Wheat Crop Failures Could be Total, Experts Warn

Wheat Crop Failures Could be Total, Experts Warn

moneynews.com

On top of record-breaking rice prices and corn through the roof on ethanol demand, wheat is now rusting in the fields across Africa.
Officials fear near total crop losses, and the fungus, known as Ug99, is spreading.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Certainly not needed in a country that is already suffering from a lack of food. Not to mention for others that may import from them; I believe that is U.S. included.

Meanwhile, global wheat stocks are at lows not seen in half a century, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Scientists fear that the spores could spread on the wind and reach the U.S. and Canada or Europe.

"It will take five to eight years to genetically engineer a resistance,” said Kotok. "In the interim, U.S. agriculture faces higher risk.”

moneynews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Ag Secretary: 'We have never been less secure' about wheat

Schafer told the International Food Aid Conference meeting that crop failures have left global wheat stocks at their lowest point in 30 years and U.S. wheat stocks are at 60-year lows. Climate changes that have spawned unrelenting drought, floods and late freezes have all had an impact.

This has left the world at particular risk for a highly virulent wheat disease called African stem rust that is quickly spreading to places such as Uganda, Ethiopia, Yemen, India, Pakistan and Iran.

The disease, which is carried by wind spores, would be devastating to global food supplies if it affects the U.S. wheat crops, now valued at $16 billion.

The United States has shipped wheat breeding lines to east Africa, where scientists are working to find a rust-resistant strain and new protective measures.

Well... at there are some who are actually admitting to this already major problem and attempting to address issues. Too little too late?

I won't give you all doom and gloom this post...
W.Australia wheat planting off to good, wet start

SYDNEY, April 23 (Reuters) - Winter wheat planting got off to a strong start in Western Australia this week after good rain at exactly the right time, but farmers in the east waited anxiously for rainfall to help soften the ground for what could be a record crop.

Australia, usually the world's second-largest wheat exporter, expects a bumper harvest this year after drought slashed supplies over the past two years, sending world prices to all-time highs.

It is a different story in prime eastern wheat land at Cowra, 250 kilometres (155 miles) west of Sydney. Here, farmer Chris Groves is counting the rainless days.

"We're waiting for rain. It's a very nervous time because its a big investment to plant a crop," he told Reuters. "At the moment there appears to be nothing at all on the radar."

OK... well... it started off on a good note anyway Tack this onto the rice and corn supply issues. I don't suggest running out and buying mass amounts of stuff and hoarding, but I do suggest picking up a little extra each trip you make to your grocery store, imo.

Ugh... keeping with the "world-wide" theme, I'll add this one in here too...
Grain spiral: Dollar slump, expensive crude, crop failures add fuel to fire

New Delhi: It never rains, it pours. The current round of inflation – in which the wholesale price index-based inflation has touched a 41-month-high of 7.41 per cent, can be described as more symbolic than real.
Consumer prices tend to be higher than wholesale prices anyway. Add to this the fact that the government had not even passed on the rise in global oil prices – which recently cross $112 a barrel – there is a big overhang of inflation in the system.
A depreciation of the US dollar, stronger crude prices and crop failures in some of the leading wheat and rice producing nations have collectively put commodity prices on the upswing both in food and non-food items.

The UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has estimated that 35 countries are currently facing a food crisis, out of which 21 are in Africa. Last year, Australia — a key grain exporter — experienced its worst drought in over a century and its wheat crop has shrunk by 60 per cent. A number of wheat and rice exporting counties have introduced measures to discourage export and in some countries exports have been banned altogether.

In fact, wheat production is continuously declining since 2004-05, when it peaked at 628 million tonnes. It declined to 620 million tonnes in 2005-06 and 593 million tonnes 2006-07. As a result the stock level is also coming down from 141 million tonnes in 2005-05 to an estimated 112 million tones in 2007-08.

The global production of rice is estimated at 420.6 million tonnes as against the consumption of 423.7 million tonnes. The buffer stocks are estimated at 72 million tonnes, which is the lowest in the last 20 years. Of these 72 million tonnes, China accounts for 36 million tonnes, but that country is not an exporter. As a result, the global exportable surpluses are estimated to be the lowest in recent years. In fact, global grain stocks are at their lowest in the last 30 years.

At the current pace of all aspects, there's one common thing that will eventually bring us all together as one. Starvation.

[edit on 4/25/2008 by RabbitChaser]

Well... it's the 1974 Kissinger's Memorendum 200 on global depopulation plan being implanted... that's all. Enjoy it.

reply to post by Vitchilo


If we start depopulating the planet, we should start with Kissinger

This is what happens when we allow only one or two varieties of any given crop to dominate in an area. AKA the potato famine in Ireland was directly related to the fact that only one or two varieties of potato were grown there.

Bio-diversity and genetic diversity are absolutely necessary... if there is an outbreak of something like wheat rust in one variety, others will most likely survive.

Monsantos and ADM will kill us all yet with their push to own the genetic diversity of crops... of all the corporate monopoly schemes this is the most evil.

I tried to mention this before on the rice threads but a couple of know it alls poo pooed the whole thing. This is why rice is being hoarded. The people hoarding now are a little smarter than the ones that say any surplus will last. Those of us that actually know what we are talking about also know that there are about 8-12 total weeks of food grains left world wide and we are going to give up a lot of that soon to help places that are already starving.

Wake up. The people saying their is no shortage are dis info spinners weather they mean to be or not. Our surplus rice will be gone very soon when people start paying attention to wheat rust and the first failed rice crop in the southern hemi.

Btw -- not sure how I missed this line...

"It will take five to eight years to genetically engineer a resistance,” said Kotok. "In the interim, U.S. agriculture faces higher risk.”

Enter, Monsanto

Originally posted by RabbitChaser
Certainly not needed in a country that is already suffering from a lack of food. Not to mention for others that may import from them; I believe that is U.S. included.

USA is the largest wheat exporter in the world, actually.
www.spectrumcommodities.com...

I believe the African nations import wheat while none of them export it, except perhaps across borders to other African nations.

In 2004 gm wheat was not allowed. Now this outbreak and calls for opening market for gm. Very weird coincidence,in my opinion. And if it really will be mass infection and crops failure, the circuses without bread will not be able to keep people calm. Sadly, we all live in interesting times.

Starred and Flagged. Great Find RC.

This is truly alarming....These Monsanto maniacs need to be stopped, and this situation needs to be corrected very soon or the who planet is going to be FUBARed.

reply to post by ZeroKnowledge


Corn crops roasted during the Mid West drought in August last year, on a trip to Tennessee (Chatenooga ) it only got worse the further south we got, where Corn literally just baked, save a few gold patches here and there, typically around smaller irrigation systems (water all over the Mid West had restrictions.. for instance, in my city we had water bans and restrictions, and the only people allowed to water lawns where those who just had sod laid)

So lets hope for a better summer this year, as America is a major food producer.

More and more people waking up to this major crisis... thanks for all the input here and to burdman30ott6 for straightening me out on that [ie: none of them export it].

Sadly, I don't think enough people will awaken to it all, until it is too late. There will be many confused and panicked people when it all catches up to us...