The New York Times recently had an excellent article on the Midwest floods and how they are playing havoc with America's breadbasket at a time when the world food crisis is getting increasingly worse.These were the stunning statements of one Iowa farmer:
“In the lean years, we had beautiful crops but they weren’t worth much,” Mr. Timmerman said, surveying his farm, which his family has tended since his great-great-grandfather. “Now, with commodity prices sky high, mother nature is throwing us all these curve balls. I’m 42 years old and these are by far the poorest crops I’ve ever seen.”
These devastating floods seem to be coming at the worst possible time. Food riots have been exploding in some of the poorest countries of the world, and commodity prices have been flying through the roof. One billion people in the world go to bed hungry every night right now.
Even in the United States, the Midwestern floods have hit food prices really hard.
What in the world is going to happen if these types of floods continue and things get worse?
One additional thought to ponder: As you read this, the strategic reserve of the United States has only enough wheat to give everyone in American a half a loaf of bread. What do you think will happen someday if the stores start running out of food?
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