U.S. has NO remaining grain reserves.

[TalkingDog]

File this under: Screwed, Blued and Tattooed

http://www.tristateobserver.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=10121

“According to the May 1, 2008 CCC inventory report there are o­nly 24.1 million bushels of wheat in inventory, so after this sale there will be o­nly 2.7 million bushels of wheat left the entire CCC inventory,” warned Matlack. “Our concern is not that we are using the remainder of our strategic grain reserves for humanitarian relief. AAM fully supports the action and all humanitarian food relief. Our concern is that the U.S. has nothing else in our emergency food pantry. There is no cheese, no butter, no dry milk powder, no grains or anything else left in reserve. The o­nly thing left in the entire CCC inventory will be 2.7 million bushels of wheat which is about enough wheat to make ½ of a loaf of bread for each of the 300 million people in America.”

snip:
A Strategic Energy Grain Reserve is as crucial for the nation’s domestic energy needs as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. AAM also supports full funding for the replenishment and expansion of Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust.


The May 1, 2008 CCC Inventory report may be reviewed here: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/wid2a.pdf.

[Extend a Hand]

1. "just in time" delivery

instead of food stocks is going to bite our country in the butt one of these days.

:scared:

[OregonBlue]

2. How is this possible? I'm stunned.

[jaxx]

5. So am I.

What will this do to food prices?

[enough]

17. USA: the next target of Disaster Capitalism.

[Joanne98]

32. Bingo

[Xenotime]

This is horrible. What should we be saving?

[TalkingDog]

10. Non hybrid heirloom seeds.

If you plant a garden make sure you keep the strains pure. That might be what saves us all.

[Xenotime]

15. Great! Thanks

[SpiralHawk]

23. GIGADITTOES

Plant open-pollinated seeds, and then when the crop comes in save them.

Monsanto and the other republicon-directed megacorps have a lock on seeds otherwise, and they will not reproduce true -- you'll only be able to grow mutant crap with them, unless you PAY THE MONSANTO MAN over and over and over.

[bluesmail]

34. Related: I saw on TV a short segment where they do save

Heirloom Seeds, of all kinds. It's kept in a 'tomb' in a cold country, The Netherlands?

[TalkingDog]

36. There are several around the world.

But there are a number of good companies that sell heirloom seeds and plants. SeedSavers springs to mind.

[bluesmail]

38. Thank you, I get my seeds from Seeds Of Change

:hi:

[Muttocracy]

47. Norway I think? nt

[rucky]

50. YEP. Great advice!

:thumbsup:

[Andy823]

3. The government pays

Wheat farmers "NOT TO GROW WHEAT"! Wheat farmers around this are get subsidies to not grow wheat, and have been for many years now. I know farmers that make over $100,000 dollars to not grow wheat crops, and that's stupid when we have a food crisis around the world. We should be taking those subsidies away and putting more food on the market. This is just another way for big corporations who own lots of wheat land to make millions in corporate welfare from the government, while jacking up the price so investors can make millions when the prices go up, just like with oil!

[yellowdogintexas]

14. well, subsidies never stopped my brother in law and other farmers in

Kentucky from growing wheat. Hope they have a great crop

[Andy823]

16. I hope they do to.

Not all farmers are on the program, but I have seen big corporations who bought up wheat land and are now making 100's of thousands a year not growing wheat.

[robinlynne]

26. That sounds exactly like what we are doing in Iraq. spend billions to keep the oil

from flowing so the price can stay high.

[Andy823]

30. Yes it is.

Big corporations are behind most of it. I have no problem with farmers who need help getting it, but big corporations who make millions in subsidies, and who also make millions more because the prices go up because of a lack of wheat on the market, make me sick. It's just another example of big corporations running this country, and trying to run the world. It's the Bush family idea of the "new world order" where the rich get richer and the poor stay poor!

[newfie11]

44. They may have it under CRP. It would cost them big bucks

to get out before their time is up.

[newfie11]

43. hey here in Nebraska any one who can is growing wheat or corn

You would have to be crazy not to at these prices.

[HereSince1628]

4. Winter wheat harvest in our southern plains will begin in days.

Keep yer fingers crossed that we get a good harvest across all our grains in the coming season

[TalkingDog]

8. Nice thought but:

http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19425983.700

snip:
The strain has spread slowly across east Africa, but in January this year spores blew across to Yemen, and north into Sudan (see Map). Scientists who have tracked similar airborne spores in this part of the world say it will now blow into Egypt, Turkey and the Middle East, and on to India, lands where a billion people depend on wheat.



Airborne. Super. Blight.

[HereSince1628]

11. True enough.

And it isn't just one billion who depend on wheat. All of civilization is really built upon surplus production of wheat, rice and maize.

[SpiralHawk]

6. More evidence of republicon mismanagement of EVERYTHING

The republicons are a plague and a pestilence upon America

[Maine-ah]

7. time to start some old victory gardens.

grow what ever you can. Even if you live in an apartment, get some large pots and put them in front of your windows. You can even buy veggies in seed roll for those of us who aren't experienced with gardening, it's a relatively easy thing to use.

[psychmommy]

9. more bull crap

this is to continue to drive up prices. i hate these speculating lying bastards. enough is enough.
i am sorry but i don't believe anything this gov't said. i don't trust the usda that won't ban chicken or any meats from china. that won't regulate vitamins and supplements. barely regulates prescription meds.

[crimson333]

12. most it seems are growing corn now

as that is where the money is

[SpiralHawk]

13. Take action now. Plant. Or join a CSA.

2009 is going to make 2008 look like the good old days.

Here's a resource link:

http://www.chiron-communications.com/farms.html

"Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) offers a way for every human being to be directly involved in the care and healing of the earth, while also ensuring a supply of clean, healthy food for their families and their neighbors."

[crikkett]

18. there hasn't been surplus butter or cheese for years

my mom works at the food bank.

[ensho]

19. this is extremely important news

the neo cons have planned this

[shanti]

42. exactly

n/t

[Frustratedlady]

20. The corn crop is being shoved back due to all the rain.

Farmers have had to replant because the ground remained too wet. Our fields should be filling out by now, but the corn plants are barely coming up. I don't know how the rest of the state is doing.

[Extend a Hand]

24. we're really really soggy

in Ohio too

[Tashca]

29. I think this is the story

I am surprised the press hasn't jumped on this story. The corn crop is looking very bad right now.
Normally here in this area we are at or above knee high corn.....it's barely ankle high right now. And not looking too good.

I am surprised this isn't all over the news...

[newfie11]

45. sugar beets were froze out twice here

Now the fields are to wet to get beans planted.

[LaurenG]

21. Everyone should grow some of their own food, even if it's a pot of tomatoes.

We can survive without wheat and cheese or milk.

Food prices will go through the roof on some foods anyway just because of gas prices.

We'll be OK, farmers are not going to stop growing food.
I would make sure I have peanut butter and canned fruits and veggies. We don't need half as much as we think we do. We'll be OK

[gristy]

22. Your headline isn't supported by the article

Does "CCC inventory" equate to "grain reserves"? Who knows... What is the historical data for this "CCC inventory"? Is 24.1 million a small or a big number? Does a "sale" mean that it gets consumed, or maybe just that its owner has changed?

The article gives no clue. This article is not meant to inform, but rather to incite.

[TalkingDog]

33. Not my headline, theirs. Read the page title, not the story headline. n/t

[Shoelace]

25. Us is major exporter of grains, global demand is way up

go figure, we are selling our grains to other countries because the weak dollar makes for good prices on the global market.
Check this out:

June 4
USGC Programs a Strong Factor in 2008 Exports Forecast
U.S. agricultural exports surpassed expectations in 2007 generating a record $82 billion for U.S. farm families and the economy in general. According to a recently released USDA forecast, the 2007 record will be broken by $26.5 billion in fiscal year 2008. Ken Hobbie, U.S. Grains Council president and CEO, said the increased projections in both 2007 and 2008 are direct indicators of the growing demand for U.S. feed grains co-products around the world. The forecast calls for a record 71 million metric tons of feed grain exports, up from 59 million tons a year ago. This translates into a dollar value of $14.7 billion. Of the final estimates, 63 million tons are U.S. corn, up nine million tons from year ago numbers. The report also stated that the increasing global demand for U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles played a role in the revised forecast.
http://www.grains.org/page.ww?section=Latest+News&name=Latest+News

Also, on the USDA report ending May 29th (Grains inspected for export totals) pate, you can view what, how many bushels, who we export to per week, year to date, etc.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/wa_gr101.txt

Major importers of our wheat are:
Japan
Nigeria
Egypt
Iraq
Colombia
Mexico
Cuba
China, etc.

No small wonder we don't have much left for our people. It's all about globalization, and of course, money.

[Tashca]

27. May 1st

It's normal so sell down stocks just before the harvest. Last year was not a good wheat harvest year.
So I would assume stocks would be low May 1st.
This years crop is projected to be 150% of last years in Kansas and Oklahoma alone. I know acres increased even here in Iowa....which is certainly not wheat country.
I'm glad the extra stocks are being used for humanitarian relief.

The only thing that could skew this is for the weather to continue to cause harvest problems. We are set to have a great wheat harvest this year.....that is why the market price has dropped so significantly in the last few months.

[TexasObserver]

28. Damn you, vegans! DAMN YOU!!

I'm kidding.

[dweller]

31. mission accomplished

Bush/Cheney 04
Eat the Poor


dp

[Hannah Bell]

35. Sorry, your link doesn't work, & the facts are in error.

http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Field_Crops/awstks.asp

There are wheat reserves, rice reserves, etc.

But perhaps saying there aren't will take futures back to $24 per, eh?

[TalkingDog]

39. Really ? The numbers are wrong...that's not what this WORKING link says

http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/wid2a.pdf

Granted, it is from MAY and it is the Bush Administration...but

According to this, the only thing the CCC has in inventory that is NOT "under loan" is 24 million bushels of wheat.


And I don't have money in the commodities market, so I have no vested interest in the information other than as information.

[Hannah Bell]

49. the ccc isn't total reserves. look at my link for stocks, it's BILLIONS

of bushels, not millions.

[lovuian]

37. Just in time to starve us out

Humanitarian food relief is this for Americans and if not why not

Stealing and more stealing on and on and on

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

40. This is,...just,...such silly bullshit,...I do not know how to respond.

I mean,...*shaking head*,...where do I even BEGIN to dispell this complete and utter bullshit?

:shrug:

This country has more available and productive grain-producing LAND than,...a dozen nations combined.

This is the most stupid crap ever imposed as fact,...along with ALL THE CORPORATE CRAP utilized to incite fear and oppress others into its will.

Sick.

[shanti]

41. this sounds like a

train wreck just waiting to happen :scared: almost planned....:tinfoilhat:

[Julius Civitatus]

46. But 66 million Americans voted for American Idol!!!!

Priorities, people. Priorities!!!

:sarcasm:

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.