2006 Wheat and Corn Crops in Jeopardy…Higher Prices at Checkout

[phantom power]

(Embarassing that we have to read about this important development from freaking Ireland)

Lack of rain and unusual warm weather are now taking a toll on the nation’s wheat and corn production. The bread basket of the nation is undergoing an extreme drought and unseasonable warm weather. It is also reported that the drought is affecting the cattle industry as cattlemen are selling off stocks due to the loss of pasturing for their herds. Bottom line, the prices for food is perched ready for substantial increases, in particular milk, bread and other grain related products.

The drought is not predicted to end anytime soon. NOAA is at a loss to make a prediction of which way the weather will go over the next 12 months, but its tentative short-term prediction is for intensification of the drought.

http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/art...

Original post here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x360644

[Angry Girl]

1. Well, if anybody understand famine in the West, it's the Irish

Americans will not be far behind, alas.

[Marijuanifornia]

2. Hemp Is More Drought Resistant And More Profitable Than Wheat And Corn

6% of US soil dedicated to growing hemp as a biomass fuel will completely end America's dependence on fossil fuels. 6% of continental US soil would be about the size of Delaware.

America legalized "Marihuana" to support our troops during World War 2.

http://www.globalhemp.com/Archives/Government_Research/USDA/hemp_for_victory.shtml

http://www.jackherer.com/popmech.html

http://www.forarnoldssake.com

[Massacure]

6. We eat grain such as corn and what. We don't eat hemp.

To say fuel is more important than food is just plain stupid.

[bananas]

7. Speak for yourself

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp
In Canada, hemp seed food products are common and range from carbonated beverages to frozen waffles. Many companies produce value added hemp seed items that include the oils of the seed, whole hemp grain (which is sterilized as per international law), hulled hemp seed (the whole seed without the mineral rich outer shell), hemp flour, hemp cake (a by-product of pressing the seed for oil) and hemp protein powder.

[skids]

8. Ah, sounds like they're doing it up right.

Down here the only hemp food product on shelves other than oil that had been barely filtered after pressing was some hemp cheese-like product -- and you have to go to the real "rabbit-food" store to even find those shelves. Even Bread and Circus pulls it off the shelves now and then for fear of being controversial.

Very good stuff nutritionally. The oil is like fish oil, except without the mercury contamination and the seed has some very interesting protein characteristics -- very bioavailable.

[Dead_Parrot]

9. Can you make bread out of it?

serious question, I'm curious... :)

[skids]

12. Not sure about a leavened bread.

It's a protein seed, not much for carbs. I'm sure you could mix it in. Not sure whether the best of the protein would make it through a baking cycle. Both the oil and protein are like that -- best nutritional value is when they haven't been heated too much. Of course if you have it in abundance that factor doesn't matter.

[NickB79]

14. What's the yield per acre?

How many bushels of hemp seed can you produce per acre vs. bushels of corn, wheat or soybeans? I have serious reservations about whether hemp could produce nearly enough seed to equal corn, wheat or soybeans in yield.

Besides, the seeds are the most energy-dense part of the plant for biofuel production, being high in oils. Remove those for fuel and food values are reduced. Use the seeds for biomass and your ethanol yields are reduced.

[NNadir]

13. You'd have to be high to think...

...um, never mind.

:shrug:

[NickB79]

15. Hasn't the "6% growing hemp" figure been debunked here a couple times?

I seem to recall that it was found that that figure was wildly optimistic....

[HereSince1628]

3. Seems to me that map overlays pretty well with the native grasslands

Just saying, nature has a story to tell. If we can read it, things cab make a bit of sense.

[skids]

4. Now that's some bad news indeed. K&R

What's sadder is that the major impact of this news will only be because it's another reminder, like hurricanes, that Global Warming can reach that which most Americans care most about (their wallet) in many, many ways. "Screw polar bears and Eskimos, Wonder Bread costs too much."

[NNadir]

5. I see your hometown in the "likely" category.

Here is the map from the drought monitor.



http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

I often check this site, which is updated monthly. I became familiar with it during our own terrible drought some years ago. I thought we would lose every tree in New Jersey.

We're having a very wet spring here, although spring in February is unusual.

[phantom power]

10. 115 days w/out rain and counting...

At this point, I think we won't get rain until July monsoon. If so, we'll about double the previous record. And there's still little or no snowpack in the high country. It's going to be a bad fire year. They were saying the moisture content of the trees already looks like July. In February.

[NNadir]

11. My map shows the worst place being right in the heart of Texas.

I know there are many good Texans, but there is a certain justice here.