American Farmers Benefit from Drought and Fires in Russia

The amazing wild fires in Russia, that have encircled Moscow, shutting it down with smoke, soot, and ash, have also devastated the wheat harvest this year, causing Russia to suspend all exports of wheat and other grains. Ravaging drought in the rest of Europe, drought in Australia, where locusts are also destroying fields of grain, producing dramatically curtailed harvests , has proven a bonanza to American wheat farmers who are seeing undreamed of prices for wheat. At about $7 a bushel, the sharp spike in wheat futures will undoubtedly lead to a sharp spike in over all food prices globally, leading to shortages, increased hunger, and in some places outright famine and food riots. Are you ready for what's coming?

 

Wheat is the new gold in time of plenty for America’s breadbasket

As fires wreck Russia's harvests and poor countries brace for shortages, it's boom time for Kansas farmers.

By David Usborne

Strong wheat yields in Kansas and Colorado this year have been boosted by the crop trading for $7 a bushel on futures markets

Wildfires, floods, crippling droughts, and even a threatened plague of locusts have wrecked crops and ruined harvests around the world, raising fears of global food inflation shortage and food riots.

But as they hose off the dust and chaff caked on their exhausted combine harvesters, farmers in America's plain states are adjusting to something possibly wonderful: a combination of unusually good wheat yields and suddenly soaring prices – thanks to disastrous circumstances elsewhere – has put them at the centre of a gold rush.

"It feels like Christmas in August," admitted Darrell Hanavan, of the Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee, noting that the harvest just completed in his state seems to have been the most bountiful for 25 years. More importantly, the dollar value for the crop is almost sure to set a record.

The thin soil of the plains is not always so kind. Scorching drought and relentless rains are frequent visitors to the breadbasket of America. So it is startling for some to find themselves singled out for good fortune, while the rest of the US combats an unemployment rate that refuses to come down.

Russia announced that weeks of fierce heat and uncontrolled fires would cost the country a quarter of its crop and that its wheat exports, which will be frozen from tomorrow, may not resume until next year. Output in Ukraine and Kazakhstan has slumped too. Canadian wheat farmers have been struggling with crops drowned by rains that won't stop, and in eastern Australia, the wheat crop could be devastated by a plague of locusts expected to start hatching next week.

Egypt, the world's biggest wheat importer, and Indonesia and Thailand, which also both rely on imports of grain, complained this week that they face a sudden price squeeze on such staples as bread, pork and sugar and with that, the risk of social unrest of the kind witnessed in 2008, when food price hikes provoked riots in a number of countries.

Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior economist with the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome, said Morocco, Libya, Tunisia and Iran all face higher budget deficits because of the amounts they spend on bread subsidies. "Some are politically unstable countries – they simply cannot afford" the social effects that bread queues could have on the urban poor.

Whether the risk abates could depend on farmers in the American Midwest and whether they decide to cash in by planting more wheat, the world's most consumed cereal. The rosy outlook for them was confirmed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). It expects US exports to surge by 36 per cent this year.

"Crop revenues look to be much improved, with record crops and generally higher prices than we anticipated earlier this year," Joseph Glauber, the USDA's chief economist said.

"The US is an island of supply in a year of very big demand," noted Daniel W Basse of AgResource, a Chicago commodity-forecasting concern. The US Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, added: "There is no question this is an opportunity for us and we're going to take advantage of it."

Farmers everywhere are notoriously slow to pop the champagne, however. Even now, some, such as Daryl Larson, who farms 1,500 acres in Kansas with his brother, can't entirely shed their natural caution. "I guess maybe farming makes that happen to you," he suggests with a chuckle. "Nothing is for certain."

He knows, for instance, that while the futures prices of wheat on the Chicago commodities exchanges are spiking at heights that even a few weeks ago would have seemed mad –above $7 (£4.50) a bushel in recent days – the cash he receives from selling now is considerably more modest.

Moreover, it is no secret to Mr Larson that speculators who have rushed to buy wheat in the wake of Russia's export ban may have created a bubble that is not immune from bursting. After finishing his harvest in June, Mr Larson, 56, sold nearly half of his wheat crop but will keep the rest in the silo in the expectation that the prices will at least climb further if not astronomically. "I am expecting the export business will pick up in the next few weeks because the rest of the world does not have a whole lot of wheat to export. If that is correct, we should see new strength in our exports."

Most analysts would concur with Mr Larson's strategy of holding on to some grain for added profit but not expecting the world. American farmers will, more than likely, increase their wheat acreages when planting time comes in the next few weeks.

"It's hard for me to imagine that we won't see some increase in wheat acreage," said John Anderson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation. "Wheat prices are certainly at a level historically that would look very attractive." The pressure put on pricing by the speculators could, of course, always backfire on them. But for now at least, the upwards pressure on wheat prices is rubbing off nicely on other crops grown in the US.

Mr Larson is preparing to harvest his fields of soy bean and sorghum, crops for which the market has also been strengthening. Because wheat is also produced in parts of the world, for instance the Ukraine, for cattle feed, a similar effect is being felt for another crop that is huge in US: corn (or what the British call maize).

So surely this is one of those unusual times when farmers in the US at least can afford to admit to some joy. Did Mr Larson at least skip a little when he saw the news about Russia moving to suspend exports of wheat? Mr Larson, who has been working his farm since the day he graduated from high school in 1972, wouldn't say that exactly, but it did cheer him. "We've had better. And we have a lot worse."

Related articles by Zemanta

• Russia bans wheat and grain exports (bbc.co.uk)
• No Global Wheat Shortage, but Prices May Rise (nytimes.com)
• U.S. wheat rises ahead of USDA report (reuters.com)

Mr MaGoo Egg Head Scientists Miss Chem Trails

As a follow up to the previous posts concerning 'chem trails' you might want to learn the meaning of 'Stratospheric Aerosol Geo-engineering' - or SAG for short. SAG is what scientists claim needs to be done to 'save' the planet. It involves changing the climate by spraying chemicals, metals and other substances into the high atmosphere over population areas. They are concerned about global warming. The scientists seem to be in some sort of cocoon, because they are blissfully unaware -apparently- of the massive amount of spraying already underway all over the world. I guess it is comforting to know they are upholding their scientific credentials by calling for 'research' to determine if such spraying, if it were to be initiated, is actually safe. They seem not to notice what is in the sky above their heads.

Enjoy. Learn. Share.

What In The World Are They Spraying?
By Michael J. Murphy
03 March, 2010Countercurrents.org
What would you say if you were told that airplanes were regularly spraying toxic aerosols in the skies above every major region of the world? That is exactly what a group of protestors were claiming outside of the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting that was held in San Diego from February 18-22. However, inside the convention center was a different story. The scientists gathered to discuss the “plausibility” of implementing various Geo-engineering campaigns throughout the world, all under the guise that the Earth has a man-made global warming problem that can be solved in-part by spraying aerosol aluminum and other particles into the sky to block the sun. When these scientists were asked about the possibility of existing aerosol programs; they stated that no aerosol spraying programs have been implemented to date. A little confused? Why would protestors gather outside of a meeting making claims that world-wide aerosol programs were under way if scientist were only now discussing the possibility of implementing these programs? Could it be that one of these groups is being deceived?
Mauro Oliveira, the Webmaster of Geoengineeringwatch.org, was one of the protestors. He claimed that the program for Stratospheric Aerosol Geo-engineering (SAG), AKA chemtrails, has been well under way around the world. As a matter of fact, Oliveira stated that witnesses from around the globe claim that heavy aerosol spraying is occurring almost every day over just about every city. He went on to explain the difference between a contrail and a chemtrail. He stated that when a jet airplane flies at a certain altitude, a visible trail of streaks of condensed water vapor sometimes form in the wake of the aircraft. This is called a contrail. Contrails are normal and usually dissipate in a few seconds. They are very similar to when we breathe in cold weather. According to Oliveira, what occurs behind a SAG plane spraying aerosols is quite different. What can be seen is a thick white line also called a chemtrail that lingers in the sky for several hours. The SAG lines are sprayed into the upper atmosphere and then spread out forming what then appear to be clouds. The particles from these aerosols then fall to the ground where they enter our soil and water and can also be inhaled.
Another group of protestors had traveled over 10 hours from a small Shasta County community in Northern California. They became concerned about SAG when many from this community began to see dramatic changes not only in the sky, but also on the ground. Trees were dying, grass was not growing and many farmers were having difficulty getting any crops to grow on their farms. The crisis prompted biologists from the community to take action by testing the soil. The results were shocking. Aluminum, barium and other elements were found to be up to thousands of times higher than normal limits. Such high quantities lead to unhealthy PH levels in the soil which can be deadly to ecological life systems. These shocking results led to additional testing of Lake Shasta with samples from the Pit River arm tributary that tested over 4,610 times the maximum contamination level of aluminum allowed in drinking water in the state of California. Also, peer reviewed scientific studies conclude that bio-available aluminum, now found in huge quantities in rain world-wide, is very harmful to flora and thus the eco-system. Ironically, these are the same substances the scientists are considering implementing in the various potential “future” aerosol spraying campaigns that were being discussed at the meeting.
A large number of other protesters became interested in SAG after experiencing burning eyes, migraine headaches, anxiety, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and other health problems on days that airplanes were allegedly witnessed spraying aerosols in the sky. Deborah Whitman, Founder and President of the non-profit environmental organization Environmental Voices and also Producer of the documentary “Sky Lines” is no stranger to these symptoms. She has been hospitalized over 51 times on what she calls “heavy spraying days”. Whitman has committed her life to helping people who claim to be experiencing similar problems resulting from aerosol spraying and gets calls from all over the U.S. in response to her website and documentary. Her recommended health tips can be found at www.environmentalvoices.org. Other indicators that possibly validate the claim that SAG is connected to health problems are the respiratory mortality rate, which has risen from eight on the list of mortality to third in the past five years, and the fact that Alzheimer’s and other illnesses linked to aluminum have continued to rise around the globe at astronomical rates since the inception of the alleged spraying.
The AAAS meeting hosted some of the world’s leading geo-engineering scientists. With years of education and even more experience in their respected fields, the scientists looked at geo-engineering issues from many angles. Workshop subjects ranged from, the effectiveness of geo-engineering to potential problems and even touched upon the issue of ethics. According to independent reporter Stewart Howe of Los Angeles, all of the scientists seemed to be looking for solutions to what they believe is the problem of global warming. Howe stated that the scientists appeared to be carefully weighing both the pros and cons of SAG when presenting potential campaigns to address the man-made global warming theory. Many were actually advocating alternative methods to combat this issue due to the potential risks of SAG that include droughts, ozone depletion, less solar power, decimated weather patterns, military use of technology and other various environmental impacts. Howe said, “after witnessing the aerosol spraying for years, I was surprised by the discourse among scientists.” Stewart went on to say that he believes that most of the scientists attending seemed to be separated from the knowledge of any current SAG deployment. As a matter of fact when asked about current SAG operations, leading geo-engineering scientist Ken Caldiera replied that he was unaware of any current aerosol spraying operations and when prompted to explain the long lingering trails left behind planes, he stated that they are simply normal contrails from jets.
David Keith, another leading scientist and expert in the field of geo-engineering, discussed the well-funded studies that have been conducted to predict potential future risks as well as benefits associated with geo-engineering. Some of the potential benefits include a cooler planet, and the reduction of melting sea ice and rising sea levels. Keith discussed what aerosol particles would be most effective in achieving the stated goals of the SAG program. He went on to say that initially sulfur was considered, however, aluminum is more effective and can be used by adding ten to twenty mega-tons per year into the stratosphere. When asked about health related studies that have been conducted to predict the potential risks of adding the particles in our air, Keith stated that many studies have been completed and indicate few risks. However, when asked specifically about the use of aluminum as an aerosol, he said “we haven’t done anything serious on aluminum, so there could be something terrible that we will find tomorrow that we haven't looked at." After the meeting, Keith showed consideration to the protesters by initiating a discussion about the SAG program outside where the protestors were standing. When confronted with concerns about SAG deployment from the group, he went on to say that he shared similar views and is against any deployment until proper research is completed to determine potential risks of aerosol spraying. He also went on to say that he is unaware of any current SAG operations, but, would be willing to look at any scientific proof if presented to him.
As the skies around our world continue to change, there is strong evidence that points toward current deployment of massive aerosol operations. Could it be that scientific data and studies are being used to implement pre-mature full-scale SAG programs with-out the knowledge of the top scientists who are involved with the research? If so, what kind of ethical considerations can we expect from the geo-engineering community in the future? It is hard to believe that the strange white lines in the skies witnessed around the world and the toxic elements found in the soil, water and air are from an unrelated source. We the people, in partnership with the scientific community need to challenge not only the environmental and health risks associated with SAG but also the numerous world-wide allegations about current deployment. It is imperative that we become educated and involved in uncovering the truth of this alleged crime against both nature and humanity. The future of our planet depends on it. As concerns continue to grow around the world about this issue, additional information including meet-up groups can be found on various chemtrail and geo-engineering websites.
Michael J. Murphy is a journalist and political activist from the Los Angeles area whose work focuses on issues that go beyond the interest of the Corporate mainstream media.

Chem Trail Basic Information

Here is a very thoughtful and informative analysis of the chem trail phenomenon, apparently from a Chinese source. The evidence is piling up.

So why don't we hear any new reports about this? Why don't journalists write about this? Why don't politicians mention it in speeches?

What's the position of the Democrats and the Republicans

and the neo-cons or the liberals?

Why do ordinary people go about their business as though they don't see what is right above their heads?

Why don't the preachers preach about what they see right in front of their faces almost everyday?

Where are the outraged parents who are concerned for their children?

What do the school teachers have to say and medical establishment?

Where are the environmentalists who claim they want to save the planet?

Where the hell is Al Gore? For completeness sake, Where the hell are you?

Is everybody drugged? How to you explain such pervasive apathy and silence? How can we tolerate not knowing what is being done to us? Who is going to explain all this to us and who is going to save us from whatever this is?

Tons of questions. No answers.

What are Chem Trails?

I first noticed 'chem trails' in late 1999. I wanted to know what they were. It was clear that something was going on over my head and I noticed that it affected my health and the health of people around me. People started coughing and sneezing after chem trails appeared in the sky. As part of my investigation, I called government agencies and all I got was the same story: these are just the vapor trails from jet planes. They must have thought I was a vapor head to believe that. But these are not vapor trails. These 'chem trails' linger and then coalesce into cloud cover, sometimes with rainbow effects. Reports have circulated about what they contain: barium, soy bean oil, red blood cells and other organic material, etc. To date there is no definitive explanation of what they are, why they are being sprayed all over the world and who authorized it and who benefits from it. Is this weather modification to reflect sunlight back into space? Chemical and biological weapons to harm people?

Don't you want to know? Don't you need to know?

Here are two informative videos about the subject,

but they do not answer all the outstanding questions.

Enjoy. Learn. Share.