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Crop Catastrophe In The Midwest – Latest USDA Crop Progress Report Indicates That A Nightmare Scenario Is Upon Us

May 27, 2019

Crop Catastrophe In The Midwest – Latest USDA Crop Progress Report Indicates That A Nightmare Scenario Is Upon Us

The last 12 months have been the wettest in all of U.S. history, and this has created absolutely horrific conditions for U.S. farmers. Thanks to endless rain and historic flooding that has stretched on for months, many farmers have not been able to plant crops at all, and a lot of the crops that have actually been planted are deeply struggling. What this means is that U.S. agricultural production is going to be way, way down this year. The numbers that I am about to share with you are deeply alarming, and they should serve as a wake up call for all of us. The food that each one of us eats every day is produced by our farmers, and right now our farmers are truly facing a nightmare scenario.

You can view the latest USDA crop progress report right here. According to that report, corn and soybean production is way behind expectations.

Last year, 78 percent of all corn acreage had been planted by now. This year, that number is sitting at just 49 percent.

And the percentage of corn that has emerged from the ground is at a paltry 19 percent compared to 47 percent at this time last year.

We see similar numbers when we look at soybeans.

Last year, 53 percent of all soybean acreage had been planted by now. This year, that number has fallen to 19 percent.

And the percentage of soybeans that have emerged from the ground is just 5 percent compared to 24 percent at this time last year.

In other words, we are going to have a whole lot less corn and soybeans this year.

Farmers in the middle of the country desperately need conditions to dry out for an extended period of time, but so far that has not happened.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Floods And Drought Devastate Crops All Over The Planet – Could A Global Food Crisis Be Coming?

May 23, 2019

Floods And Drought Devastate Crops All Over The Planet – Could A Global Food Crisis Be Coming?

It looks like global food production could be well below expectations in 2019, and that could spell big trouble in the months ahead. In recent weeks, I have written extensively about the problems that we have been experiencing here in the United States. As many as a million calves were lost to the flooding that hit the state of Nebraska in March, farmers have planted less than half of the corn that is normally in the ground by this time of the year, and a lot of the crops that have been planted in the middle of the country are really struggling due to extremely wet soil. But it isn’t just the United States that is facing a very troubling year. Earlier today, one of my readers sent me an article entitled “Global food crisis ahead as extreme weather events devastate crops and fields around the world”which I would encourage everyone to read. In that article, we are told that after the worst drought in 116 years Australia has actually been forced to import wheat. And according to the Guardian, this is the first time in 12 years that this has happened…

Australia is planning to import wheat for the first time in 12 years after drought across the eastern states saw grain production fall 20% last year.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources confirmed this week it had issued a bulk import permit to allow wheat to be brought in from Canada to be processed for the domestic market.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Total Catastrophe For U.S. Corn Production: Only 30% Of U.S. Corn Fields Have Been Planted – 5 Year Average Is 66%

May 16, 2019

Total Catastrophe For U.S. Corn Production: Only 30% Of U.S. Corn Fields Have Been Planted – 5 Year Average Is 66%

2019 is turning out to be a nightmare that never ends for the agriculture industry. Thanks to endless rain and unprecedented flooding, fields all over the middle part of the country are absolutely soaked right now, and this has prevented many farmers from getting their crops in the ground. I knew that this was a problem, but when I heard that only 30 percent of U.S. corn fields had been planted as of Sunday, I had a really hard time believing it. But it turns out that number is 100 percent accurate. And at this point corn farmers are up against a wall because crop insurance final planting dates have either already passed or are coming up very quickly. In addition, for every day after May 15th that corn is not in the ground, farmers lose approximately 2 percent of their yield. Unfortunately, more rain is on the way, and it looks like thousands of corn farmers will not be able to plant corn at all this year. It is no exaggeration to say that what we are facing is a true national catastrophe.

According to the Department of Agriculture, over the past five years an average of 66 percent of all corn fields were already planted by now…

U.S. farmers seeded 30% of the U.S. 2019 corn crop by Sunday, the government said, lagging the five-year average of 66%. The soybean crop was 9% planted, behind the five-year average of 29%.

Soybean farmers have more time to recover, but they are facing a unique problem of their own which we will talk about later in the article.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

How To Put Measures Together to Weatherproof Food and Water in Winter

December 25, 2018

How To Put Measures Together to Weatherproof Food and Water in Winter

Over the course of the past few years and several winters past, I have written articles on the importance of water supplies and food during the winter months when traveling. The bottom line is that most of us are in a vehicle and/or away from home much of the day, whether winter or summer. Winter is a little different, as it poses challenges and perils that are not necessarily addressed as easily as in the warmer months.

In those articles, I stressed the importance of a thermos during the winter to carry (at a bare minimum) hot water. I recommend the water over coffee for several reasons. First, coffee is a diuretic, and this means that an excessive amount will cause you to lose water through urination. If you drink as much coffee as I do, it is not so much an issue there, as your body will compensate with the increased intake. Secondly and more importantly, you can do more with a thermos of hot water than you can with coffee.

Hot water can be used for soup (think “Vitamin R,” as we called it in the Army or Ramen), and if you are the way I am…you can pack either a jar or a Tupperware container with instant coffee. The hot water is invaluable to restore your core temperature if you need to do so. One thermos is good, and two is even better. Be sure to insulate your thermos, at a bare minimum by wrapping a heavy blanket around it. I have two old sweatshirt sleeves, very thick. The wide part goes over the top and to the bottom, folded, and the other sleeve wide part over the bottom, and up to the top. Voila! Just this little measure extends the heating time/life of the thermos by about 4-6 hours. No, really: it works.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

25 Hardcore Healthy Foods You Need in Your Emergency Pantry

December 21, 2018

25 Hardcore Healthy Foods You Need in Your Emergency Pantry

Natural disasters like hurricanes, Nor’easters, and winter storms can cause you to be stuck in your home for days (or even weeks) on end – and stuck eating whatever you currently have stashed in your pantry and freezer.

Normally, enough notice is provided to allow time to run out to purchase items prior to a storm’s arrival. It is tempting to stock up on convenient comfort foods before a disaster, but this isn’t ideal. For example, many freeze-dried foods are notorious for having excessive amounts of sodium – thus causing you to consume more water to make up for it (oops, there goes your stored water supply!). Staying hydrated in winter is especially important – your body needs more water during winter than it does during the warmer months. And, remember – you will need to store enough water for drinking AND for cooking.

Surviving on your favorite junk foods may leave you feeling dehydrated, drained, and stressed, which will make enduring a sustained emergency situation even more difficult.

Building an adequate emergency pantry takes time and planning to make it fully functional. Ideally, you will store nutritious shelf-stable foods that your family normally consumes (and enjoys), as well as foods that serve many purposes.

Learn how to build a well-stocked pantry using a layering system: The Prepper’s Cookbook: 300 Recipes to Turn Your Emergency Food into Nutritious, Delicious, Life-Saving Meals, or The One-Year Pantry, Layer by Layer.

How to build a pantry stocked with nutritious, energizing foods

When selecting foods to add to your emergency pantry, focus on the most nutrient-dense items you can find that are also shelf-stable, with a focus on macronutrients.

Macronutrients are compounds found in all foods that humans consume in the largest quantities, providing the bulk of our calories (energy) from our diets. The three main categories are protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

How to Feed a Family for a Month from Your Stockpile

December 16, 2018

How to Feed a Family for a Month from Your Stockpile

There are all sorts of situations that can have you eating from your stockpile for a month or so. Maybe you have an unexpected expense that means a weekly trip to the store is out of the question. Maybe there’s a problem with the local transportation and deliveries aren’t making it to your area. Maybe your car broke down and there’s nothing within walking distance.

Whatever the reason, eating from your stockpile does not have to be boring and unpleasant. If it’s nonstop beans and rice, you’re doing something wrong.

What to stock up on

First, you should be stocking things you genuinely enjoy – and things that are similar to how you already eat. If you suddenly switch to nothing but buckets of food with ultra-carby, low protein offerings, you are going to be a) bored and b) lethargic.

At the same time, for most of us, the food we stock up on for the longer term will not be exactly the same. We live in a world where most of us can have fresh produce, meat from the butcher shop, and a gallon of milk whenever we want it.

So when you build a stockpile, it’s important to realize that while you can make it similar, it’s not going to be exactly the same.

Our stockpile relies on freeze-dried and canned meats, freeze-dried and canned veggies, grains, and loads of spices and seasonings.

Here’s a guide to eating from your stockpile for a month

I wrote a book called The Stockpile Cafe about eating from your pantry for a month with no fresh ingredients. It’s got menus for 7 dinners per week, along with serving suggestions and a shopping list. There are some ideas for thrifty stockpile breakfasts and lunches, too.

You can buy it here for $6.49: https://sowl.co/fgXTA

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

5 (More) Foods That Last Forever

October 22, 2018

5 (More) Foods That Last Forever

When planning and storing food for emergencies or survival situations, we have long advocated incorporating foods that will last forever (or at least longer than you will). By doing so, this does double duty by boosting your emergency supplies. panties, and your bartering power, as well as ensuring you are purchasing foods as frugally as possible.

In The Prepper’s Cookbook, 25 must-have foods were explored in this best-selling book. These 25 foods are the foundation of your prepper pantry and used to make an array of foods. 11 of those 25 foods were what is considered “forever foods.”

Today, we are going to explore five more foods to add to your forever food pantries, and if stored properly, they will last forever. Best of all, many of them will serve multiple purposes beyond human consumption and this could give you a hand up should the SHTF!

5 (More) Forever Foods for Your Prepper Pantry

1. Distilled White Vinegar

Distilled white vinegar is actually not made by distillation at all, but made by the fermentation of the natural sugars found in either grains or fruit. Those sugars are converted to alcohol and the alcohol is then fermented a second time and it turns into vinegar by the production of acetic acid after the fermentation of ethanol, sugars, or acetic acid bacteria. Vinegar typically contains anywhere between 5 and 20% acetic acid by volume and is currently mainly used as a cooking ingredient, or in pickling. The mainstays of the category include white distilled, cider, wine, and malt have now been joined by balsamic, rice, rice wine, raspberry, pineapple, Chardonnay, flavored and seasoned vinegar and more.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

20 Perishable Foods You Can Freeze For Later

October 1, 2018

20 Perishable Foods You Can Freeze For Later

You can freeze more perishable foods than you think! Check out this list of 20 items!

You likely already keep a supply of basics like vegetables, fruits, meats, poultry, and grains in your freezer.

Some items keep better in the freezer than others, as you’ve probably noticed by now.

However, there some items that can be frozen that might surprise you.

Here’s a list of 20 perishable foods you can freeze.

Nuts (and flours made from nuts): Nuts can go rancid very quickly because of their high oil content. To freeze peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, and almonds (shelled or unshelled) and place in reusable freezer bags. Nuts can also be frozen in glass containers. You can freeze nut butters, too!
Seedless grapes: Wash and dry small clusters and freeze them in bags. Or, remove the grapes from the stems and place them on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) in a single layer, and then freeze until firm. Then, transfer the grapes into airtight containers and put them back in the freezer.
Bananas: When they reach your desired level of ripeness, peel bananas and freeze them in bags or freezer-safe containers.
Fresh berries: Place clean berries on a lined cookie sheet first – this way, they are less likely to stick together. Once the berries are frozen, transfer them to freezer bags.
Fresh vegetables: Chop up onions, peppers, and spinach and freeze them flat in bags. Note: Vegetables with high water content (like lettuce, celery, and cucumbers) do not freeze well.
Fresh herbs: Wash and pat your herbs dry, then chop them into desired portions. Spread the chopped herbs on a cookie sheet. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in your freezer. Once the herbs are frozen, remove them from the sheet and put them in freezer bags. Or, finely chop fresh herbs and place them in an ice cube tray with a lid. Freeze, and use the cubes as needed in soups and other recipes.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Food Prepping: Why You Should Store Wheat And How To Use It

September 24, 2018

Food Prepping: Why You Should Store Wheat And How To Use It

Ready Nutrition - Healthy Food Storage, Wheat and Why You Should Store It

Although wheat is the cornerstone of a prepper’s food storage, many don’t understand why they should have a bunch on hand, or even how to use it if the SHTF. It certainly feels like every single preparedness author out there recommends the storage of hundreds of pounds of wheat, but why? And what can you use it for?

The first reason and maybe the most obvious one as to why many suggest storing wheat is because it has a long shelf life. Hard grains, (which include more than just wheat) such as buckwheat, corn, flax, mullet, Kamut, spelt, and triticale, if stored properly, have an average shelf life of 10 to 12 years, however, this can be increased to 30 years or longer. Not to mention wheat is fairly inexpensive and storage isn’t all that difficult. It’s actually pretty easy to add to your food storage, as many have discovered. To ensure the proper long-term storage of grains, use the following:

But is there more to it than the storage longevity, a relatively low cost, and ease of storing? The simple answer is yes.

Who wants to be hungry, especially in a time of difficulty? Extra activity and stress can cause an increase in a person’s appetite. But whole wheat bread or other whole wheat foods can more quickly fill those ravenous and hungry stomachs. High-fiber foods such as whole grains help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories. Many of the freeze-dried gourmet meals out there are light in calories and meal plans often provide for only two entrees a day, leaving those who require more food on edge with a slight hunger.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

How to store meat long-term when living off-grid

March 30, 2018

How to store meat long-term when living off-grid

(Natural News) Preppers know that there are several methods that can be used to prepare meat for long-term storage. However, canning is one of the simplest ways to store meat when SHTF because it ensures that the food has a long shelf life.

Canning meat when you’re off-grid is similar to when you’re canning meat the modern way. If you have access to solar power, canning meat will be as easy as doing it in a modern kitchen. (h/t to BioPrepper.com)

Pressure canning is the recommended method of canning meat and low-acid vegetables to prevent a fatal kind of food poisoning called botulism. Botulism affects the central nervous system and causes facial and/or body paralysis. It is caused by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.

Canning meat off-grid and without a stove

To can meat off-grid, you will need some glass jars, lids, and rings. Consider getting some reusable lids, such as the Tattler brand, because even if they’re pricier, they’re worth every penny.

Take note that reusable lids have several differences compared to standard single-use lids. Reusable lids must be unscrewed a quarter of a turn in order so the hot air can escape while the contents are processing. Once the jars of food are processed, remove them from the canner. Tighten the rings again so the rubber seals properly as the food cools.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

11 Emergency Food Items That Can Last a Lifetime

March 13, 2018

11 Emergency Food Items That Can Last a Lifetime

Did you know that with proper storage techniques, you can have a lifetime supply of certain foods? Certain foods can stand the test of time, and continue being a lifeline to the families that stored it. Knowing which foods last indefinitely and how to store them are you keys to success.

The best way to store food for the long term is by using a multi-barrier system. This system protects the food from natural elements such as moisture and sunlight, as well as from insect infestations.

Typically, those who store bulk foods look for inexpensive items that have multi-purposes and will last long term. Listed below are 11 food items that are not only multi-purpose preps, but they can last a lifetime!

1. Honey

Honey never really goes bad. In a tomb in Egypt 3,000 years ago, honey was found and was still edible. If there are temperature fluctuations and sunlight, then the consistency and color can change. Many honey harvesters say that when honey crystallizes, then it can be re-heated and used just like fresh honey. Because of honey’s low water content, microorganisms do not like the environment.

Uses: curing, baking, medicinal, wine (mead)

2. Salt

Although salt is prone to absorbing moisture, it’s shelf life is indefinite. This indispensable mineral will be a valuable commodity in a long term disaster and will be a essential bartering item.

Uses: curing, preservative, cooking, cleaning, medicinal, tanning hides

3. Sugar

Life would be so boring without sugar. Much like salt, sugar is also prone to absorbing moisture, but this problem can be eradicated by adding some rice granules into the storage container.

Uses: sweetener for beverages, breads, cakes, preservative, curing, gardening, insecticide (equal parts of sugar and baking powder will kill cockroaches).

4. Wheat

Wheat is a major part of the diet for over 1/3 of the world. This popular staple supplies 20% of daily calories to a majority of the world population. Besides being a high carbohydrate food, wheat contains valuable protein, minerals, and vitamins. Wheat protein, when balanced by other foods that supply certain amino acids such as lysine, is an efficient source of protein.

Uses: baking, making alcohol, livestock feed, leavening agent

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Inventory your stored food

March 9, 2018

Inventory your stored food

One of the chores you can do in the winter season is to inventory your stored food. Whether it’s dehydrated, canned or frozen, it all has an expiration date.

I always start my inventory with frozen things, since they have the shortest shelf life. I don’t have a lot of this sort of storage, since I like to keep the amount of frozen things below what I can can immediately if there is an extended power outage – for whatever reason. You’ve been labeling everything so you know how old it is, right?

Individual portions of chopped bell peppers from 2017’s garden, and ground beef, labeled for the freezer.

Clean out the entire freezer and change the box of baking soda that pulls odors from the freezer. Set the items you need to use up right away into the refrigerator, and plan your next few meals around them. IMPORTANT. When in doubt about freezer burn, cook the ingredients separately and see how it tastes before adding it to any other ingredients. That way, if it tastes “off ” you only throw away that one item.

Next are the home-canned goods. I keep mine in the dining room, under a side table. It’s cooler near the floor and that means they keep longer in my hot climate than in the pantry.

The clipboard at the start of this post is several pages long, and when I use something up, I note it on the clipboard. When I do my inventory, I put anything that needs to be used up soon on the kitchen counter and use those until they’re gone. NOTE: If you still have a lot of something, then don’t plant as much the next year. If you ran out, plant and can more of it. IMPORTANT: bulged and leaking home-canned goods can kill you.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

7 Questions to Help You Figure Out Where to Store All That Food

February 15, 2018

7 Questions to Help You Figure Out Where to Store All That Food

About twelve years ago, my family decided to start storing food in case one of those dreaded “what ifs” happened in our lives.

You know those “what ifs.”

“What if we lose a source of income?” “What if someone is injured and can no longer work?” “What if we are sued and don’t have enough money to cover the lawsuit?” “What if prices go up so much that we can’t afford to feed our family as well as we do now?”

Yeah. Even if your “what ifs” aren’t the same as mine, I’d be willing to bet you have your own.

So those “what ifs” drove us to start amassing food. But one of the first things that went through my mind was, “We don’t have a basement! Where are we going to store food?”

Has that thought ever crossed your mind? If you’re in a bit of a panic because you don’t know where you’re going to store your stash, I’m going to provide you with seven questions that will help you uncover not-before-thought-of-spots.

I want you to take a walk through your house one room at a time. Looking at each room with new eyes, ask yourself these seven questions.

#1) Do I have anything that I can get rid of to create more room for food storage?

Well, the first and most obvious place to store food is in your kitchen. Go through your cabinets. Do you have approximately a gazillion plastic lids, but they don’t match any of your containers? Get rid of the lids and reclaim that area for food storage. Has your one gadget drawer procreated so now you have three billowing gadget drawers? Purge the items you’ve never used and are never likely to use in an emergency. Then use that space for food storage.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

After the harvest – protecting food from rats, mold, insects, fire, and bacteria

January 29, 2017

After the harvest – protecting food from rats, mold, insects, fire, and bacteria

[ Current post-harvest storage is totally out of scale with what future generations will need. Now we have mainly gargantuan grain elevators, some so huge they can store enough grain for most of the U.S. for weeks at a time. These silos are highly energy-intensive and far apart, requiring legions of trucks both hauling grain long distances for storage and again for distribution burning massive amounts of finite diesel fuel. In the future there need to be thousands of much smaller, widely distributed storage silos that don’t require fossil fuels. For example, before oil, grain elevators could be found about 7 miles apart, the distance a horse could travel in one day hauling a heavy load of grain.

Without a massive redistribution of people back to the land, even that won’t be enough, since 80% of the food will be stored where just 20% of the population lives — 80% of Americans live within 200 miles of the coasts.

At some point of energy decline, there won’t be enough oil to distribute crops by rail, truck, or barge, and 80% of communities are completely dependent on trucks, with no rail or water ports.. Yet as climate change kicks in and successful harvests grow rarer and produce less food, even more storage will be needed at a much smaller scale across the nation. It would help future generations if we built new storage silos now.

Alice Friedemann www.energyskeptic.com author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, 2015, Springer and “Crunch! Whole Grain Artisan Chips and Crackers”. Podcasts: Practical Prepping, KunstlerCast 253, KunstlerCast278, Peak Prosperity , XX2 report ]

**Peter Golob, et. al. 2002. Crop Post-Harvest: Science and Technology. Volume 1 Principles and Practice. Volume 2 Durables. Volume 3 Perishables. Blackwell Science.**

Introduction

This is a book review of Golob’s book.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

How Do You Handle Emergency Food Storage?

April 10, 2016

How Do You Handle Emergency Food Storage?

As I write this, we are in the middle of Winter Storm Jonas. There is 13″ of snow in the yard and the closest paved road is five miles away. I haven’t been off the property in five days and did not make a trip to the store to stock up for this storm. Doom and gloom time? Not really. The power was out for about 12 hours this morning. We had coffee, bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast courtesy of the propane camp stove. If necessary, we could wait here happily for the next week or two eating a variety of foods with or without electricity. I always wonder how it would be if we ever had to put our preps to actual use. So far I’m pretty pleased with how we have handled the little mini-crises we have had.

What is the best way to handle emergency food storage? The answer is different based on your situation. Your budget, your family size, your storage area, your special dietary needs, and your location all affect how you handle emergency food storage. But there are some common ideas that everyone can use.

The first rule is that anything is better than nothing. If you don’t have any food in the house, you are completely unprepared for emergencies. While some people may not believe there are people with no food in the house, consider college students (especially in dorms with meal plans for the cafeteria) and singles living in large cities. Everyone needs to have at least a three-day supply of food for something as simple as a hurricane or blizzard. Even a case of the flu could keep you stranded at your house for a few days.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

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Peter Golob, et. al. 2002. Crop Post-Harvest: Science and Technology. Volume 1 Principles and Practice. Volume 2 Durables. Volume 3 Perishables. Blackwell Science.

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**Peter Golob, et. al. 2002. Crop Post-Harvest: Science and Technology. Volume 1 Principles and Practice. Volume 2 Durables. Volume 3 Perishables. Blackwell Science.**