Diseased Bananas, Oranges and Pigs. Now COFFEE too?!?

Monoculture, factory farming and climate change are killing crops, driving food prices sky high. I can happily do without pork, survive without oranges and bananas - but not my morning coffee. The US government is jumping in to save the coffee plantations in Central and South America but I hate to think what the solution will taste like...

Global food production and climate change together. Great. [Not.]

Climate Change May Be Killing All Our Fancy Coffee

Warning of fungal disease threat to major global banana producers

An Unprecedented Plague Has Hit Oranges And Another Has Hit Bananas

Killer Pig Virus Wipes Out More Than 10 Percent Of Nation's Hogs, Causing Spike In Pork Prices

Hmmm so where are all these "killer" viruses coming from?

Mono-culture is dumb!

If global warming were true (I dont believe it is) then plants would thrive as they did in the past.

Yeah, this is terrible news. Between all the problems in South America the price of coffee will probably be jumping up a lot within the next six months. I just bought two more cans of Hills bros for 5.99. I raised my stocks from eight cans to fourteen these last few months because of all sorts of evidence of some drastic increases in price in the future. I'm actually surprised that the price hasn't already gone up, I think these companies are dumping reserves to keep the price from ever going back down again.

I buy coffee when it is cheap, No more paying 14 bucks a can just because I was ignorant of how free enterprise works. I got tired of kicking myself in the butt about these things. Be prepared, if the SHTF even on a local basis, the person giving out free cups of coffee gains clout in the community.

just wait a bit and you will see a new species of all these with the claim that they are disease resistant.
brought to you by the good folks of Monsanto.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

If global warming were true (I dont believe it is) then plants would thrive as they did in the past.

Errrr, what???

Climate change will kill plants that have evolved to thrive in a certain climate.

That's leaving aside the threat of man-made manipulations of the air and soil content from (possible) chemtrails, pesticides, the Joys of Monsanto, etc.

originally posted by: signalfire

originally posted by: VoidHawk

If global warming were true (I dont believe it is) then plants would thrive as they did in the past.

Errrr, what???

Climate change will kill plants that have evolved to thrive in a certain climate.

That's leaving aside the threat of man-made manipulations of the air and soil content from (possible) chemtrails, pesticides, the Joys of Monsanto, etc.

We are to believe that CO2 is the cause of global warming. Plants EAT co2. In the past when co2 levels were higher than they are now plant life grew much bigger and faster! Modern farming techniques use co2 for that very reason!

originally posted by: hounddoghowlie
just wait a bit and you will see a new species of all these with the claim that they are disease resistant.
brought to you by the good folks of Monsanto.

was just thinking the same thing. The coffee will come out with a patent on it.

a reply to: VoidHawk

So hogwash, just cause they teach you this in 3rd grade science doesn't mean it is true..
Thats just sorcery..

Would have come up with a wittier line but meh..

originally posted by: VoidHawk
If global warming were true (I dont believe it is) then plants would thrive as they did in the past.

Coffee crops only thrive in cold climates. See: The Optimal Coffee Environment: Best Climate Conditions for Growing Coffee Beans.

On the other hand, the kind of plant fungi, viruses, bacteria and other microbes that are threatening food crops do indeed thrive in warming conditions (along with the plants they infect).

...True though,

Mono-culture is dumb!

originally posted by: signalfire

originally posted by: VoidHawk

If global warming were true (I dont believe it is) then plants would thrive as they did in the past.

Errrr, what???

Climate change will kill plants that have evolved to thrive in a certain climate.

That's leaving aside the threat of man-made manipulations of the air and soil content from (possible) chemtrails, pesticides, the Joys of Monsanto, etc.

Exactly. S&

And don't forget the fungi, viruses etc. that evolve to thrive in the changing climate and all-new ecosystems we have created.

originally posted by: ThichHeaded
a reply to: VoidHawk

So hogwash, just cause they teach you this in 3rd grade science doesn't mean it is true..
Thats just sorcery..

Would have come up with a wittier line but meh..

Tell that to the farmers that use co2 to drastically increase their yields!

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: signalfire

originally posted by: VoidHawk

If global warming were true (I dont believe it is) then plants would thrive as they did in the past.

Errrr, what???

Climate change will kill plants that have evolved to thrive in a certain climate.

That's leaving aside the threat of man-made manipulations of the air and soil content from (possible) chemtrails, pesticides, the Joys of Monsanto, etc.

We are to believe that CO2 is the cause of global warming. Plants EAT co2. In the past when co2 levels were higher than they are now plant life grew much bigger and faster! Modern farming techniques use co2 for that very reason!

Coffee crops only thrive in cold climates. See: The Optimal Coffee Environment: Best Climate Conditions for Growing Coffee Beans.

....And not to beat a dead horse, but every time the environment shifts, even in the slightest - whether naturally or human-caused - viruses and microbes are the first to evolve and adapt to the new conditions. Plants (and people) have no resistance to the all-new recently-evolved strains.

a reply to: rickymouse

...I buy coffee when it is cheap, No more paying 14 bucks a can just because I was ignorant of how free enterprise works.

Me too. S&

Which reminds me, I only have a few cans left. Better get on it.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: signalfire

originally posted by: VoidHawk

If global warming were true (I dont believe it is) then plants would thrive as they did in the past.

Errrr, what???

Climate change will kill plants that have evolved to thrive in a certain climate.

That's leaving aside the threat of man-made manipulations of the air and soil content from (possible) chemtrails, pesticides, the Joys of Monsanto, etc.

We are to believe that CO2 is the cause of global warming. Plants EAT co2. In the past when co2 levels were higher than they are now plant life grew much bigger and faster! Modern farming techniques use co2 for that very reason!

Different plants for certain. The same plants maybe. Why can't we grow bananas and tomatoes outside in the UK? A:Because it is too cold for them. Likewise fir trees don't cope too well at the equator. With a change in climate (warmer) then flora and fauna will move northwards. This will result in a change to what can be farmed in particular areas. If the re-planting of farmed crops matches the change then no problem otherwise food shortages will occur and prices will go through the roof.

Then there is geographical changes such as the flooded farming areas of Somerset which will probably never recover and we are as well letting it revert to marshland.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: ThichHeaded
a reply to: VoidHawk

So hogwash, just cause they teach you this in 3rd grade science doesn't mean it is true..
Thats just sorcery..

Would have come up with a wittier line but meh..

Tell that to the farmers that use co2 to drastically increase their yields!

It only works on certain crops. And remember - every time the environment shifts, even in the slightest - whether naturally or human-caused - viruses and microbes are the first to evolve and adapt to the new conditions. Plants (and people) have no resistance to the all-new recently-evolved disease strains.

Don't be surprised if some new diseases suddenly "just appear" around those CO2 treated crops.

originally posted by: yorkshirelad
Different plants for certain.

And legal plants too! I see it quite a lot down on the south coast. They add it to polly tunnels!

But yes, temperature change will affect plants, but the point I was making concerned the co2, which some members seem to disbelieve.

a reply to: yorkshirelad

S& ...It's absolutely true that certain plant crops evolved to grow in specific conditions - it's also true that diseases evolved in certain conditions too. When the environmental conditions change, the diseases adapt and evolve first and much faster - so the plants (and people) have no resistance to the new disease strains. That's when the real disaster strikes.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: yorkshirelad
Different plants for certain.

....yes, temperature change will affect plants, but the point I was making concerned the co2, which some members seem to disbelieve.

Even coffee plants. BUT - environmental shifts spur and accelerate disease evolution and growth too. .....Or do you blame just Monsanto and eco-terrorists for all the new diseases in the world? Plant and human too?

Changes in soil microbial community structure under elevated tropospheric O3 and CO2

We studied the effects of O3 and CO2 alone and in combination on soil microbial communities by assessing the changes in total PLFA biomass, profiles and specific subgroups. ....Our results show that elevated O3 alone and in combination with CO2 even at moderate levels may cause changes in the biomass and composition of the microbial community in meadow soils, which may lead to functional changes in soil ecosystem processes.

Coffee with more gas. Coffee plants grow bigger and produce more when there is more CO2 in the atmosphere

Precocious blooms: the coffee plant grows bigger and produces more cherries in an atmosphere richer in CO2
An atmosphere richer in carbon dioxide (CO2)—as our atmosphere is expected to be in the coming decades as a consequence of continued emissions of gases resulting from the burning of forests and fossil fuels—could benefit the production of coffee, one of Brazil’s principal agricultural crops, and perhaps neutralize the loss in productivity caused by the increase in temperature and the intensification of droughts and floods, according to the initial results obtained from an experimental crop grown at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) facility in Jaguariúna.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: yorkshirelad
Different plants for certain.

the point I was making concerned the co2, which some members seem to disbelieve.

Thanks for making me think and for motivating me to do a bit of research on how CO2 "atmospheric enrichment" works to increase crop yields. It's true that CO2 bumps crops yields. BUT....

...Seems CO2 increases plant yields because viruses and fungi thrive, and redirect energy from the plants' roots to their leaves, seeds and fruits. Unfortunately, the nutrients in the plants and crops drops rather dramatically at the same time: increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) will also result in some of our most important food crops becoming significantly less nutritious than they are today.

Elevated CO2 spurs reciprocal positive effects between a plant virus and an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus.

Plants form ubiquitous associations with diverse microbes. These interactions range from parasitism to mutualism, depending partly on resource supplies that are being altered by global change. ...

....Under elevated CO(2), mycorrhizal association increased the titer of virus infections, and virus infection reciprocally increased the colonization of roots by mycorrhizal fungi. Additionally, virus infection decreased plant allocation to root biomass, increased leaf P, and modulated effects of CO(2) and P addition on mycorrhizal root colonization. These results indicate that plant mutualists and pathogens can alter each other's success, and predict that these interactions will respond to increased resource availability and elevated CO(2). Together, our findings highlight the importance of interactions among multiple microorganisms for plant performance under global change.

We are to believe that CO2 is the cause of global warming. Plants EAT co2. In the past when co2 levels were higher than they are now plant life grew much bigger and faster! Modern farming techniques use co2 for that very reason! - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

Well heck you have it all figured out! If only I had I realized climate change was that simple. Damn those stupid climate scientists, all 95% of them that disagree with you anyway. Had I realized you were so smart I would have turned to you for all kinds of advice!

Oh and by the way, if you really think it is as simple as Co2 I may not actually turn to you for anything other than a good joke.