Another summary of where I think we are:
On food:
Power Grid Guy, do you agree with JJF that the grid is only as strong as it’s weakest link? This makes sense to me as I have heard this given as a reason for various blackouts. If one mistake is made somewhere on the grid, the whole thing goes down, or at least large portions of it. This would argue against the “business plan” model. It would also suggest that even if your local powerplant does everything right, you won’t have any power if every other powerplant also doesn’t do everything right. To me, this suggest that the current plan for power plants, everyone for themselves, is insane. Of course the grid will go down in a severe pandemic with the current plan.
Given even my limited understanding of how the Grid works, it seems obvious that central planning is vital. Keeping the Grid up is a matter of national security, not a business continuity issue. Our civilisation depends on it. We need central planning and mandatory inspections of every power plant to verify compliance and we need it now. What we don’t need is 6 months to a year of useless meetings to discuss business plans.
JJF’s plan sounds good to me.
Advocacy
I thank everyone who has contacted secretary of the department of energy. For anyone who hasn’t and wishes to, here is the contact information:
Samuel W. Bodman is the current Secretary of Energy:
By Mail: U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20585 By E-mail: You can send an email to the Secretary of Energy at The.Secretary@hq.doe.gov
(from banshee – at 16:47)
Jumping Jack Flash,
Here is the Opinion page. Would you be willing to write an Opinion regarding the problems associated with keeping the Grid up during a pandemic and what the best solutions would be? This would be very helpful for those writing emails and letters. If you need help with pmwiki, I’ll be happy to help. Just let me know.
A some point, we can transfer this information over to the Energy portion of the Wiki, but I think getting an Opinion up that people can refer to would be immediately useful.
Monotreme:
Re:Bringing in trailors for the utility workers and their family to sip in. The Fema trailors aren’t overly roomy, but the worst thing is there seems to be a health problem associated with them. Formaldehyde has been making people sick and the situation has been confirmed by testing. I don’t mean to throw a wrench into the plans---but someone will realize this has happened and may not agree to SIP in them. Why not put up prefab housing? The grid is of major importance and should warrant a little extra consideration.
Leo7 – at 01:34,
I’m in favor of whatever keeps the essential workers happy. Prefab housing is fine with me.
We are up here in Canada many miles from New Orleans and yet a friend of ours had a new heat pump installed two years ago, but it needs serious repairs. Manufacturer can’t get parts in for the forseeable future because all their resources are in New Orleans area. In other words, when talking about prefab housing I somehow doubt resources are available for the foreseeable future. I live in a hot economy and right now it is taking anywhere from 10 months to 18 months to have a house built due to lack of materials and workers. Do they have people to build these prefab houses, move them on to the sight and set them up?
Monotreme at 00:15 - “Grains are harvested with combines and do not require nearly as much labor. With planning, food from this source is feasible.”
I’m not sure that I agree with this. Can you explain the reasoning behind this statement?
To me it seems that grains are harvested with combines and do require vast amounts of “hidden” labor. This may not be a practical source of food in many regions of the world if transportation becomes difficult for any length of time.
Grains are also harvested in a form that required energy-intensive methods to further process them into foods, or to allow them to be stored until distributed.
Hulling wheat/rice.
Drying corn.
etc.
BirdGuano makes a good point, and it can be extended to other crops as well. Onions, as an example, must be dried in the storage shed before they are shipped to market. I’ve done crop loss adjustments for onions (I used to be a Certified Loss Adjuster for the crop insurance industry), and the roar of 6-foot diameter fans blowing air through the storage shed is deafening. In fact, we would have the farmer turn off the fans before we went into the shed to measure the stack. I didn’t check, but would guess that the motors used to power the fans were probably ~5 HP each and the shed we worked in most often had four or six of those fans. That’s about 3 KW and those fans ran 24/7 for a week or more before the onions could be sold & shipped. Another situation where, if there is no electricity, the crop will only be suitable for local consumption — they won’t be shippable if they aren’t dried first.
Time to retrieve old diagrams for building gristmills run by water or wind. There are a few left around the world. It would be a forward-looking project in the event of a high CFR and, if not, it could draw tourists for day trips.
farm girl – at 10:56
To me it seems that grains are harvested with combines and do require vast amounts of “hidden” labor. This may not be a practical source of food in many regions of the world if transportation becomes difficult for any length of time.
farm girl, I know almost nothing about agriculture. My summaries are based on comments by the real content experts, like you. If you read earlier entries in this thread, you’ll see that it was pointed out that fruit and vegetables are very labor intensive compared to food that can be harvested with combines. Also, many of these crops apparently require irrigation that is dependent on elecricity.
Could you be more specific about the “hidden” labor necessary for the combine crops? Also, which food type to think could be grown and harvested most easily during a pandemic? We’re just looking for ways to get the most people fed. Any ideas of your on how to accomplish would be greatly appreciated.
Bird Guano and Dennis in Colorado make good points re: the energy necessary for drying grains. Once again, we’ll have to make sure that for this is available. We have to keep the Grid up, no matter what. Agriculture and water treatment have to have the top priorities for energy usage.
There’s one word we haven’t used much, which I think will be critical to maintaining civlisation during a severe pandemic - Rationing.
Many resources were extremely scarce during WWII. Yet, the country held together because available resources were sensibly and fairly rationed.
We should think about this now, and discuss the best ways to ration resources.
On to the other educational mountain to climb.
Most people in the US, when presented with raw wheat, would starve to death before they knew what to do with it.
Put a sack of unmilled grain in front of most New Yorkers or suburban yuppies in Los Angeles and they would’t even be able to identify what was IN the bag, much less what to do with it.
Rural areas will be much better off in a worst case scenario.
There are some HUGE educational issues that go along with keeping power up and water flowing.
Sorry, posted at the same time you brought up rationing.
We can address food education later.
BirdGuano,
You’re right about our microwave culture. We may need to make PeopleChow for the cooking impaired. Something that requires minimal processing, stores well and just needs water to eat. Soylent yellow?
Monotreme – at 21:29
There’s one word we haven’t used much, which I think will be critical to maintaining civlisation during a severe pandemic - Rationing.
Rationing is mentioned in a White Paper put out by a grocery distributor addressing pandemic influenza planning. Some other very interesting items are also addressed, like security and transportation issues.
http://www.amrresearch.com/avianflu…ntialImpact.pdf
A white paper for Regional Wholesale and Retail food distributors.
Monotreme – at 21:36
BirdGuano,
You’re right about our microwave culture. We may need to make PeopleChow for the cooking impaired. Something that requires minimal processing, stores well and just needs water to eat. Soylent yellow?
Actually there is some serious discussion in planning circles of making a dry ration for people, using dog food plants that would be re-configured.
They already have the extruder equipment and bagging process.
Actually a better link is here:
The one above got truncated, and it’s definitely worth a read.
BirdGuano, looks like a very interesting pdf. It’ll take me a while to read and digest it.
very interesting — I skimmed it and found this planning statistic — out of 1,000 employees, we can expect 280 will become sick and of those 28 will die. (quoting from memory). Not sure where they got that from — but sounds like planning for a 10% CFR?
I do question the assumption that, with a disease with a 10% CFR ANY employee would attempt to show up for work, though.
I highlighted the take home messages on the CE thread referenced above.
It’s a LONG white paper.
‘’BirdGuano – at 21:41 Actually there is some serious discussion in planning circles of making a dry ration for people, using dog food plants that would be re-configured. They already have the extruder equipment and bagging process.’‘
Wonderful. Does it come in green? (sorry, I’m showing my age, aren’t I?)
Dennis too many people are aware of that color’s meaning.
The new ration will be Soylent Purple.
;-)
I just do not think it is feasible to plan on large agriculture to supply us with food in the event of a pandemic. Everything points against it. Even in our county which is considered to be a largely agricultural area, there are only 8 farmers left who farm spreads over 500 acres. All of them are very old, worn out and due to the drought in our area, crop failures are anticipated this year. Additionally, soybeans, corn and wheat the only things these farmers plant and their crops are rotated according to the schedule. They also cut hay to supply the local livestock. We have a few small time farmers who sell at the local markets and a few off the grid organic farmers who sell enough to power their propane refrigerators and pay their taxes.
In looking back at WWI and WWII, families were encouraged to plant half acre and one acre gardens to supply their families with food in times of rationing. Historically, classes were taught and literature was provided to assist with these adventures. I think some thing like the Exdtension Agent was also used to educate others.
I just do not think that large-scale farming is the answer. Small scale farming and backyard gardening are the only logical solutions in the event of a pandemic.
Ange D – at 22:49
I don’t think it’s either/or.
I have a garden in my backyard and plan to expand it. But what about the 8 million people of New York City? Their only hope is large-scale farming. If the federal government and the military were to allocate resources to this, I think it might be possible to produce, package and transport at least some food from the grain crops to the megacities. We have to try.
Everyone won’t survive a severe pandemic, we all know this. The question, how do we save as many as possible and keep civilization going?
How about city parks, abandoned lots in local communities to grow some food locally?
anonymous – at 23:08
Sure, for some cities that might be helpful.
But…
8 million people in New York are not going to live off crops grown in Central Park.
Monotreme - I agree with using multiprong approaches. The Community Sustainable Agriculture movement falls in between your’s and Ange D’s concepts. Another prong.
Also, I experimented with growing vegetables and fruits for food this year. It’s not easy, especially without pesticides. Damn rabbits! And birds! And squirrels!
Unless you have alot experience farming growning enough food to feed your family requires more land than your backyard and more knowledge and tools than most people are likely to have. If they can’t cook from scratch, they sure aren’t going to be able to farm from scratch.
Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it, but this will be a supplement, not the mainstay.
Nightowl,
I have heard of CSA before and really like the idea, even without a pandemic. I think for people who are lucky enough to live near agricultural areas, this would be a great idea. One neighborhood could agree to help a support one farm family (with PPE, medicine, and unskilled labor) and in turn, the farm family would provide food for the neighborhood.
Ange D – at 22:49 & Monotreme – at 23:03,
I regret coming to this discussion so late in the game, but I have been out of pocket at a conference where there was no internet connections in the rooms.
I agree with Monotreme, it should not be an either/or situation concerning large scale food production versus small scale gardening. They both should be done to whatever extent possible.
Large scale grain crop production in the midwest (US and Canada), if kept going, can feed huge numbers of people. There would need to be some basic processing and of course transportation, but it has a good chance of keeping people alive during the duration of the emergency. Small scale gardening would be needed to fill in the gaps concerning vegetables, but with todays widespread ignorance concerning gardening there would need to be quite an educational drive to get folks up to speed. One positive is that most large cities were established upon what was originally excellent farm ground. Often that is one reason why the city originally prospered. That good soil is still there in peoples backyards waiting to be dug up and planted to something other than lawn.
But in reality, it will be large scale grain crops that will keep a large population alive. This is where the bulk of the contingency planning concerning food should be directed.
I was just thinking today how even with years of practice I still am only really able to provide a years worth of tomatoes for my family.Just tomatoes.I am hoping to hook up with a local Soybean farmer….With soybeans you can have fresh beans(edamame),soy milk,and tofu without much trouble.I bought 50lbs this spring and repackaged it into 1lbs bags with directions for making the foods on 50 recipe cards.These will go to the food pantry at my church.I think we need to think multi-purpose.Central park would grow quite a batch of soybeans.
Malachi I am not an expert on soybeans but I think white beans are the ones you can eat…it used to be that soybeans required some processing first…you may already know about it but if not, maybe ask at your local feed plant of the farmers could tell you.
MW42 test
Okieman,
Welcome back. Glad that you also think it might be possible to keep large-scale farming going in the Midwest. I suggested earlier in the thread that regional diesel fuel depots be created to supply the farms. Transportation and logistics could be handled, or at least organized, by the military.
Do you have any ideas on how to keep large scale farming going during a severe pandemic? This is not my area of expertise, but I think this might turn out to be the most important thread I have been involved with. I find the current situation in Indonesia a powerful motivator.
Not sure,I will ask.I think they are sifted to remove the hulls and dried.Then made into all kinds of soy delights by crafty cooks.If there is further processing I am not aware of it.
store your diesel as close to the rail system as possible
I believe the concentration should be on the Native American triad that sustained life for generations here:
Beans Corn Squash
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JAW/is_70/ai_109580398
You can also survive on:
Wheat flour, beans and vegetable oil, with the addition of Vitamin C, you have the complete amino acid base to sustain life.
Monotreme – at 23:39
Many farmers in the midwest (US) belong to a cooperative. They buy their fuel, fertilizer..etc through the coop and store/market their crops through the coop. Usually the coop maintains large bulk storage of fuels on-site at the coop facilities. Other farmers usually have bulk storage of fuel on their farms. The task of the government should be to help farmers keep those fuel stocks safe and topped off. The same goes for farm chemicals needed to produce a crop. The depots you mentioned in your post are really already in place, they will just need to have reliable transport from regional refineries, which in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas are fairly common.
One of the problem areas will be during harvest time. Many farmers have their own combines to harvest their crops, but also many rely upon folks that make a living by harvesting crops for them. These are people that have made the investment in combines, trailers, trucks…etc, and start harvesting in the southern states when the crops are ready, then work their way north as the crops ripen. This is very true of the wheat harvest. What this means is that if these “harvesters” are not able or unwilling to travel to the areas needing harvested, then the harvest will depend upon local equipment and man-power. Some areas are better able to handle harvest time on their own, others possibly less so.
I am an ex-dairy farmer. Without going into the details, I will simply say that the bulk of the nations milk production and processing will not continue during a pandemic. Do not expect there to be any fresh milk available, period, unless a neighbor has a milk cow and is willing to share.
In my opinion, any crop production that depends upon intensive man-power to produce/harvest the crop can not be looked upon as a reliable food source except in the immediate geographical area where it is produced. In those areas I can see it being a source of food, but on a small scale with “harvest your own” methods. For example, if there are peach trees in your area, during peach harvest I suspect lots of folks will harvest their own, pay/trade the farmer. But I would not expect those peaches to travel 1000 miles to reach someone elses table.
Other than fuel and farm chemicals, one of the most important issues to be addressed concerning farmers being able to coninue producing is the ability to obtain equipment replacement parts or get their equipment repaired. This is one area that could easily be overlooked but can stop a farmer cold. In farming, timing is extremely important. There is a right time to get the seed in the ground, a right time to fertilize, to spray for weeds or pests, and a right time to harvest. Farmers can’t control the weather, so that has always been the wild card in farming, but doing everything else depends upon being able to get out in the field and doing what is needed when it is needed. The agriculture service sector is integral to enabling the farmer to do what is needed at the right time.
In my opinion, the electric grid must stay up. This is a regional and national issue.
Water must remain available to the people. This is mostly a local issue, but is dependent upon the electric grid or backup generators.
Food is a combination of production, processing (grinding/milling), and transportation. This is a regional issue with national consequences. The midwest is not the only agricultural area in the US, but it is the largest contiguous region and is called the “bread basket of the world” for good reason. This area should take precedence over the others in my opinion due to lower population, greater fuel availability and an intact community spirit which lends itself to cooperation during times of trouble. This region of the country has the greatest ability to continue producing during even the most dire circumstances. But in all agricultural regions of the US the federal government should be developing contingency plans concerning methods to preserve continuity of agricultural production. This is being recommended to large businesses. This also needs to be done for the family farmer, with his/her input concerning how best to provide what is needed to continue production during a pandemic.
Malachi at 23:29 and Monotreme at 23:13 Gardening is a humbling experience, indeed. Every time I walk through the produce aisle I marvel at the wonder of farmers everywhere.
Malachi, soybeans will give you good protein options, BUT, you must be sure that you boil them for, I believe, over an hour as soybeans have a chemical that can cause EXTREME gastrointestinal distress if they are not cooked first. In a food pantry situation, many people who need food have hidden issues with obtaining the food and preparing it. For example, if you cannot afford electricity or housing, you may not have the means to cook soybeans, which are rather labor intensive. Also, little children may not process the protein well enough in soybeans to obtain nutrition as they are not used to whole foods and may not find them palatable. Beans for food pantries are best bought in cans as the person may be eating out of the can due to inability to cook, for whatever reason.
If you do go to a local farmer, you are likely getting into genetically modified soybeans. While I am not going into the issue of genetic modification of food crops, if you think that there MIGHT be the chance of a catastrophic pandemic and you want to rely on food crops for consumption that you can also plant out, go to any grocery store or food co-op that carries organic beans and get a 50 lb bag of organic soybeans that could be used to grow your own crop should the need arise.
A 50 lb bag of organic soybeans will cost $20 or less. If you go looking for them, get them now as most of the soybeans I’ve seen over the past several years are coming from Canada or (shudder) China. I cannot imagine that they are truly organic coming from China and have refused to accept them given the pollution levels of the water over there.
Given everyone’s comments on grain production . . .yes, large agriculture COULD produce large amounts of grain. COULD. But, many of the agriculture companies are BIG BUSINESS companies. They buy out family farms and do mass production. Who is going to demand that these companies start producing grains AHEAD of time to meet this type of demand? Remember, winter wheat is going to be planted in late, late fall and grow all winter. It takes quite a large amount of time to plant for an anticipated need. So, if a pandemic might emerge this fall . . .it was last year’s and the year before that’s opportunity to grow enough wheat to feed this country. Also, this year’s crop of wheat and corn has been severely diminished due to droughts. Did I read that grain prices would go up? In addition, some farmers did not plant grains this year because of the price of fuel. I do not think we can plan on large agriculture business to save our backsides.
Also, Monotreme, I hear you regarding the mega-cities :-) now that I can define them . . .just a little historical info. In WWI, families were educated (classes and brochures offered) and ordered to grow gardens. In some areas of the country, families were (is conscripted the word?) to grow gardens. Anyway, the ideas was they were FORCED to grow what they needed and if I remember correctly, a portion was used for the war effort. From my readings, people were sent to identify abandoned lots and corners throughout New York City where crops could be raised. TPTB even took pictures and wrote stories of people’s gardens to inspire others and “encourage” other to “do their part”. There was a president of a large bank who raised over 1/2 million pounds of food on a half acre garden.
Okieman, I agree with you on milk production. Now’s the time to get a goat, but I love my husband too much stress him out right now about that. I will wait until we are on the brink of a pandemic! lol!
Bird Guano-gosh, you are so correct on the “Three Sisters”-beans, corn and squash. Versatile, extremely nutritious and you can store all winter and replant remainder of seeds not eaten in the spring.
Monotreme- you wrote . . . “Also, I experimented with growing vegetables and fruits for food this year. It’s not easy, especially without pesticides. Damn rabbits! And birds! And squirrels!” . . .I got such a great laugh out of that. Rabbits, birds and squirrels are excellent source of protein! Taste like chicken! No antibiotics or growth hormones. Gracious sakes! Not many of us have the opportunity to GIVE advice to the Great Monotreme, instead of enjoying reading your writings!.
sheesh! sorry about all the spelling errors and grammatical errors. I am in the middle of a “large project” and an exhausted brain just does not work well when neural transmissions are supposed flow from the brain to the fingers in a meaningful and coherent manner! Maybe I should just read and keep my toes, I mean, fingers off the keyboard . . .
Concerning Communty Sustainable Agriculture Movement, as posted by Nightowl at 23:12:on August 25th. It is an interesting site and I quote here from an article by Elizabeth Henderson, farmer in upstate New York:
Food and Agriculture in the United States at the Close of the Millennium by Elizabeth Henderson The cheap food policy in the US depends upon a steady supply of poorly paid, largely non-unionized workers to harvest the crops, work in the canning factories and meat packing plants, and staff the supermarkets, food services, and cheap food restaurants. In the county where I live, which ranks second in the US in apple production, some 4000 migrant farmworkers come each year to pick apples and other crops. Under New York State law, farmworkers have no right to unionize. Farmworker advocates, the state labor department, and the labor brokers who supply farms with crews all agree that 60 percent of the farmworkers in my county are illegals. Needless to say, that is where their agreement ends: there is no consensus about how to assure an adequate legal labor force.
The federal government’s policy on this issue is schizophrenic. On the one hand, legislation passed in 1996 pays for doubling the number of Border Patrol agents, stiffens penalties for those who smuggle foreigners across our borders, speeds deportation, and allows the politicians to claim that they have taken vigorous action to stem the tide of aliens. On the other hand, farms and businesses continue to hire hundreds of thousands of these foreign workers, and profit from the low wages their insecure legal status and lack of union protection force them to accept.
For years I have been teaching the theory that the Native American ecosystem of corn, beans, and squash made it possible for their cultures to expand in both North and South America. We’ve never grown corn, but we’re going to give it a try this year. And you can grind corn by hand with a pestle and mortar that most households in this area still use.
Most of the comments about Victory Gardens (promoted in both World War I and World War II) are pretty accurate, but there is some controversy concerning how important they were to the war effort. Many historians believe the Victory Gardens, while certainly helpful in a time of shortages, were also part of a propaganda campaign to make every family believe they were contributing to the war effort. Most of the food for the military was grown on large farms, and minorities (African Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, and Mexican legal seasonal workers) were especially recruited to keep production levels high. Clearly the issue of a competent agricultural work force would be problematic during a period of food shortages.
As for a rationing system comparable to the ration cards issued during World War II, that thought has occurred to me as well. At least this time women wouldn’t have to worry about a shortage of nylon stockings and paint their legs.
Ange D – at 13:48 “yes, large agriculture COULD produce large amounts of grain. COULD. But, many of the agriculture companies are BIG BUSINESS companies. They buy out family farms and do mass production. Who is going to demand that these companies start producing grains AHEAD of time to meet this type of demand? Remember, winter wheat is going to be planted in late, late fall and grow all winter. It takes quite a large amount of time to plant for an anticipated need. So, if a pandemic might emerge this fall . . .it was last year’s and the year before that’s opportunity to grow enough wheat to feed this country. Also, this year’s crop of wheat and corn has been severely diminished due to droughts. Did I read that grain prices would go up? In addition, some farmers did not plant grains this year because of the price of fuel. I do not think we can plan on large agriculture business to save our backsides.”
There is much in the above statement with which I have to respectfully disagree.
One is the assertion that most of the grain farming in the US is by big business. That one is wrong. Most of the grain farming done in the US is by family farms.
Second is the “COULD” statement. America’s farmers ARE producing a huge amount of grains and exporting a lot of that grain overseas. Also much grain is utilized in animal agriculture to fatten up cattle just before market. This could be discontinued and the cattle taken to slaughter without going through the fattening process. This would free up additional grains.
Thirdly, yes drought has affected production and will likely affect prices. This does not mean that there will not be enough. Rather it simply means that it will cost more. During a severe pandemic, I don’t think cost is going to enter into the equation as far as the consumer is concerned.
If a pandemic were to occur I would suspect that exports would be curtailed and human grain utilization be prioritized over animal agriculture if push came to shove. Below is a link to a USDA spreadsheet detailing grain production, export, consumption, carryover…etc. (See page 9 and 10 for the US.) As long as American farmers have access to the seed, diesel, and farm chemicals typically needed to produce the US grain crop, I do not see anything that would substantially prevent them from producing a crop next year similar to the previous years. The only exception would be weather related, and that has always been the case with farming.
Now, if you want to express dis-like for Big Business in agriculture, do it over much of the animal agriculture in the US (not all though, there are exceptions). Poultry, swine and now a goodly proportion of the dairy industry is dominated by big business. This structure will crash in upon itself in the event of a severe pandemic. Beef cattle production is still the exception. Much of the beef cattle in this country are raised by family farmers/ranchers. The fattening and slaughter/processing is typically big business though.
If you want meat during a severe pandemic, then my suggestion is to raise your own, make friends with a rancher, hunt, or buy your meat now.
Here is the link I mentioned:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/grain/circular/2006/05-06/hist_tbl.pdf
Thanks everyone for great comments!
Okieman, lot’s of good details in your posts. The next summary will have a vastly expanded food section. As is now apparent to all of us, keeping the grid up is essential to avoid mass starvation. The issue of guaranteeing fuel and parts to the farmers in a timely fashion still needs to be resolved.
Ange D, it did occur to me that varmits are a potential source of food. But I don’t feel justified in blasting away at them, just yet. My neighbors might object. But once the pandemic starts, watch out Bugs Bunny, you are so dead. Anyone got a recipe for rabbit jerky?
As regards animals, I agree with Okieman that we will not be able to count on fresh meat or dairy products being avialable during a severe pandemic. I can’t imagine working in a meat packing plant in that situation. Also, you can’t store fresh meat or milk without guaranteed electricity all the time, everywhere from the farm to your home. Not very likely that that will be true.
I wonder how long it would take to turn the nations cattle into beef jerky and the pigs into sausage?
Monotreme: The beef cattle out on the range would disappear overnight, rustlers and poachers would eliminate generations of breeding in a few weeks. Lots of primeval-like gorging would be going on and very little would get to the jerky stage.
Farmers should go with wheat. “Wheat is a weed” as the old saying goes. It has nine lives and rarely is “shut out”. It generally does not need the “tender care” and pampering that today’s corn crop needs, and it is harvested at the time of the year when it will dry down in the field so it can be binned without gas dryers or electric dryers. All you have to do is to make sure that the rodents can’t get at it and to treat the bins with malathion beforehand to forestall any bug problems. Milling and transport (or transport and milling) is all that is left to get it to the consumer in a digestible form.
Well, Okieman covered most of the “hidden” labor aspects of grain farming for me while I was away. Thank you Okieman! You were very thorough, and it’s saving me a lot of typing.
How can we guarantee that seed, diesel, and chemicals will be available to farmers in the event of a pandemic? All of those products are produced by big business. How much labor does it take to grow, bag, and ship the hybridized grain, make diesel fuel, and produce, package, and ship the fertilizers and herbicides that we use just in the U.S. each year? Can the “average” farmer today make do without this stuff, or can they make it themselves? That’s my big concern. Then you start thinking of the manufacturers who make the packaging materials, equipment parts, the metal/rubber/plastic industries who supply the packaging materials manufacturers, farm equipment dealerships, mechanics…
We are small farmers, and thanks to my ancestors throughout the past 130+ years, we have a variety of “low-tech” equipment hanging around that could be used in the event of an interruption of goods and/or services, but this isn’t the case for many. The problem with our primitive equipment is that it would make farming even our small acreage nearly impossible without hiring farm hands. What took a weekend would take weeks without additional help. That’s why we store 800 gallons of diesel, 600–900 gallons of gasoline, and will have 1200 gallons of propane hopefully next week. But we are aware of the possibility of pandemic, lots aren’t. Given the prices of fuel of all varieties, how can we convince farmers living on the margin that they should stock up for something that may or may not happen?
BTW Monotreme, turning our cows into hamburger is EXACTLY what we plan to do if there is a pandemic, but we’ll keep them on hay (definitely not a people food) until our town is getting hungry. That way the carcasses will do some good. Any lactating animals will be giving us milk instead of the calves. It won’t go far with the small number of critters we keep, but something is always better than nothing as far as I can tell.
Closed and continued here.