another cause and effect

[elessa]

here is another example of more money about to come out of your wallet.

in an article in the new york times, food chain - as the price of corn rises, catfish farms dry up

"i don't eat catfish", you might say. ah, but you do eat beef or chicken in all likelihood. the same impact is going to be felt on that industry.

i found the line "government mandates for corn to produce ethanol..." to be interesting. so, our government is telling farmers not to grow food? i realise this country is starved for fuel for its oversized land yachts aka SUVs and other guzzlers. however, in light of the flooding in the midwest there is going to be a significant shortfall in the amount of corn which can be grown this year. within the next six months expect there the be less meat products available in your grocery store. expect the price of processed food items to also rise due to a lack of corn to be made into high fructose corn syrup. you know, the additive to nearly everything in a box, can or bag on the shelf at the grocers. read the labels on a bag of corn chips, frozen dinner, or can of beans you'll see what i mean.

with the shortage of corn there is going to be further unemployment as is reported in the article affecting the catfish industry. everything is ultimately related.

Comments

[muzadi.livejournal.com]

This is one of the great ironies. In our attempt to be more energy independent and grow ethanol, we are actually contributing to an even greater strain on an agricultural system that is far more brittle than most people realize.

Our modern system of agricultural is wedded at the hip to petroleum in the form of fertilizers necessary because of denuded topsoil, pesticides and transportation costs. Add that to dwindling petroleum sources, and from a long-term sociodynamic point of view...well, we are so screwed it isn't even morbidly funny.