Good idea, but….

Thailand has the right idea, but I think that they are doing it for the wrong reasons. Unfortunately, biofuels will not save the earth or reduce dependence on petroleum. The title of the article is a little misleading in my opinion also, in that it says Thailand is doing this to cope with the food crisis. Growing biofuel crops does not in my opinion help with the growing food shortage. Interesting though.

Grain control

Apparently China is also becoming concerned about the food crisis hitting the world. With it’s rapidlyincreasing wealth and citizenry, they are bound to be concerned over food. Ironically, China is claiming that supplies of grain are not in short supply. Yet, why are they imposing strict controls of exports and importing as much as they can? This does not exactly seem to coincide. At a minimum, it seems contradictory.

About time

Although in reality it is not new news, it is about time that someone recognizes that there is a desperate need for agriculture to change. However, even if agriculture does do a drastic U-turn, and despite it being a lovely and quaint thought, the idea that fuel and food are going to once again drop in price is ridiculous and whomever believes that it will is riding a false wave of hope. Unfettered financial growth does not exist and will not continue. A question begging to be asked is: What is the power shift in the world going to look like in the ensuing months and years? Who knows, but I am willing to guess that it is not those clutching to what power they still have.

Sheep

So our new sheep finally arrived this past weekend. We got two Karakul (AKSR) ewes and one ram. They are beautiful sheep and have become very friendly even in a few days. We hope to use the wool for rugs (supposed reputation for quality rugs) and for meat too. They are well adapted to our climate and are very pleased with them.

Planting

We’ve finally got some crops put in. The usual spring things: lettuce, peas, spinach, beets, peas, beans, fava beans, did I mention peas? We’re having a terrible time trying to get our row covers. They have been back-ordered for two months now. Very frustrating, to say the least. Our warmer weather starts are slow to come up this year. I’m not sure why. Well, ok. This year we switched over to starting seeds with soil blockers. It has not been easy. If we can get it to work, I will be very happy to no longer be using peat pots or plastic ones. I’m sure that having a proper greenhouse would greatly help the situation, but until we can afford such, we’ll limp along.

Most of the peaches have finished flowering and the cherries are getting ready to finish their stint too. If the camera is working, maybe I will get a photo put up. The new sheep will be arriving soon too. I hope to get pics of them as well.

Food Security

Apparently the world is not listening too much, or most flat out do not care. The UN continues its plea for help. Those with a little foresight have known this would happen. It was not a question of “If”, rather it was a question as to “When”. I am just concerned as to how bad it will eventually become. The other concerning point is that this only relates to the extreme hunger and poverty of developing countries. This does not touch on the hungry of those in the West or in countries with moderately better economies.

It is ironic to me. Food prices are dramatically on the rise, yet, farmers around the world are still struggling to make a living (save for the few agribusinesses). This rise in food prices could be viewed as food and commodities finally coming up in price to cover what it actually costs to produce them. However, I do not see this as the case currently. Subsidies still abound, especially here in the West. Until we alleviate our dependence on those and farmers actually start being able to earn a living, I still foresee food prices on the increase and food aid on the decrease.

Oh to help the starving.