Food - lockdowns are going to affect farmers if the lockdown continues

[The Heretic]

USDA to try 'out of the box' solution to get food from farmers to food banks

USDA will spend $19 billion on a relief program for farmers struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, including a new approach to get food to food banks.

abcnews.go.com

 

[The Heretic]

Because of all of the importing and exporting, it is tough to tell how our food supply will fare. If borders are closed, no food in , but no food out. Can the US survive on what we grow and will we have to get used to not having fresh fruits and vegetables grown outside of the US during the winter months?

The PNW, especially Orygun, is more or less self-sufficient, except for petroleum. We have net exports of food, electrical energy and water. But there are things we don't grow enough of here anymore because it is cheaper and easier to grow it elsewhere. Also, we have a definite winter here - not so much in the southern US and Mexico and S. America where a lot of our fruit comes from.

We grow beans, potatoes, grains, other veggies and meat and eggs and dairy - but ALL of that depends on petroleum to fuel the field machines and the trucks to transport it (we are not at the point where electric trucks are on the market to replace the ones running diesel, and I have not seen any work being done on electric tractors or combines, etc. - although I haven't been paying attention to that, just trucks because that is what my employer made). We have more electric cars and buses, but not enough to get everybody to work yet - we have a long ways to go. We have plenty of electricity - so much that we export a lot of it to the south - but a lot of our transport infrastructure still depends on petroleum; trains, trucks, airplanes, ships.

So we are not self-sufficient yet.

The good thing about this CV emergency is that it has woken up some people to how fragile our whole existence is, how dependent we are on national and international supply lines, how easily people panic over things they don't necessarily need to panic over, or when. I don't want people to panic, I want them to prepare. The more prepared people are, the less likely they are to panic, the less panic there is, the smoother things will go if there is another emergency.

People used to be more self-sufficient. I lived thru the Columbus Day storm. Trees were down everywhere. Electricity was out everywhere. Roads were blocked. Cars were crushed. Houses demolished. People hurt and killed. There wasn't panic that I recall (I was only 8 years old), we just waited out the storm, then when it had passed thru, we all got together and worked to return to normal.

I don't see that happening with the way people live today - they have gotten too used to an easier life and too dependent on government and modern conveniences.

 

[CoastRange57]

There's two lines of though here. I tilled my garden every year. Seeds do better in a loose soil. I've never really understood the "No Till" method. Tilling incorporates fertilizer, air and organic mater INTO the soil. I had access to copious quantities of yard waste in the form of grass clippings and leaves. Every late summer/ fall heaps of that debris would be spread around the spaces where crops had finished. All through the mowing season grass clipping would be use to heavily mulch summer crops to help regulate moisture and keep weeds down. Along with time spent with a loop hoe disturbing new weed growth. When spring came an it was time to till all the debris that was on top had mostly been consumed by the bacteria in the soil over winter.

No till /low is big in dry land crop farming. This is in the corn belt and grains grown on the prairies. These are drying areas with no supplemental irrigation. Crop residue is left on the ground to add nutrients and prevent erosion. I have been watching a lot of YouTube on big farming methods and the equipment manufacturers are really making progress in low till technology.

This is also translating into larger more powerful machines and equipment so they have economy of scale in production. The American farmer feeds the world.

There are a few constants, soil is everything. The right profiles and structure are critical as to ow the plants perform. Grass clippings are about 75% or more water. Do not need to be removed from a lawn. You remove 50% of any applied fertilizers in the first 6 weeks if you collect clippings.

Engineered soils are the thing for planters, and pots. They are expensive and built for small applications. The big thing now is combining food / kitchen waste with brown debris ( ground up brush clippings along with some green wastes as well, and adding some soil. Thing is the food waste decomposes so fast and then leaves you with basically the brown waste and what ever soil you added to it. Those then become heavy mixes unless some light materials are added and you end up with poor drainage in the containers or beds.

I like adding some native soils to any engineered mixes for the micro nutrients that help a lot of vegetable crops out a lot. The types of materials that are referred to as " organic matter" make up about 5% of a soil profile. They usually decompose quickly leaving you with what ever soil structures you have from the soils you used.

This tractor is a beast. 720 cubic inches putting out 670 hp with a fuel burn around 400 gallons a day. Probably in the 400K range. I will take 3.

 

[Mikej]

No till /low is big in dry land crop farming. This is in the corn belt and grains grown on the prairies. These are drying areas with no supplemental irrigation. Crop residue is left on the ground to add nutrients and prevent erosion. I have been watching a lot of YouTube on big farming methods and the equipment manufacturers are really making progress in low till technology.

This is also translating into larger more powerful machines and equipment so they have economy of scale in production. The American farmer feeds the world.

There are a few constants, soil is everything. The right profiles and structure are critical as to ow the plants perform. Grass clippings are about 75% or more water. Do not need to be removed from a lawn. You remove 50% of any applied fertilizers in the first 6 weeks if you collect clippings.

Engineered soils are the thing for planters, and pots. They are expensive and built for small applications. The big thing now is combining food / kitchen waste with brown debris ( ground up brush clippings along with some green wastes as well, and adding some soil. Thing is the food waste decomposes so fast and then leaves you with basically the brown waste and what ever soil you added to it. Those then become heavy mixes unless some light materials are added and you end up with poor drainage in the containers or beds.

I like adding some native soils to any engineered mixes for the micro nutrients that help a lot of vegetable crops out a lot. The types of materials that are referred to as " organic matter" make up about 5% of a soil profile. They usually decompose quickly leaving you with what ever soil structures you have from the soils you used.

This tractor is a beast. 720 cubic inches putting out 670 hp with a fuel burn around 400 gallons a day. Probably in the 400K range. I will take 3.

I'm not so scientific, it just kinda made sense to me to combine everything above to make things grow. I like to make things grow. If I have food from those things after they grow, all the better.

 

[The Heretic]

UN food agency chief: World could see famines of "biblical proportions" within months

He said there's "a real danger that more people could potentially die from the economic impact of COVID-19 than from the virus itself."

www.cbsnews.com

Tyson to suspend operations at largest pork plant indefinitely due to coronavirus pandemic

Tyson Foods Inc. will be suspending operations at its largest pork plant indefinitely, the company shared Wednesday.

www.foxnews.com

Coronavirus pandemic will cause global famines of 'biblical proportions,' UN warns

The world is facing multiple famines of "biblical proportions" in just a matter of months, the UN has said, warning that the coronavirus pandemic will push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation.

www.cnn.com

 

[Member 5605]

How can you stock up on produce when most of it is perishable. Time to do some gardening. Any Gardening tips anyone wants to share?

I wish I knew somebody with a green thumb to teach me. Ugh..

 

[The Heretic]

Immigrant Farmworkers Face Unique Challenges As Coronavirus Continues To Spread

The coronavirus has derailed millions of jobs, but farmworkers are still at work. That's because the federal government has designated food and agricultural a critical part of the nation's workforce.

www.opb.org

 

[ATCclears]

The WSJ is reporting on the risk of potential meat shortages for consumers.

Grocers Hunt for Meat as Coronavirus Hobbles Beef and Pork Plants

U.S. grocers are struggling to secure meat, looking for new suppliers and selling different cuts, as the pandemic cuts into domestic production and raises fears of shortages.

www.wsj.com

 

[SUPER X]

Hope they dont get it from china .gornish hens might be bats

 

[awshoot]

How can you stock up on produce when most of it is perishable. Time to do some gardening. Any Gardening tips anyone wants to share?

Squash. Easy to grow. Lots of calories. Stores at room temperature for a significant period. Can be canned or frozen. Lots of energy in the seeds.

 

[The Heretic]

Employees at Tyson plant near Tri-Cities return to work after COVID-19 testing

The meat plant in eastern Washington temporarily closed on April 23 to test all employees for coronavirus.

www.king5.com

 

[Mikej]

Squash. Easy to grow. Lots of calories. Stores at room temperature for a significant period. Can be canned or frozen. Lots of energy in the seeds.

Takes a lot of room to grow, matures late in summer, needs good soil, is susceptible to mildew before maturity, and most of it tastes like crap! Well, seeds are good, I guess.

 

[Mikej]

Better stock up on beans, rice and Spam. Ooo, that's right, Spam's gone I think?

 

[awshoot]

Takes a lot of room to grow, matures late in summer, needs good soil, is susceptible to mildew before maturity, and most of it tastes like crap! Well, seeds are good, I guess.

Blue Hubbard -- very sweet, very smooth flesh without stringiness, and the squashes are the size of small bombs.

 

[The Heretic]

We had a LOT of squash on the farm. I never ate any of it - can't stand it no matter how my mom prepared it or what kind it was. Occasionally I will eat small portions of it in Asian food - the spices/sauces hide the flavor of small portions, but never by itself.

When it got too big we fed it to the cows - who loved it (had to be careful when feeding garden leftovers to the cows; they can bloat if you give them too much too fast).

 

[awshoot]

We had a LOT of squash on the farm. I never ate any of it - can't stand it no matter how my mom prepared ...

Blue hubbard tastes more like sweet potato -- very mild, very sweet, stores at room temperature up to six months, and just one will feed a lot of people. If we have food shortages, I would think the coming winter is when it would be difficult and so having a pile of something like this could be useful and the long growing time an advantage because they'll be perfect when things are bad. Add to that that they are easy to grow, aren't hybrids so you can save seeds, and I would say it is a good choice for a beginning gardener worried more about survival than taste -- although really, the taste and texture is delightful. Half and half with potatoes makes the best mashed potatoes. It's great in pies. And if the internet is to be believed, excellent for lung health, has anti-inflammatory properties, and good for lowering BP -- so a CV19 fighter:

Nutrition Label for Blue Hubbard Squash

I'll end my blue hubbard evangelism -- I do love these though and I see them as a solid SHTF garden choice.

 

[The Heretic]

Blue hubbard tastes more like sweet potato

Sweet potatoes - another food I don't like.

 

[The Heretic]

Huge feral hogs invading Canada, building ‘pigloos’ as they go

Feral swine, the offspring of wild boars and domestic pigs, are spreading through Canada into areas where many didn’t think they could survive.

www.nationalgeographic.com

Meat shortages loom due to plant closures

Meatpacking union reports more worker deaths — Senators take aim at farm payment caps

www.politico.com

13 U.S. meat plants are down - 25% of pork and 10% of beef

The U.S. is edging closer to possible meat shortages with another major plant shut...

www.chron.com

 

[Mikej]

Blue Hubbard -- very sweet, very smooth flesh without stringiness, and the squashes are the size of small bombs.

View attachment 688287

Blue hubbard tastes more like sweet potato -- very mild, very sweet, stores at room temperature up to six months, and just one will feed a lot of people. If we have food shortages, I would think the coming winter is when it would be difficult and so having a pile of something like this could be useful and the long growing time an advantage because they'll be perfect when things are bad. Add to that that they are easy to grow, aren't hybrids so you can save seeds, and I would say it is a good choice for a beginning gardener worried more about survival than taste -- although really, the taste and texture is delightful. Half and half with potatoes makes the best mashed potatoes. It's great in pies. And if the internet is to be believed, excellent for lung health, has anti-inflammatory properties, and good for lowering BP -- so a CV19 fighter:

Nutrition Label for Blue Hubbard Squash

I'll end my blue hubbard evangelism -- I do love these though and I see them as a solid SHTF garden choice.

If a person were hungry, I/they'd eat it in a heart beat! Growing up in the Salt Lake Valley, where big family gardens were common. Large variety squash was common. Our family grew Banana Squash.


That could be 3' or more long. My folks would keep them in the outside stair well covered with blankets in winter. For Sunday dinner, go down, hack off a chunk, cover the end with a bag. Cut it in smaller pieces and cook it. I'm sure your Blue Hubbard would do the same in a cold dry winter climate.

Here, this side of the Cascades, mildew on the leaves is an issue. Controlling it is difficult.

Never cared much for squash, It's a shame. I do eat acorn squash a couple times a year. Well, once anyway. "Turkey Thursday" has always had squash on the table. Cut it in half, butter, salt/pepper and a bit of brown sugar and bake in a glass dish with 1/2" water in the bottom.

 

[awshoot]

Sweet potatoes - another food I don't like.

Oh man --

Huge feral hogs invading Canada, building ‘pigloos’ as they go

Feral swine, the offspring of wild boars and domestic pigs, are spreading through Canada into areas where many didn’t think they could survive.

www.nationalgeographic.com

...

These things are bears!

Though Canadian pigs vary widely, Brook and his team captured at least one wild hog that was well over 600 pounds.