Weather has crushed many Midwest farms-prepare for higher prices

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

www.poormansurvivor.net

ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

 

Weather has crushed many Midwest farms-prepare for higher prices

If what some experts are telling us is true, a global food crisis appears to be inevitable.  Even during good years we have a really difficult time feeding everyone on the planet, and now a major climate shift appears to be happening.  Our sun has become exceedingly quiet, and many experts believe that this is a sign that a solar minimum is now upon us.  Of course we have seen solar minimums happen quite regularly in the past, and if this is just a normal solar minimum then conditions should begin to return to normal after a couple of years.  Unfortunately, evidence continues to mount that we have entered what is known as a “grand solar minimum”.  In fact, Professor Valentina Zharkova says that what we are facing is a “super grand solar minimum”, and if that is true we are going to be facing climate chaos like we have never seen before.  During previous “grand solar minimums” the globe was gripped by devastating famines and vast numbers of people died.  Could a similar scenario potentially be in our future?

Ice Age Farmer has compiled a “Grand Solar Minimum Crop Loss Map” which you can view right here, and I appreciate our friends at ANP for pointing it out to us.  Ice Age Farmer’s map shows that there are literally dozens of locations all over the globe right now that are reporting significant crop losses, and this is really unlike anything we have ever seen before.  Some parts of our planet are dealing with horrific drought, but in the middle of the United States it just won’t stop raining.  In some areas of the world it is too cold, while others are experiencing record heat.  Everywhere we look we see extremes, and the behavior of our sun is the primary reason this is happening.

 Top scientists were warning us that a solar minimum had arrived, and since that time the behavior of the sun has continued to confirm that hypothesis…

The surface of the sun is normally a roiling, super-heated hellscape.

But Nasa images have revealed that the face of our star is looking ominously calm right now, prompting claims it’s reached a stage of its cycle called the solar minimum.

During the minimum, there are significantly fewer sunspots and its magnetic field weakens, allowing cosmic rays from outside our solar system to rain down on Earth.

This solar minimum came early, and that is exactly what we would expect if we were entering a “grand solar minimum”.  Perhaps the best known “grand solar minimum” in our history was the Maunder Minimum which stretched from 1645 to 1715…

The last time a deep solar minimum was in effect was the Maunder minimum, which saw seven decades of freezing weather, began in 1645 and lasted through to 1715, and happened when sunspots were exceedingly rare.

During this period, temperatures dropped globally by 1.3 degrees celsius leading to shorter seasons and ultimately food shortages.

The food shortages during the Maunder Minimum were quite severe, and the global death toll was enormous.

Could we be facing a similar scenario this time around?

Actually, economist Martin Armstrong seems to believe that it could be even worse…

The Maunder Minimum created such a deep cold in Europe and extreme weather events elsewhere that what unfolds is a series of droughts, floods, and harvest failures. Historically, this leads to massive migrations, wars and revolutions. The fatal synergy between human and natural disasters eradicated perhaps one-third of the human population during the last event and this time we are crashing more rapidly than before. Therefore, we may exceed more than a reduction in population of one-third and reach the levels of the 14th century of 50%, which was also combined with the Black Plague.

That layer of stress on the agricultural industry is only intensified when you zoom out to the international level, where farmers around the world are facing various dire situations. As one North Dakota farmer and Twitter user Jordan Gackle pointed out in a recent thread: Drought is continuing to disrupt wheat crops in Australia forcing the country to import some of its wheat from Canada. Some farmers in Canada are now reporting long stretches without rain under the hashtag #drought19. Head over to China and you’ll find that a legion of fall armyworms are spreading rapidly and devouring key grain crops.

With this 2017 story over at Feeding America reporting that more than 41 million Americans were suffering from hunger daily, including more than 13 million children, with this National Geographic story reporting that 1 out of every 6 Americans aren’t getting enough to eat [although as you look around you and see the growing obesity problem in America, it makes me wonder].

 

 

As you prep, always think of what you can learn to do yourself right now, as opposed to having to learn due to a necessity. Can you grow your own garden? Hunt for you own meat? Learn to make your own clothes? Learn to can foods? Speaking of canning, it is absolutely invaluable for survival, since you can do it over and over each year without incurring any additional expenses.

Are you thinking pickles and jam?  Crawl out of whatever rock you've been under, because canning is so much more than that! You can can fruits, vegetables, soups, salads, salsa, spaghetti sauce, meats and more. There are numerous websites available offering hundreds of canning recipes.  Canning is a simple, effective, and low cost method of storing pretty large quantities of delicious, nutritious food.

But there are a few things you should know:

• Canning is time-consuming.
• It will take a little money to get started (you'll need jars, lids and maybe a pressure canner).
• Home canned food may kill you if it's not done right.
• Most foods canned at home involve the use of vinegar

There are two ways to can fruits and vegetables for long-term storage: the boiling water bath method and the pressure canning method. They’re basically the same, but the boiling water bath method requires a simple stock pot, whereas the pressure canning method requires a specialized piece of equipment called a pressure canner.

The general agreement between hard-core canners is that pressure canner kills bacteria more effectively and it is usually used to preserve foods with low acidic level. However, you can use the boiling water method to process fruits and use the pressure canner to process the vegetables.

The basic process is that you cook the produce for a prescribed period of time, sterilize the jars and lids, add a natural preserving solution to the processed, jarred foods (like salt, sugar and vinegar) and then vacuum seal the lids. Sealing the lids properly is critical. If the jar is not sealed is properly, the air will enter the jar and make contact with the food, allowing for bacterial growth and effectively spoiling the food you worked hard to preserve. On top of that, exposed canned produce can cause botulism, a dangerous bacterial infection.

To avoid spoiling, add acid to acidic foods. Lemon juice or vinegar work well.

Be sure not to overfill the jars with produce. When you add the liquid, fill the jars enough to submerge the produce. Make sure there are no bubbles or foam on top.

Boil the filled, sealed jars and then you're ready to go. Let the jars cool.

Be sure to label your canned foods with a name and expiration date prior to putting them away for long-term storage. Canned foods will stay fresh for a long time.

I recommend buying a couple of books that will help guide you through the canning process (pick the illustrated ones) and offer recipes to help you add variety to your canned meals.

P.S. It's best to purchase a well-built pressure canner and cooker, which is the safest and easiest way to can large batches of food quickly.

Bruce, the “Poor Man”

 

Additional News of Note…

We’re already in recession, here’s what to do, says economist who called last bubble

“I think we’re probably already in a recession, but I think [it will] probably be a run of the mill affair, which means real GDP would decline 1.5% to 2%, not to 3.5% to 4%, you had in the very serious [past] recessions,” said the president of money manager A. Gary Shilling & Co. He also lays claim to having forecast a global inventory glut that led to the 1973 to 1975 U.S. downturn.

UBS: World economy ‘one step away from global recession’ (Saxplayer00o1)

“U.S. tariff escalation is NOT our base case,” the bank said. “But if escalation is not averted in the next week or so … we anticipate making major changes to our forecasts.

It added: “We estimate global growth would be 75 [basis points] lower over the subsequent six quarters and that the contours would resemble a mild ‘global recession’” that would rival Europe’s debt crisis and the oil collapse of the mid-1980s, according to UBS analysts.

 

 

Raccoons may look cute and even pitiful at times, but they do pose a threat. By being potential rabies virus-carriers, they are a danger to you, your family, and your pets. We can never stress enough the dangers and troubles these critters pose, so check out these tried-and-tested natural raccoon deterrents we’ve collected for you. Read more >

 

From fires to bear attacks, experts reveal the tactics that will get you out alive.

Emergencies happen, here's how you can be more prepared. 

Everyone has a few rubber bands somewhere in their home, probably in the bottom of their junk drawer. When I was a kid, my brother and I shot them at each other. I even had a rubber band gun (until he stole it from me).

 You might be surprised to learn that rubber bands aren't just good for shooting at each other. In fact, there are at least 25 survival/everyday uses for rubber bands. In this video, Sensible Prepper demonstrates them.

 Here's his list...

 25 Survival Uses for Rubber Bands

A Final Note…

Contributors and subscribers enable the Poor Man Survivor to post 150+ free essays annually. It is for this reason they are Heroes and Heroines of New Media. Without your financial support, the free content would disappear for the simple reason that I cannot keep body and soul together on my meager book sales & ecommerce alone.

 

You Can’t Buy Life Insurance After You’re Dead-Prepare NOW for Emergencies. Resources-Solar Chargers back in stock-Grab one now as they go fast.  Our supply on eBay sold out in ten minutes!

*Available at our storefront – PLUS grab one of our popular emergency solar/wind-up/battery back-up power plants…

 

 

Find self reliance goods at:

 

Support our efforts by shopping my storefront…

http://RetroGuy.Net

 

 

 

A Smoking Frog Feature, Shallow Planet Production