Unbelievable - Terrible timing to not be able to export grains/oilseeds:

U.S. barge backlog swells on parched Mississippi River

Commercial barge traffic on southern stretches of the Mississippi River was at a standstill on Tuesday as low water levels halted shipments of grain, fertilizer and other commodities on the critical waterway, shipping sources said.

The supply chain snarl comes just as harvesting of corn and soybeans, the largest U.S. cash crops, is ramping up and as tight global supplies and strong demand for food and fuel have sent inflation soaring.

Around 100 tow boats hauling some 1,600 barges were lined up for miles waiting to pass through one trouble spot near Lake Providence, Louisiana, that has been largely closed since late last week, shipping sources said.

At least two other sections of the lower Mississippi have also been closed at times, disrupting the flow of grain to U.S. Gulf Coast export terminals, where some 60% of U.S. corn, soybean and wheat exports exit the country, they said.

Shippers have been loading less cargo per barge so vessels sit higher on the water, and towing companies have reduced the number of barges per tow by nearly 40% as the low water conditions narrowed the navigable channel.

#us #water #SupplyChain

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-barge-backlog-swells-parched-mississippi-river-2022-10-04/

Like it or not, gene-edited crops are coming to the EU

Political hacks are using the food crisis to push GMO foods, as was scripted years ago.

Also - file this with other abusive headline language pushing the agenda: "Lab-grown meat is coming whether or not you like it (wired Feb 2018)"

https://www.politico.eu/article/gene-edited-crop-eu-climate-change-drought-agriculture/

Force majeure declarations have begun due to barges stopped in Mississippi River due to low water levels

This affects not just the grains harvest, but fertilizer applications.

A logjam of ships, tugboats and barges due to low water levels on the Mississippi River is threatening to grind trade of grains, fertilizer and other goods to a halt, Bloomberg reports. Ingram Barge Company, the largest U.S. barge operator, declared force majeure in a letter to customers due to “near-historic” low water conditions on the Mississippi River. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Coast Guard said there was a queue of 122 vessels at Stack Island and 15 vessels at Memphis. Due to increased groundings, the number of vessels in tow is being restricted.

#fertilizer

https://www.agweb.com/markets/pro-farmer-analysis/low-water-levels-mississippi-river-threatens-shipments

Ukraine stops exporting electricity to EU tomorrow. This is another blow to the #EnergyCrisis that is already affecting food production (and will be under-reported amidst the fireworks)

Hey. What did you do TODAY to make yourself more RESILIENT for TOMORROW?

Have you been DOOMSCROLLING — or are you ACTIVELY investing in a de-centralized future: seed saving (food production), networking (community), energy systems (minimally solar+inverter+hot plate to cook!)

Lots to do - use these moments wisely!

See the IAF groups for solutions-focused chats about these topics and more

- Christian

Growing stuff every day

Moved 3 cords of firewood under cover.

Just Stop. It's just not going to be appetizing.

Portland ice cream shop pushes "insect ice cream": "it's the past, present and future of food!"

https://saltandstraw.com/blogs/news/eating-insects-is-the-past-present-and-future

Lab-grown milk to hit shelves by 2024 – minus the cow and the carbon

Welcome to the WEF's "post animal economy":

"A new animal-free milk promising to be more sustainable than dairy but with near-identical taste and nutritional content could hit supermarket shelves in the next two years, adding to the growing roster of milk alternatives available to Australian consumers."

#WarOnDairy #PostAnimalEconomy

https://www.smh.com.au/business/entrepreneurship/lab-grown-milk-to-hit-shelves-by-2024-minus-the-cow-and-the-carbon-20220905-p5bfji.html

I have a lot of researching to finish about overwintering my peppers. Yesterday I also used cardboard and mulch over my raised beds, and succession sowing lettuce (we can grow lettuce and greens quite late into the winter season where I am). Appreciate all of you in this group!!!!!

We are building a BootStrap Farmer 20’x40’ greenhouse to grow year round

Wheat jumps over 4% on Black Sea supply concerns, corn firm

Chicago wheat rose over 4% on Monday on concerns a flare-up in the Russia-Ukraine conflict could create new threats to grain shipments from the Black Sea region

Corn rose on expectations of smaller crops in the U.S. and Europe.

#wheat #FoodPrices

https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/grains-wheat-jumps-over-4-on-black-sea-supply-concerns-corn-firm

More food infrastructure burning - Canadian bridge causes grains transport issues:

“An entire economy is relying on these little ribbons of steel through Canada'

A bridge burned down on the Canadian National Railway Co. line, about 95 kilometres to the south, severing the only rail link in or out of Grande Prairie and causing backlogs for the grain shippers who depend on that track to get their product to port.

CN said the severed line only moves a fraction of the total grain coming off fields in Western Canada. But for grain farmers and exporters, the bridge fire was another example of the fragility of the national supply lines that connect one of the world’s most important bread baskets with seaports and global markets.

https://vancouversun.com/transportation/rail/a-burning-alberta-bridge-stalls-grain-shipments-showing-the-fragility-of-canadas-supply-chains/wcm/4f197a6e-08d0-4ada-b8ac-e5387a87e3c6

"Not all food will be available in the future."

Swedish 'food expert' describes the "Food Transformation" we are living through using the same language as the WEF / EAT/Lancet / UN:

"The most central thing in human life, food, is undergoing a huge transformation right now and thinking about what will be on our plates and how it got there is exciting to say the least.

..."Alternative proteins such as insects, lab-grown meat and new technologies such as producing proteins from carbon dioxide and water will be a complement on our plates in 18 years but not be the main source of protein. "

#WarOnMeat #WarOnFarms

https://www-di-se.translate.goog/nyheter/ica-varnar-all-mat-finns-inte-i-framtiden/?_x_tr_sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

"Protein from CO2" is not just technocratic rhetoric babble. It is highly funded:

We've created the world's first air chicken and air scallops. Turning elements in the air into sustainable protein that eliminates compromise between taste, nutrition, and climate threat.
We're on track to craft our protein flour into delicious and nutritious chicken, beef, pork, and seafood made from air that are better for the planet and your plate.

https://www.airprotein.com/

Top notch interview with Gabe Brown on regenerative methods to cultivate awesome soil which can't help but grow amazing amounts of food for your family!

——

Gabe Brown on Regenerative Solutions to Modern Problems – Ice Age Farmer Podcast

Gabe Brown of Browns Ranch — a pioneer of the soil-health movement and regenerative practices — joins Christian to discuss regenerative practices and soil health as the bottom line solutions to the myriad problems we face. We discuss the Covid19 pandemic and what we can learn from it, how healthy living soil helped Brown’s Ranch weather the difficult, cold and wet 2019 season in North Dakota — and can do the same for you! Producers from homesteaders/gardeners to larger farmer ranchers can start improving their operations immediately without huge capital investment. Gabe also describes how they have actually been getting a boost in sales due to their direct-to-market approach. And of course we describe the 6 rules for building amazing soil and growing lots of food!

#soil #solutions

https://www.iceagefarmer.com/gabe

The media is now blaming an outbreak of varroa mites for food prices in Australia.

( by the way there are natural solutions for varroa - see @iaf_bees for beekeeper chat ! )

__
AUS: Varroa mite to impact grocery prices

Over 12,000 honeybee hives have been destroyed since the mite was detected at the Port of Newcastle in June.

The first 100 days of the outbreak have already cost the economy over $63 million.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/varroa-mite-to-impact-grocery-prices/video/bf6fc68f7d6e1e4a552c4297f84ab9f1

The BASF keystone: as goes the gas, so goes BASF, so goes Germany, so goes Europe . . .

"Everything is connected at the German chemical firm BASF’s Ludwigshafen site, a 10 sq km industrial complex so large that byproducts from making ammonia, for example, are funnelled through a 1,771-mile pipe network to produce fertiliser, disinfectant, diesel exhaust fluid, or CO2 for fizzy drinks.

The plant is a giant integrated process — and it cannot run without a supply of natural gas.

“Once we can receive < 50% of our maximum requirements, we would need to wind down the entire site,” says a spokesperson.

The consequences of a BASF shutdown would be far-reaching, not just in Germany but the entire continent.

BASF-produced chemicals are used to make anything from toothpaste to vitamins, [and animal feed]. It's a top manufacturer of painkillers, and its largest customer industry is the automobile industry [— and AdBlue, which is required to run diesel engines, and keep trucking running ... ].

(source)