

Maybe scare mongering here but I fear that food production in this country ( which is a pathetic amount of what we need) is likely to fall off this year and at the same time global supplies are struggling. Prices have risen so much that for many farmers it's just not worth the cost of planting and that's assuming that harvesting, storing and delivery costs don't go sky high in the autumn. Fertiliser, seeds, diesel. machinery costs have made it almost impossible to be economic sense. Farmers aren't like grocery stores, they can't just charge more, they have to take what they're offered by market forces. I have a shed full of last years sheep fleeces, it was going to cost my son as much in fuel costs to deliver them as he was getting in payment, so not worth the effort. I had an empty shed so he stored them in hope of better prices but I expect he'll end up burning them like many did last year.

[bobble]

I dont think youre scaremongering Izzy Mack, i think youve hit the nail on the head! If seed and fertilizers etc have increased in price, its obvious that farmers wont be able to make a profit.
I look on the farming forum and a farmer said that the govt bailed out a fertiliser company (CF ?)when the gas price spiked, but this is now ending so fertliser and CO2 for greenhouses will go up in price/ or be unavailable if the company stops producing. So food shortages and/ or increase in prices coming soon!
On another level, China has recently bought up all the global surplus wheat, soy beans and corn and they are going to put it into storage, like the old 'strategic reserves'. Why? What do they know that we don't?
Being prepared for possible future food/fuel / weather disruptions is just common sense in my humble opinion!

[jennyjj01]

On another level, China has recently bought up all the global surplus wheat, soy beans and corn and they are going to put it into storage, like the old 'strategic reserves'. Why? What do they know that we don't?
Being prepared for possible future food/fuel / weather disruptions is just common sense in my humble opinion!

Did we preppers beat them to it Will China's stockpile outlast mine?

A rather Right Wing source for that snippet> https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/chi ... gh-levels/
Many of the recent sources I found were right wing, somewhat extremist.
Not found any unbiased authoritative sources.

Anybody got one?

But seriously..... This sounds serious. Those Chinese don't mess about. Isn't lots of production government subsidised, such as in Mexico and the USA?
So, Western governments shovel money to farmers to grow unneeded food which is sold cheaply to China? Looks like a winner winner chinese chicken dinner.

It seems like the sort of no nonsense economic prepping that China would do if global crisis was on the horizon? They have been buying up staples like this for a few years.

[jansman]

I have a customer who is a potato farmer. He said to me a while ago that the cost of inputs - diesel,fertilisers etc.- are making him think of moving on. He has been approached by a house builder for some of his land…

[Arzosah]

I guess the slow collapse is going to go in fits and starts we might be on a fast bit right now.

[Vitamin c]

I spoke to a local farmer at least a year back , I asked him about all the YouTube videos mainly from USA but a few British ones telling us that government has been stopping funding / grants ect to large numbers of livestock farmers making life hard for them .
He said that's the way it's been here for a while now and his farm just keeps a few show cattle and have turned to growing crops .
Apparently it's all about methane global warming apparently livestock produce loads especially cows.

I believe like it or not meat in the next few years will be a rich man's food and we're only get a look in at Xmas or birthday's.

Hope you all like legumes (no methane their )
I

[diamond lil]

I'm still not eally sure what legumes are, but don't tell me. I don't really want to know. If it means lentils for the rest of my life then just Take Me Now God.

[izzy_mack]

I spoke to a local farmer at least a year back , I asked him about all the YouTube videos mainly from USA but a few British ones telling us that government has been stopping funding / grants ect to large numbers of livestock farmers making life hard for them .
He said that's the way it's been here for a while now and his farm just keeps a few show cattle and have turned to growing crops .
Apparently it's all about methane global warming apparently livestock produce loads especially cows.

I believe like it or not meat in the next few years will be a rich man's food and we're only get a look in at Xmas or birthday's.

Hope you all like legumes (no methane their )
I

There are grants available out there - for planting trees .. But not the kind that produce fruit. I'd be the first to say trees are a good thing, I love woodlands, but not in arable fields surely.

[Arzosah]

I'm still not eally sure what legumes are, but don't tell me. I don't really want to know. If it means lentils for the rest of my life then just Take Me Now God.

Lil! You are *so* bad Please don't tell me you don't even eat baked beans? They're legumes. Peas? Surely you eat frozen peas every now and then? Chickpeas? Hummus?

You just like being bad, don't you

[jansman]

I spoke to a local farmer at least a year back , I asked him about all the YouTube videos mainly from USA but a few British ones telling us that government has been stopping funding / grants ect to large numbers of livestock farmers making life hard for them .
He said that's the way it's been here for a while now and his farm just keeps a few show cattle and have turned to growing crops .
Apparently it's all about methane global warming apparently livestock produce loads especially cows.

I believe like it or not meat in the next few years will be a rich man's food and we're only get a look in at Xmas or birthday's.

Hope you all like legumes (no methane their )
I

I do believe you have a point about meat eating. It’s getting more expensive, and will be for special occasions. I spoke to our salesman at the meat wholesalers today, and prices are off the scale.

We eat a variety of foods here, and legumes are a big part of that. In fact, this year I am growing more in the garden.