In addition to civil unrest and rising crime, we’re now facing threats to our food supply in the form of drought, fire, and foreign ownership of our farmlands and food processing facilities. Whether it’s meat or vegetables, potatoes or pasta, food is a huge issue. Food tensions have been the cause of many wars throughout history.
In this article, I’ll overview the economic impacts of drought and fire on our food supply. I’ll also discuss who’s really in control of our food supply. Hint: it’s NOT us!
The U.S. is losing farms by the thousands yearly
Drought affects our ability to water our crops, whether in the garden or the farm field.
“If there is no water, there is no work. And for us farm workers, how are we going to support the family?” said 57-year-old Pablo Barrera, who was planting watermelons for Del Bosque. [source]
According to Farm Progress, the U.S. lost 4,400 farms in 2020 alone. Average family farm size has remained more or less stable, while Big Agriculture farms, such as CAFOs, have grown noticeably. BigAg tends to be hard on both animals and the environment. However, the U.S. has lost dairy farms at a shocking rate.
US Drought Meter (USDM), a weekly map shows both the geographic areas affected and drought intensity. As of July 27, the data shows nearly 1/3 of the United States is in the Extreme and Exceptional Drought categories, including all West Coast farm countries.
Drought is causing some farmers to walk away
“There is no universally accepted quantitative definition of drought. Droughts are instead usually described qualitatively as a deficit of water relative to normal conditions as referenced by water supply-demand and management.” [source]
California, a state deep in extreme drought conditions, is the largest dairy-producing state in the Union. California is also the nation’s top producer of vegetables, berries, and nuts. According to a piece published by Reuters, in anticipation of even further lack of water, farmers all across the state have left their fields unplanted. Others chose to plant drought-tolerant crops or turn to other forms of income.
Livestock is greatly affected by drought as well
Animals, like people, need water every single day.
Farmers in Utah are currently dealing with 75% less water than they had last year. Many Utah farmers were forced to plant fewer crops including hay, a staple in livestock feeding. Many farmers will have to sell or slaughter their livestock because they can’t feed or water them. Which dramatically affects future meat prices.
In North Dakota, many pastures are empty as drought left ranchers with no other choice than to sell their herds off to be slaughtered. Cliff Mattson sold more cows in 2 weeks than he had in 6 years. When asked about the other ranchers in the area, Mattson had this to say:
“There have been 300-400 head outfits that have completely sold out. That’s all they did all their lives. It was so disheartening, they didn’t even come to the sale.
“It wasn’t just one time, they started with their older cows, then went to their replacement heifers, then went to middle aged cows, and then last week, we saw young cows come to town. It was so hard to talk to them. There is nothing that will make it any better. I don’t know what they are going to do.”
Foreign ownership of farmland is a substantial cause of economic concerns
Another issue relates to foreign ownership: several of our largest food processing plants, such as Smithfield and JBS, are Chinese-owned. This 2019 article, courtesy of NPR, gives some good statistics on just how much of our farmland is in foreign hands.
In 2013 a Chinese firm purchased Smithfield Foods: “As part of that 2013 sale, a Chinese company now owns 146,000 acres of prime U.S. farmland.” [source]
Nationwide, the numbers hint at growing global interest in U.S. farmland as an investment opportunity. By the end of 2019, foreign entities held an interest in nearly 35.2 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, representing 2.7 percent of all privately held farmland, according to USDA. That’s about a 60 percent increase from 2009 when foreign entities held an interest in only 22.2 million acres or 1.7 percent of privately held farmland. [source]
Foreign entities are not the only ones buying up U.S. farmland. Non-farmer domestic entrepreneurs and investors also want a piece of the agricultural pie, which will also drive up the cost of agricultural production.
“Institutional investors—pension funds, university endowments, private foundations, and other organizations that manage huge pools of capital—are increasingly incorporating farmland into their investment portfolios,” wrote University of California, Santa Cruz sociologist Madeleine Fairbairn, in her new book Field of Gold: Financing the Global Land Rush. [source]
The damaging effects of wildfires are far-reaching
In addition to the evident problem of the burning down of both fields and structures, fires also affect bee populations. Wisconsin has an air quality advisory in place as of this writing due to Canadian wildfires. The air in my garden was thick as I worked, and I saw a few pollinators but not nearly as many as usual. Fire can not only burn the hive. It interferes with the polarized light most pollinators use to navigate. In the short term, fire is a problem for pollinators, along with everyone else.
According to Oregon State Extension, fire is the biggest issue for commercial apiaries. These apiaries typically house honey bees and ground-nesting species such as Mason bees, carpenter bees, and leaf cutters, an estimated 30% of species. Here in Wisconsin, bumblebees also nest in the ground.
Bee populations typically recover in the years following a significant fire since the first plants in the natural succession are shrubs, forbs, and other flowering species. Also, bees aren’t the only pollinators. Butterflies, moths, birds, and even wasps pollinate plants. Commercial agriculture often uses honey bees, but they’re far from the lone worker in the garden and field. This article from the Wiley archive also concludes that overall, the effect of fire on pollinator populations is positive.
Here’s a 2016 article from the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology for the true science geeks among us. It discusses fire ecology as it relates to pollinator populations via a conceptual model.
Secure your food supply now
It might be a wise idea for each of us the do what we can to secure our food supply. By becoming a nation of self-reliant producers, as we once were, we might create a brighter future for ourselves and our children. Becoming a producer is easier than you might think. You don’t have to suddenly grow all your own vegetables and raise meat chickens on the patio of your townhouse to do it. However, growing some of your own food is and learning to build a better pantry are a good start.
Here are a few gardening resources to help you no matter where you live:
- Growing Vegetables is Back in Style: Here’s How to Start Planning Your Garden
- How to Water Your Garden (Even if There’s a Drought)
- Creating a More Self-Sufficient Garden for the Long-Term
- How to Have a Garden When You Can’t Have a Garden
- How to Grow a Survival Garden and What to Do If It Dies
Are you concerned that we could be heading into a famine? How are you preparing? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Let them purchase what they want. All we have to do is go to their place of business and take out the Chinese owners and hang them to the nearest lamp post as was Benito Mussolini when the Italians had had enough of his siding with the Third Reich and Hitler.
Remember that old saying my friends, that “Possession” is nine tenths of the law. Owning a business in another country is not possession. Remember also, the Chinese have no way of bringing enough soldiers to our shores to win a battle, so they’ll be forced to look in their bag of tricks for other alternatives to try and take us down. Remember also we have a gun behind every blade of grass !!!
I wouldn’t be so sure about that! Legal possession matters and will be upheld by the courts, and all the Chinese need is to be able to defend their properties. They’ve also purchased quite a bit of residential property over here. And how about the amount of food that’s shipped over there for processing? I’m betting that it never comes back here. They have a huge population to feed as well.
I for one prefer to nip this in the bud before we have to fight our way out of it. Several states, thankfully, are putting laws into place to restrict foreign ownership of agricultural lands. Hopefully we won’t be dealing with a sudden legislative loss of our 2A rights on top of it! All it takes is a stroke of a pen, and the last several Presidents have been very willing to do so. The rules are what the people in power say the rules are. We’ve spent several election cycles putting criminals and lunatics into power.
Secure your food supply now and hope the military doesn’t use the NDAA to swipe it right out of your pantry!
They don’t need soldiers with directed energy weapons.
Oh I wouldn’t be so sure about that friend. There are already plenty of those vile pukes just waiting to attack in Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela and various other parts of South and Central AmeriKA. Surprise, surprise. We are NOT nearly as “safe” as many mistakenly think. . .
And on the article, “they” are absolutely in the works to outright Starve us out my friends – no question. It is painfully obvious what they intend to do to us and this country. AmeriKA is the modern version of the Titanic unfortunately. Get ready folks, as the time is very, very close.
Seems to be somewhat manufactured by the overlords. In California there is water, but it is being let out to the sea. Some farmers are being told they will get no water for their farms. It is not their choice not to water. We saw this several years ago when our friend, a mandarin orange farmer, had his water cut off. Little by little Calif is cutting them off. And the forest management! Not allowing the brush to be cleared is insane. Looks like small farmers are being driven out to make way for “big farma.” This country allowing our farms and food processing to be bought out by foreigners – is also insane. And our politicians are getting rich at our expense,
Are the big corps like Nestle being allowed to access the water? I know they love to bottle it and sell it back to the peasants.
We started vegetable gardening last year. This year was much better in terms of producing, and we plan to expand the garden next year and to also add some fruit trees. We’re also planning to get chickens or ducks (haven’t decided which) so we’ll have eggs and meat.
Also I have noticed there are certain items that have been missing from my favorite grocery store lately; not sure if it’s a real issue or just bad management of inventory. But I can see that there may be an increasing need for self-sustaining in various ways if products we use on a regular basis are no longer available.
Good for you! Are you planning/allowed to have any kind of water catchment system?
I was thinking the same thing. Where I live, our temps have been 119 degrees in July. 83 people so far have died in this state and that’s just unacceptable. 83 people. Some of those people are homeless but with the way things have been going down in Portland, OR, there is going to be a lot more homeless and a lot more death’s from the terrible heat.
Need a huge cistern that can collect as much rain water as possible to water a garden and fruit trees. AND I so hope collecting rain water isn’t illegal. Water should NEVER be illegal to obtain in nature.
Xena, don’t spend so much time on ‘planning’ that time runs out.
Xena,
I raise both chickens and ducks. Ducks are higher maintenance when kept in pens but they are a lot of fun!! They also require a lot more water than chickens to stay healthy. Ducks don’t dust bathe, they need to splash it up.
You’re not alone in seeing missing items, shortages and less options in the markets as well as other retailers.
We get a lot of things, food as well as non-edibles from overseas, and the supply chain has been hit hard.
Buy it if you see it, learn how to cook from scratch, learn more about nutrition and alternatives and substitutions for various food items, including foraging.
You’re already growing some food and that’s a huge step in the right direction.
We also need to stock up and find substitutions for other things that will be in short supply going forward. Research, learn, experiment.
It’s not just farmland and it’s not just about farming. They’ve bought a ton of land in Oklahoma and are using it for marijuana grows. They are also buying building and businesses in small towns. Nothing is being done about it and most of the sales are in cash.
Control the good control the people. Control the dope and the food yup you’ve got it
Oh yeah! 13% of residential property in this country is also owned by foreigners, and not just the Chinese. I saw a news story somewhere years ago that the DoJ paid rent to Japanese landlords, not sure if that’s still true. But yeah, keep a knife to the belly and that person will keep their hands at their sides. Rest assured those who have sold us out won’t be missing a meal!
Our little garden did great this year. Something to pick most every day. We have put up quarts and quarts of green beans (Old Timers here call them “snaps”), tomatoes and sauce, okra, and squash. Our chickens, however, seem to either be on strike or are laying places other than the coop. (We get eggs our of a flower pot daily). We have a field of potatoes that will be harvested soon. Still, its not enough to be called sustainable. Only an adjunct to what we buy elsewhere. I read once that it takes 5 acres cultivated and producing to provide full sustainability for EACH PERSON for a year. Seems like a lot, doesn’t it? It would be a full-time job during planting and harvesting, and preserving the produce. How many can do that? Not many. But each of us can do a little, and we should. A pot of tomatoes out on the balcony or deck is better than nothing, and its a learning experience as well.
-Whydah,
Yeah, our chickens and ducks do the same.
Then we find where they have been laying and it is not just one or two but a dozen or more.
Have to do the water test to check to see which ones are still good. The rest go to the hogs.
I have heard/read differing advice when it comes to how much land is needed for sustaining a single person.
Then, does that include vertical gardening? Containers? Livestock of any kind?
I’ve read 4000 foot planted to high calorie crops per person. I’d think it doesn’t matter if you’re growing vertically or horizontally, it’s still counted. The reason for growing vertically is limited horizontal space, such as my small urban lot. And remember, some crops have more nutritional value than others. 4000 ft of squash and potatoes will serve much better than 4000 ft of lettuce and celery.
Of course, if we have no water, we have no crop. Many municipalities control the water big time.
Jayne, you say that municipalities control the water and that is true. Elsewhere you also ask someone if they are allowed to have a water catchment system. I think we are past the point where we should pay attention to what we are ‘allowed’ to do, because it’s pretty clear those in charge don’t want us to be self-sufficient. So: set up some rain barrels in an unobtrusive place and plant some bushes in front of them. If you’re not allowed to have chickens – and they are difficult to hide because they’re so noisy – get rabbits instead. No eggs, but beautiful and plentiful meat, and easy to conceal. Burdened with an HOA that won’t let you grow vegetables in your yard? Google ‘guerilla gardening’. There are plenty of food plants you can hide right there among your ornamentals. We need to stop obeying and fearing the people that try to control us and take individual steps now to secure our food supply. I think it’s beyond urgent.
Go for it! Unfortunately, my municipality will not only fine an offender into oblivion, they’ll actually come in with a backhoe and bulldoze the yard. This actually happened to someone I know. Local government can be far worse than the Feds.
Dead on. It’s going to be a lot of work. None of this dreaming the “beard oil tatted I served crowd therefore I’ll just stand around and pull security” thinks it’ll be.
Try a half acre by hand only and lemme know how much time you had much less 50.
Not to mention cutting wood and hauling water etc etc
I even have my doubts as I age because I know how much it takes
Famine? I dunno.
If this trend of drought, fires, water levels continue to fall in reservoirs, higher prices at the grocery store are a real possibility, more so than we are seeing now.
I also think mass migration might become a reality. Fabulous Las Vegas is fabulous as long as the water is flowing. They are expecting the levels of Lake Mead to drop that may trigger federal reduced water usage in AZ and NV for the first time in history.
A number of hydro-electric dams are in danger of going off line if their water levels continue to decline.
Food inflation is already impacting American’s in the pocketbook. I think it only prudent to grow as much as you can to mitigate inflation.
Fair enough; I’m seeing rising prices here as well, and by that I mean noticeably higher every time I go to the store. Not being able to afford food still means the same thing as famine: going hungry.
“Famine? I dunno.”
at this point it’s not likely. over time that may change.
“only prudent to grow as much as you can”
in the soviet union most people had a potato patch out back to supplement soviet agricultural (non)productivity. since the ones who ran the soviet union are taking charge here in the united states it’s only prudent to learn from people who have lived under them before.
Occasionally we have a bad year in the garden. This year isn’t horrible but it isn’t great either. I lost all my cucumbers to a virus. The carrots never came up. The corn is stunted but that was from an error on our part. My green beans are great and the tomatoes are heavy with green ones so at least there will be something to put up.
Mine too. Some stuff is going better than others. I’m supplementing with my CSA and the farmer’s markets but what happens if those go away? Ugh.
“Occasionally we have a bad year in the garden”
crop failures are typical. england in the 1600’s was described as prosperous for having famines “only three years in ten” – these were people who had thousands of years of subsistence farming experience and adaptation and tooling. in grid down in the united states it will be considerably worse as huge fields of pesticide-dependent croplands that are no longer sprayed become breeding grounds for disease and pests.
The drought and high UV has caused problems for me. We had high heat all month. However, the freeze that hit followed by golf ball size hail killed my garden even before the high heat. Even my grapes are less the 1/5th of what it usually is. Sadly lots of the grapes were killed by the hail otherwise it would of been a bumper crop this year.
We just brought two garden towers. We have not got them up and running. I have to get some new seeds & herbs for patio growing and try it out. I only need food for my husband and I, with any extra going to the poultry. If this works out I will probably invest in at least two more. I will also be growing more in the greenhouse which needs to be enlarged.
I am investing in larger rain water entrapment tanks. We don’t get a lot of rain out here, but I don’t want it to go to waste when it does. I also have a composting toilet for upstairs. When I can afford it I will buy one for downstairs in order to reduce water needs. My plants need the water more than I need a regular toilet.
I don’t foresee the weather getting any better over time, which means I need to think outside the box.
Sounds like you’re making the best plans you can make for your situation! Good for you. Doing the best each of us can do is more likely to end well than doing nothing. Good luck!
Well I agree wholeheartedly with you…I don’t foresee the weather getting any better over time either simply b/c the good book known as the HOLY BIBLE plainly warned us (B/C GOD LOVES US back then and now), and it tells that in the end days (now) there will be wars, and rumors of wars, EARTHQUAKES, DROUGH, FAMINE and more happening….It has started and NO it will NOT improve… Many will die, (will not survive what is to come)…Not just a shortage of water, but food, medicine, and every other basis that you and I need is slowly disappearing. We must at this time us our knowledge, and common sense. Hope we have enough wisdom too and a good gut to guide us would also be beneficial… PRAYER helps if one prays at all to GOD. Some say I pray to a higher power, well GOD is higher and the sustainer of ALL human souls (being, people)…
Anyway, prepare and keep doing it…YOU can NEVER have enough (if you want to survive), of course for those who don’t care about it and are not interested in continuing to live, can ignore all of this and die…It is therefore our own choice…
Be safe, be secure and GOD BLESS… And don’t believe all of what you hear. Use common sense, much of it is lies and propaganda…
“the end days (now)”
why now? nothing special is happening now. if the united states were to collapse and .9 of the population were to die off and the survivors were be reduced to subsistence farming, this would not be particularly unusual in human history.
successful agriculture occurs where the water is. if you don’t get much water out there then you might want to BE outside that box.
This viewpoint runs counter to both the article AND the advice of the good folks here, but it bears iterating…
I hate gardening. Haha! There it is….
I’ll wager a lot of other folks out there do too. One of the reasons? I hate eating vegetables and most fruit. Finger food to me… And, couple that with a grand dislike of outdoor summer heat, and i ain’t the ideal candidate for the pursuit.
So… What does a cretin like me DO to prepare oneself and family for upcoming shortages and/ or potential famines?
1st? Hope and pray the duration of such an event doesn’t protract more than a couple of years.
2nd? Buy a SH*TLOAD of storable foods! Of all kinds. Canned meats, pastas and rice, coffee, and everything in between that can take a few years of storage or longer…. Even some of that grossly expensive 25 year survival food….. even canned vegetables, which i buy by the caseload when i can. Not to eat, as referenced above, but to barter and sell when the time comes.
I have a huge gasoline generator to run 5 emergency window AC units and the friges and freezers, and a LOT of stored gasoline, which i rotate out and treat every year for long term storage. We usually do the change-out in December… When the family is spending money on the holidays, it’s FREE GAS for the entire Christmas month or longer for the whole family! Yeah…. They LOVE that! Lol
I have 2 solar generators that can cycle friges and freezers indefinitely if and when the gas runs out.
And yes… The freezers are loaded with hundreds of pounds of meat, mostly chicken and pork, a few hams, and 6 large turkeys we eat and replace every 2nd week in November. I buy chicken in bulk, in 40 pound boxes from a meat supplier here. We keep a replacement, still in-box extra freezer in the basement in case one goes on the fritz during a bad period. Remember back in the covid rush of spring 2020? Freezers were one of the first things to disappear. And it took MONTHS for any availability to return.
For water? I have 2 community grade water filters that between them, can kick out around 145 gallons of water per day. Went big on those in case neighbors and friends needed potable water as well. We have a creek and a lake at the bottom of the property to get water. The only drag? Will be running 5 gallon pails of water up the hill for the water purifiers… Lol The smokers will be excused from this duty… Haha! ????
Granted? It is not a perfect plan. By ANY stretch. Like any plan, holes can be found if they are sought.
But in spite of the very valid and logical advice of those that know better in the survival world, i cannot see investing a lot of dedicated time and money becoming a vegetable grower, for food i cannot stand. I’m certain there are others out there that dread a future of okra, zuchini and beets on a plate for 3 daily squares.
Again… This plan is designed for 2 years of self sufficiency. Hopefully by then, civilization and commerce would have been re-established.
Sorry for writing a book here… Lol
Hey at least you have a plan! And it sounds like you may be able to barter for fresh veggies. That’s more than many can say. Good luck!
-AK Johnny 1
First, thank you for the laugh! Cretin eh? HA!
I agree with Jayne, at least ya got a plan!
And dont worry about hauling the 5gal buckets from the creek. First week is a sunovagun, but after that, you get stronger, and it is no longer as much as a chore. I usually have to stop 2 or 3 times and then I take the time to look around, note tracks, or how things are growing, the sounds of various wildlife, like squirrels.
Yeah, I used to hate veggies, but now, I like things I never thought I would. Then again, how is it you were cooking/making them? Or mix them in with other things, white beets roasted and then mashed in with potatoes is fantastic! Same goes for roasted rutabagas and mashed potatoes.
Never rule out the power of reductions, or sauces.
A lot of French cooking is nothing more than old peasant foods, updated.
Dip your toe into the the world of veggies (namely root veggies) a little at a time.
“What does a cretin like me DO to prepare oneself and family for upcoming shortages and/ or potential famines?”
have or do something to trade for food. you’ll need to be at the center of something many other people want or need.
Additional possible contributors to a famine with not only nationwide but also global effects might include the deliberate plans of the Davos globalist crowd that in mid-July ran a simulation of a cyber attack on the power grids of MANY countries. They called it Cyber Polygon. This is the same WEF “Great Reset” cabal of thugs who ran a simulation in the fall of 2019 of a huge pandemic that was predictably followed by the real thing that was let loose in the Spring of 2020. So this crowd of thugs have already demonstrated that they are a far more serious threat than what mere “talk, but no do” noise makers might present.
We have already seen the immense disruptions that short term power outages result in. The Colonial Pipeline outage from a cyber attack was just one example. We’ve seen in Texas when the feds refused permission to Texas to access their shut down coal resources to keep part of the Texas power grid up and running. Now imagine what a cyber attack caused nationwide power outage of unknown length might do that takes down all three US power grids. That would quickly shut down food and fuels distribution, communications (including the internet), all financial transactions that depending on internet access, storage of foods requiring refrigeration, etc, etc.
Before Rural Electrification for farms in the 1930s, most agriculture and gardening was technologically simular to the centuries old non-electric and non-petroleum based methods of animal power, et al that the Amish communities still stick with today. It was probably a technology leap for them when they finally accepted the use of non-electric fridges powered by either propane or natural gas. For an education about that lifestyle, see this supply catalog from Ohio at https://www.lehmans.com/
Just to pick some years where the numbers are easier to remember, about 1880 some 80% of the US population still lived on farms. By 1930 while the giant Federal Reserve-caused credit bubble’s Great Depression was in full tragedy, the farm population was down to about 30%. (See which I picked those years?). Today the population still living on farms has dwindled to somewhere in the 1-2% region, with DIY food production and preservation skills have been out-sourced from the vast majority.
Here’s the monster question: for those who survive the likely coming power grid shutdown of as yet unknown duration, and who remember the inability to do any kind of financial transaction that depended on a working power grid, do you suppose those extremely bitter memories will deepen their disgust for the globalist thugs who want total control of everybody’s lives via their cashless economy plan that depends 100% on a working power grid?
–Lewis
Additional possible contributors to a famine with not only nationwide but also global effects might include the deliberate plans of the Davos globalist crowd that in mid-July ran a simulation of a cyber attack on the power grids of MANY countries. They called it Cyber Polygon. This is the same WEF “Great Reset” cabal of thugs who ran a simulation in the fall of 2019 of a huge pandemic that was predictably followed by the real thing that was let loose in the Spring of 2020. So this crowd of thugs have already demonstrated that they are a far more serious threat than what mere “talk, but no do” noise makers might present.
We have already seen the immense disruptions that short term power outages result in. The Colonial Pipeline outage from a cyber attack was just one example. We’ve seen in Texas when the feds refused permission to Texas to access their shut down coal resources to keep part of the Texas power grid up and running. Now imagine what a cyber attack caused nationwide power outage of unknown length might do that takes down all three US power grids. That would quickly shut down food and fuels distribution, communications (including the internet), all financial transactions that depending on internet access, storage of foods requiring refrigeration, etc, etc.
Before Rural Electrification for farms in the 1930s, most agriculture and gardening was technologically simular to the centuries old non-electric and non-petroleum based methods of animal power, et al that the Amish communities still stick with today. It was probably a technology leap for them when they finally accepted the use of non-electric fridges powered by either propane or natural gas. For an education about that lifestyle, see this supply catalog from Ohio at https://www.lehmans.com/
Just to pick some years where the numbers are easier to remember, about 1880 some 80% of the US population still lived on farms. By 1930 while the giant Federal Reserve-caused credit bubble’s Great Depression was in full tragedy, the farm population was down to about 30%. (See which I picked those years?). Today the population still living on farms has dwindled to somewhere in the 1-2% region, with DIY food production and preservation skills have been out-sourced from the vast majority.
Here’s the monster question; for those who survive the likely coming power grid shutdown of as yet unknown duration, and who remember the inability to do any kind of financial transaction that depended on a working power grid, do you suppose those extremely bitter memories will deepen their disgust for the globalist thugs who want total control of everybody’s lives via their cashless digital-money-only economy plan that depends 100% on a working power grid?
–Lewis
-Lewis,
First, as usual, good post.
In regards to your monster question, 1) was that actually a grammatically correct sentence as I think it was and that is impressive. 2) I think, yes, there would be extremely bitter memories. All the various bailouts for the banks (e.g. TARPA), and the unwashed masses get squat (some may argue the current COVID stimulus is good, but I think with the inflation it has generated, the disparity between those still on unemployment while there are millions of job openings is a major drag on the economy). I know I would be one of those who say show me real value exchange medium and not ether/vapor money that with out electricity it never existed (i.e. IF $10 million dollars exist on a computer sitting on my desktop box, and the power goes out for the next 30 years, did that $10 million dollars ever exist?).
A box of 50count .22LR, a dozen eggs, a chicken has more worth in that economy. I would not rule out someone would try to argue with me, insisting he has $10 million dollars on that box and he would pay me $1,000 dollars for a dozen eggs, just as soon as the power comes back on . . .
“do you suppose those extremely bitter memories will deepen their disgust for the globalist thugs who want total control of everybody’s lives via their cashless digital-money-only economy plan that depends 100% on a working power grid?”
no. they’ll go for whatever feeds them. and celebrate it.
Started vegie patch 7 years ago. Have increased size every year. Here in AZ fall/winter is better than spring as it’s off season for the bugs. We also have a pantry with enough canned, dried food, water and dry goods to last a year. Can’t raise animals – small town ordinances – probably too hot in the summer anyway. It may not be enough. I’m thinking they will impose famine/food control for years to come until HE returns.
“Can’t raise animals”
try peanuts.
Why doesn’t California build desalination plants
too expensive. both the desalination plants, and the pumps/piping/power required to get useful amounts of water anywhere.
Really Great article,Thanks..appreciate the information
You’re welcome! And please remember to thank my editor. She made a lot more sense than I did LOL
Mike Adams (Natural News & Brighteon) said that a billionaire Chinese businessman bought thousands of acres in Texas near the southern border. He said it is supposed to be a windmill farm but that they are building a runway big enough for transport planes. ???
Aden Tate wrote about that on this site. Take a look I’m sure you’ll find it.
Yes ex Chinese military bought land near Del Rio, Tx and our military base.
I found it interesting that no one mentioned the amount of water used to grow grass in the desert. How much water is wasted ensuring golf courses stay green – even when golf is dying off. Even in areas with sufficient water (my area qualifies), prime land became new golf courses back in the 90s. Not to mention low end subdivisions filled with cheaply built houses.
In the area where I grew up (not far from me), local farmers bought up farm land. Some times before the farmer died but wanted to retire. Latest challenge is factory hog farm that not only will consume water but likely pollute wells, wetlands, and rivers. My comment was why don’t those wanting the factory put it in their own county?
Yes some areas are hard core when it comes to gardens, clotheslines, and water containment so do your research before buying.
-Selena,
The amount of water used for golf courses? Dumb rich people like to chase after a itty-bitty ball, wear bad pants and pay a lot of money to do so. Hence they can afford to pay for the water.
Low end subdivisions cheaply built houses? Not sure if you have been paying attention to the housing market, but cheaply built frame and stick housing is NOT limited to low end subdivisions. Unless you are paying for a custom built home, or invest on a factory built SIPs construction, there are lots of middle class and upper middle class homes that are cheaply built frame and stick. Why? It is the cheapest type of construction, and with low labor costs (i.e. illegal aliens, I have see it first hand).
Why dont those wanting the factory put in their own county? Easy, NIMBY. All well and good that they can buy bacon for $5.39 a pound as long as the smelly factory is in a far, far away poor rural area. Just read an article about a bunch of liberal, rich, yahoos who are opposing a solar farm in Livermore CA as, “It disturbs the environment.” And it would be in sight of their homes. Duck-duck-go the site Save North Livermore Valley.
“My comment was why don’t those wanting the factory put it in their own county?”
would you?
I have been trying to grow some fruit and vegetables in my tiny, cramped, dark inner city yard, but it has not yet been very successful. I keep trying though! In the meantime, although I live in the grottiest, most dangerous part of a manufacturing/rust belt border city, it is a smaller city, only about 300,000. We are surrounded by large commercial farms interspersed with smaller family farms and many end-of-the-drive produce stands. Most pretty small, most having only a few items at a given time – right now, it is almost all tomatoes and cucumbers (can’t even find zuchinni anywhere!!), later on it will be mostly beans, later still, mostly apples. I took to driving out in the county every week or two throughout the pandemic – partly because it seemed safer than grocery stores, partly to support small farmers who are barely scraping by. Now I am taking time to chat with the farmer manning the stands, learn a bit about them and what they do, commiserate with them about the weather and the number of people who steal veggies, etc. The point is, I’m getting to know them and they’re getting to know me. It things reach a point where they have far less to sell than customers demanding produce, I reckon they will choose to sell first to the people they know and have come to trust. Meanwhile, I will hopefully learn what will grow in the challenging conditions of my inner city property. I am also glad I started prepping seriously about 5 years ago, when fewer people were seeing a need and good deals could be found.
Good for you for taking action! yeah the inner city is hard. Have you considered starting a neighborhood initiative, as they’ve done in Detroit? I suggest searching. You might come up with some interesting ideas.
-Jennifer Harvey,
“The point is, I’m getting to know them and they’re getting to know me. It things reach a point where they have far less to sell than customers demanding produce, I reckon they will choose to sell first to the people they know and have come to trust.”
Great observation!
could you do anything with a group on a church property?
My Mother lived through the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Her advice was , ” Our Garden, Fruit Trees and Chickens helped our family stay alive then”.
We got’m all and then some.
In Castro’s Cuba people started Back Yard gardens but the Government shut them down because, “They might grow more than they need, sell the excess and become Capitalists”!
I’m not worried for a number of reasons.
1) I have a very secure job. I took it at a lower pay rate because of that security. If things don’t go sideways I can always find a job that pays better.
2) I have about 2 years of long term storage food. I also have three freezers full of mostly meat.
3) My bug out location has a river running through it. It has a full butcher shop. We have a large smoker that will hold at least 300 pounds of meat so we can hard smoke any meat in our freezers. Plus some smaller smokers.
While I’m not worried I am concerned, if it all goes sideways it is still going to suck no matter what. But I’ve done as much as I can, and continue to do more, but no plan is perfect and there is always the chance of things going wrong that you cannot control or do anything about but adapt as best you can.
In the end, I don’t lose any sleep over it or worry about it, it will be what it will be.
“My bug out location”
you sure it won’t become someone else’s bugout location?
Yes. Unlike you I know it will still be there and I’ll be very welcome.
Foreign ownership of farmland and food processing plants should be illegal.
If there was ever something that is a threat to national security, this is it.
.
When you add the coming maunder minimum, we need all of the food sources we can get.
Thanks for sharing, Jayne. You confirmed a lot I already knew but not quite to the extent you shared.
I do agree with you on doing a better pantry and all we can to source our own food whether it’s a garden, raising our own chickens or whatever one can do.
Another effect of the wildfires and droughts is the possibility of another dust bowl occurring. We need to keep this in the back of our minds and be prepared to deal with that in the future
Read up on the dust storms experienced during the thirties…they affected weather conditions all the way to the East coast.
My grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles all were adults through the Great depression. All survived by family helping family. Gardening and preserving food were essentials.
Dad was in Ohio helping his Dad with construction and carpentry repairs to support a group of 5 adults. Mom was in Florida with her Mom, a sister, and a nephew. Mom worked in a little Mom and Pop grocery store. Grandma took care of her grandson, gardened, and took care of the home. Moms sister worked odd jobs and helped their Mom with canning ect. Mom’s boss shared some of the broken or dented items. It was a struggle but working together they made it. Food and a roof over head were the main focus.
In a SHTF future- food, water, and shelter would still be the main focus. What critters you raise, how you obtain water, and food sources are the how you put it together.
Except for growing children, and perhaps pregnant women clothing won’t be a focus for a while but eventually everyone will have needs that will have to be met.
By 1930 many folks no longer made soap. Many had no source of sweeteners. Tobacco and alcohol were popular trade or cash items. The homeless created camps for safety but still too many in an area made foraging and job hunting hard. Kids were often bare footed. Shoes, if they had them, were saved for church or school. I’m a boomer but I still ran barefooted to play. Flour sacks were printed in pretty patterns knowing they would become clothing. Soap and other things often included dishes or bath towels. Things folks might not go buy otherwise. Things that added value to purchases.
My grandmother made an annual trip into the Appalachian mountains to buy dishes from a co-op that had been started to help the poorest of the poor. Neighbors would send money with her and several church families all had matching hand painted dishes. They collected them over several years. The co-op was a good example of folks working together to support their families through the depression and war years.
Anyone with a good source of clay might decide to learn pottery making techniques and how to make a large wood fired kiln. Native tribes here still process clay as has been done for hundreds of years. Wood is scarce so dung was the heat source. Paints are clays, or plant juices cooked down till thick and black. The cook pots made from clay weren’t smooth pretty painted pots. They were incised in a pattern. It heated faster. With a tiny fire and limited wood, fast was better.
Every group found ways to help each other and found more practical ideas to do things.
Today someone might make a forge and become a knife maker. Someone may mend or remake clothing. Find needs and ways to meet those needs. Figure out ways to feed the critters you raise as a food source. Buying fourty or fifty pound bags of feed won’t be practical. So do you grow it? Let the critters forage? How will you meet their needs? In many places a thing called a chicken tractor might work. Here on high mountain desert there isn’t a green patch to keep moving about on. Part of my chickens roam free living richly on seeds. Problem is, they are vulnerable to preditors and neighbors dogs. Eggs are laid in hidden nests. So if you’re after eggs that isn’t the answer. Day old chicks from a hidden out broody hen are very vulnerable to every animal around. I have to catch them as soon as I spot the chicks. They must be penned up and fed along with Mama hen. She can raise them easier than you can.
The learning curve for many will be steep and painful. Your bugout location better be your part or full time home already. Expecting to show up to a life you aren’t prepared for is asking for trouble. Thinking you have three freezers of meat at home when you plan to live somewhere else is laughable. You need that meat where you plan to live. And if you aren’t there when SHTF someone else may decide its pretty attractive before you can get there.
I live rural by choice and have most of my adult life. I’ve owned this home place since 1981. I moved to the neighborhood in 1977. I did leave for a while to make a living after being widowed. But I’m back and working again on improvements. I didn’t have animals before. Now I have chickens, ducks, and rabbits. I butcher as desired, and plan for ways to continue caring for my critters as I get older. Now I definitely want them close to my home. My basic 4 rabbits could be enlarged on but not too many to carry water to daily. Same with chickens and ducks. About half of the year I have to carry water out to them several times a day. Half of the year i can use larger containers and sometimes a hose.
I grow both sprouts and micro greens all winter. I may start growing fodder through the winter. My home is tiny but a few shelves by a window can provide fresh food for us.
My parents had learned the lessons of the depression and then war time rationing. We kept hard tack and ziewbach in the home. Shelves Dad built held hundreds of jars of fruit and vegetables. They raised a garden. Mom and I would walk the neighborhood and a tree covered lot foraging for greens to cook for our supper when Dad was working. Dad studied botany the year I was four. He started teaching me what he was learning about plant families and identifying them. It’s not something I learned very well but I can recognize things in the brassica family pretty well. There are many wild edibles in that family. Some plants like Yarrow are unique. Lambsquarters was probably the first wild edible i learned. Here our wild amaranth then lambsquarters and purslane were what I taught my children starting out. Thats the order they come up in.
All year I cut and dry from a patch of volunteer alfalfa. My critters all enjoy the leaves i store in 25 gallon containers. I make tea for me from those leaves also.
Think worse case scenario and plan to that degree. Live as independent my as you can now. It will help you if life takes you to a bad situation. I know from experience you can end up in some hard times. It was a combination of knowledge, staying calm, and practicing looking at needs and inventing ways to meet those needs, that got me through. It was food I’d put away for a long time that got us through when I had covid and spent over a year recovering.
Thank you Clergylady for taking us along memory land of how difficult the Great Depression was. Some interesting tidbits and a sad reminder that families split up to just to stay alive.
I’m going to skip around here a bit. First, I had to battle squash bugs almost daily this year. If it weren’t for Seven Dust I likely wouldn’t have gotten the first summer squash. I don’t use chemicals like that ever unless pushed into a corner with no other alternative. Just an example of how dependent we are on products we don’t produce for ourselves should we find ourselves on our own.
Much of the farmland producing commercial crops that end up in the grocery store are dependent on the commercial fertilizers, mostly from petroleum, to get production going. The soil has been so depleted of it natural minerals and nutrients that it no longer will produce a crop without those added chemicals that make it happen.
Many say that the weather we are seeing is historic. Severe weather has always occurred, but doesn’t it appear to be occurring globally all at the same time? And, is it not having a negative effect on food production around the world? Doesn’t that cause your “Spidy senses” to tingle a bit? Weather manipulation is a real thing, and countries have been engaged in perfecting it for a long time. Ever hear of HAARP? Remember that Henry Kissinger said, “Control the oil, control countries. Control the food, control the people”.
Then there is the issue of depopulation. The Globalists apparently really want to accomplish depopulation and eliminate billions of people. Why? Just read some of what they have said. Deagan.com, an internet site supposedly tapped into “inside” information claimed back two years ago that by the year 2025 there will only be 100 million remaining in the US. How is that possible? How would it be accomplished? COVID? The “vaccinations”? The Georgia Guide Stones says much the same if you are familiar with those. They call for a total global population of 500M in a post-modern world.
Finally, if it all crumbles here in the US, don’t think those who survive will be left alone for long to just trying to eck out some kind of existence. Nature hates a vacuum and something or someone will come along to fill the void should a real collapse occur. China, for one, would love to colonize North America. That’s a thought I don’t like having.