Potential Food and Energy Shortage Across the World

[Laurs]

Sadly, here in Portugal, due to a combination of extreme drought and a spiraling cost of feed live stock producers are so desperate, that they have already started killing animals because they cannot afford to feed them. Many are shutting their operations altogether, which will further drive up the cost of meat.

Livestock producers reducing herds due to spiralling cost of feed - Portugal Resident

The combination of extreme drought and the spiralling cost of feed has put Portugal’s livestock producers in a desperate situation. Many are shutting down operations altogether, others are drastically ‘cutting back on heads of cattle’ – meaning animals are being killed because their owners...

www.portugalresident.com

 

[Joe]

Speaking of drought, the Western US is having a hard time too. Strange how this happens in both the US and W. Europe at the same time

Millions at risk of power and water shortages as two of the nation's largest reservoirs on the brink of "dead pool status," U.N. warns

The water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell are so low "that we're no longer speaking of a drought."

www.cbsnews.com

 

[benkostka]

Speaking of drought, the Western US is having a hard time too. Strange how this happens in both the US and W. Europe at the same time

Millions at risk of power and water shortages as two of the nation's largest reservoirs on the brink of "dead pool status," U.N. warns

The water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell are so low "that we're no longer speaking of a drought."

www.cbsnews.com

Another interesting fact about the American West that’s no doubt contributing to the drought is the absolute terrible land management practices. Allan Savory has shown in Zimbabwe how to reinvigorate the land through the effective use of livestock, even having springs return from areas where they’d been dry for decades.

He tried to do the same type of intensive grazing in the US and couldn’t because of the laws regulating the land. So literally water will never infiltrate into the soil until we change our perspective on livestock. Nature won’t recover on it’s own in that type of climate. You’ll just end up with more destructive flash floods, which we are seeing.

 

[Adobe]

The Argentine Economic Minister Being Hunted Down, As The Current Rate Of Inflation In Argentina Is Now 60%

https://twitter.com/x/status/1556038588856520710

 

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1557838797609508864

Curious all these food factories that burn in Europe at #USA in the Atlantic world!

England declares an emergency within 8 of 14 areas.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1558057665934262275

Sky News: Drought declared in 8 of 14 areas in England. Stores begin rationing water consumption, millions of households suffer from hose ban

Newsom bets on a new plan to combat California drought ​

Aug. 12, 2022 6:30 AM PT

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Friday, Aug. 12. I’m Times staff writer Marissa Evans.

California is burning and drying up fast thanks to the “Day After Tomorrow"-esque cinematic combination of wildfires, hotter heat waves, a historic drought, decreased storm runoff and climate change. If only we had some of the water from the movie.

And just like the utopian sunshine our state is known for, drought will also continue to be a likely feature of California living. But as our staff writer Ian James reports, Gov. Gavin Newsom is adamant that his new blueprint to combat California’s water crisis will quench the state’s thirst for solutions.

It’s estimated that the state will lose 10% of its water supply — more than the volume of Shasta Lake — by 2040. If his plan works, Newsom and his water policy experts are betting that they can save enough water for an estimated 8.4 million households.

“The best science tells us that we need to act now to secure California’s water future. Climate change means drought won’t just stick around for two years at a time like it historically has,” Newsom said in a statement. “Drought is a permanent fixture here in the American West, and California will adapt to this new reality.”

In his 16-page plan, Newsom is advocating for expanding water storage capacity above and below ground by 4 million acre-feet; expanding average groundwater recharge by 500,000 acre-feet; accelerating wastewater recycling projects to reuse at least 800,000 acre-feet of water by 2030; building projects to capture more runoff during storms; and desalination of ocean water and salty groundwater.

“Regardless of drought or flood, in this changing climate there will be less water available for people to use,” the state plan says. “To match the pace of climate change, California must move smarter and faster to update our water systems. The modernization of our water systems will help replenish the water California will lose due to hotter, drier weather.”

Some modest relief for the next couple of days for France.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1557725042871779329

What the Colorado River drought means for Las Vegas
The Nevada Independent Video / 2:34
Aug 4, 2022

Over the past two decades, a prolonged drought — worsened by climate change — has exposed a longstanding imbalance between supply and demand across a watershed that supports about 40 million people across the Southwest. Although Las Vegas uses a small portion of Colorado River water, Southern Nevada depends on Lake Mead for about 90 percent of its drinking water.

 

[Pierre]

Italians report an increase of 468 % in electricity price

https://twitter.com/x/status/1558513040944930816

 

[Alix]

Cockroach Milk

"A little cockroach milk with those biscuits? The insect milk is packed with protein."

View attachment 61779

ACK!!!!!! I think I'd rather grind some tree bark.

 

[KJS]

Cockroach Milk

"A little cockroach milk with those biscuits? The insect milk is packed with protein."

View attachment 61779

Apart from bug parasites, chitin is possibly also not suitable for human beings:

Chitin and Its Effects on Inflammatory and Immune Responses - PubMed

Chitin, a potential allergy-promoting pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP), is a linear polymer composed of N-acetylglucosamine residues which are linked by β-(1,4)-glycosidic bonds. Mammalians are potential hosts for chitin-containing protozoa, fungi, arthropods, and nematodes; however...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Chitin, a potential allergy-promoting pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP), is a linear polymer composed of N-acetylglucosamine residues which are linked by β-(1,4)-glycosidic bonds. Mammalians are potential hosts for chitin-containing protozoa, fungi, arthropods, and nematodes; however, mammalians themselves do not synthetize chitin and thus it is considered as a potential target for recognition by mammalian immune system. Chitin is sensed primarily in the lungs or gut where it activates a variety of innate (eosinophils, macrophages) and adaptive immune cells (IL-4/IL-13 expressing T helper type-2 lymphocytes). Chitin induces cytokine production, leukocyte recruitment, and alternative macrophage activation. Intranasal or intraperitoneal administration of chitin (varying in size, degree of acetylation and purity) to mice has been applied as a routine approach to investigate chitin's priming effects on innate and adaptive immunity. Structural chitin present in microorganisms is actively degraded by host true chitinases, including acidic mammalian chitinases and chitotriosidase into smaller fragments that can be sensed by mammalian receptors such as FIBCD1, NKR-P1, and RegIIIc. Immune recognition of chitin also involves pattern recognition receptors, mainly via TLR-2 and Dectin-1, to activate immune cells to induce cytokine production and creation of an immune network that results in inflammatory and allergic responses. In this review, we will focus on various immunological aspects of the interaction between chitin and host immune system such as sensing, interactions with immune cells, chitinases as chitin degrading enzymes, and immunologic applications of chitin.

Now imagine basing most of the diet on bug products... IBD will probably become very common. It's crazy that The Corporate Science™ now tells us that chitin is good:

What is Chitin | Cricket Flours

Chitin is the fibrous material that makes up the exoskeleton of arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. As a prebiotic, chitin found in edible insects is a great source of dietary fiber...

www.cricketflours.com

CHITIN AS A PREBIOTIC HEALTHY FIBER​

Edible insects as a roasted snack or protein powder are an awesome source of nutrients and protein. The chitin also provides a source of beneficial fiber from the chitin that is a great prebiotic for gut health. This dietary fiber is good for your digestive health, helps to keep you feeling full longer, and has also been found to help to improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

In a recent study on the consumption of edible insects, the researchers found almost a 6X increase of the beneficial probiotic bacterium, Bifidobacterium animalis, in those who ate crickets. The results also suggest that eating insects may reduce systemic inflammation as well. The prebiotics available from the chitin in edible insects, provide nutrition for probiotics and are one of the benefits of chitin for gut microbiology. Read more about the study in-depth here.

 

[Eboard10]

Italians report an increase of 468 % in electricity price

https://twitter.com/x/status/1558513040944930816

Another such example from Italy where a business saw its July gas bill increase 8 times vs July last year.

Here's the translated text from the tweet: "While politicians are fighting over a hot seat, entrepreneurs are left alone in the midst of the energy jungle. To work 15 days in July, I have to pay a gas bill of 978,000.00 compared to about 120,000 last year (for 20 days of work)."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1559797408556531712

 

[Anthony]

Slovalco aluminium plant in Slovakia will stop production because of soaring energy bills. The soaring energy bills are of course the result of sanctions imposed on Russia as well as other damaging policies of the Western elite. As a consequence of this, the EU will be "forced to import aluminium from countries such as China and Russia". You just can't make this stuff up...

“The Slovalco aluminium plant is a key supplier not only for Slovak but also for European companies. By stopping its production, Europe will be forced to import aluminium from countries such as China and Russia,” said general manager Milan Vesely, adding that the company is preparing several support measures for the employees affected by the production shutdown.

 

[Lucius]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1557665431888056320

Strong: This one, in the Elbe river, is from 1616 and says: "If you see me, cry"

Source:
Even several hundred years old "hunger stones" - boulders placed in river beds with historically low water levels marked - are evidence of past drought periods. This year, the stones have become visible again due to the low water levels in the rivers, informs the portal of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Wednesday. "Inscriptions carved on the stones inform about years of drought, but they can also warn against the effects of lack of water: crop failure and hunger" - adds "FAZ". “Some (starvation stones) have been lying in riverbeds for centuries and can only be seen when summer is really dry, like this year. On the Rhine in particular, more records have been recorded for weeks, ”explains" FAZ ". According to the local German media, the hunger stones were revealed, among others in the Weser, Rhine and Elbe. The low water level makes water transport on the Rhine difficult. To reduce the draft of ships, the number of containers transported was reduced from 150-200 to 20-30 (PAP)


another one source :

The level of the Elbe River, which crosses Germany and the Czech Republic, has dropped to such a low level that the river has once again exposed the so-called Famine Stones, the oldest hydrological monuments of Central Europe. The current drought in our western neighbours has meant that you can read the dates of previous droughts on stones on the Rhine and Elbe in Germany. The last one took place in 2018.

Read also: Malfunction on Boeing 737-800 with Polish tourists on board. The plane circled over Poland for hours

As the German newspaper "Sachsische Zeitung" points out, dozens of "hunger stones" have been found along the banks of the Elbe, including some that were previously unknown and undescribed. This means one thing - the inhabitants must prepare for very difficult times.


The oldest inscription carved on the famine stones found in the Elbe riverbed dates back to 1616. The stone bears a sad message in German: "When you see me, cry".

In the Czech Republic, on the other hand, the oldest such stone dates back to 1417. A German source reports that it is now almost illegible, as it was destroyed by the anchors of ships mooring to the shore.

The stones have become a tourist attraction with which local residents, as well as visitors from other regions of the Czech Republic and Germany, take photos as souvenirs. In 2018, also in the Elbe, dozens of unexploded bombs from the Second World War were found. These were mainly grenades, mines and other explosives. Most of them were successfully collected and detonated. It turned out that they were still operational.

Experts warn. Things could get very bad
According to a report by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, by the end of this decade drought could lead to the forced migration of 700 million people, and by 2050 - up to 5.7 billion people. The number and duration of drought periods on Earth has increased by 29 per cent since 2000.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1557658033324531712

 

[Magnolia]

IceAgeFarmer on Telegram has some updates on crop failures. Nothing new......as usual, issues are often blamed on "climate change," but to quote Christian, "The losses are catastrophic in every direction."

• Iceland: eat on layaway. “Shop now pay later” schemes hit as people can't afford to pay for food. ITV Article.
• South Carolina crop failures of peaches, watermelons and blueberries have affected local growers, trickling down to the restaurants, breweries, distillers and markets. Western Journal Article.
• Several EU crops are being hit hard, with the yield forecasts for grain 16% below the 5-year average, and maize 15% below. Bloomberg Article.
• European crops damaged by summerlong heatwaves. Argentina hit by drought. Underwhelming size of North America's crops. Corn futures in Chicago rose to a six-week high on Tuesday -- drought in parts of Nebraska and South Dakota where plants aren't producing ears of grain. ZeroHedge Article.
• Crop failures expected in England. Half of the potato crop is expected to fail.....maize has been failing. Losses of 10-50% are expected for carrots, onions, sugar beet, apples and hops. Milk production is down due to lack of feed, and wildfires are putting large areas of farmland at risk. Guardian Article.
• China: Yangtze river running dry, revealing Buddhist statues, 2.2 million hectares of scorched crops. YouTube.
• Italy is the biggest producer of rice in the European Union—accounting for over half of its total production. Drought is reducing crop yields. National Geographic Article.
• Other articles:
  Zerohedge Drought Conditions Now Affecting Two-Thirds Of US.
  Business Insider China Planning to Expand Weather Modification Program
  Corey's Digs Telegram video: 50 cows died in a few minutes, one after another, under the horrified gaze of the breeder, in a field in Italy
  Romania Posts Article (apparently due to sorghum poisoning)
  ‘Biology Trumps Chemicals Every Day,’ Farming Expert Tells RFK, Jr.
  Producer Owned Beef Launches with State of Texas Funding Producer Owned Beef's innovative business model restores balance in the beef industry by reversing compensation disparities cattle producers currently face. As owners of the company, producers will receive a percentage of wholesale beef prices for the cattle they supply and a share of the profits from the plant.​

 

[Honzap]

Just to add to the above, what we are seeing is not just droughts, it is a mixed bag of different little calamities which make this year`s harvest way below average.
To name few:
- potatoes: by far the best crop of this year. It started as a sprouted bag of potatoes found in the pantry early in the spring. Complete afterthought which got us about 5 times what we planted. All carbs, but an awesome outcome.
- carrots: could have been better, but a decent yield, although some got pulled out and eaten by deer
- zucchini: only 1 plant this year which still produced enough to make everyone sick of seeing the darn thing on their plates yet again :)
- radishes including daikons: very good yield
- swiss chard: eaten by deer
- beets: deer. Every - single - one of them. Leaves and roots. Gone
- kale: on the same patch as swiss chard and beets, interestingly survived the deer. Very good harvest
- lettuce: about average
- cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli: eaten by bugs, caterpillars and other crawling fauna
- tomatoes: first batch didn`t even make it to a small plant stage. Second batch turned to about one in four plants produced. The rest just grew without a fruit.
- blueberries: abysmal. If we haven`t gotten 10 new plants this year, there wouldn`t have been any.
- cherries: first cherries we have seen in 3 years. 90% eaten by crows before we realized they were there
- corn: normally you see 2 or 3 stalks on a plant. This year we got one if at all. So lets call it 50% yield. Out of which another 50% gets thrown away due to racoons, bugs, etc. So maybe 25% of expected harvest

We grow 100% heirloom and organic. No herbicides, pesticides or commercial fertilizer. We use chicken, rabbit, sheep manure and compost.
We are not master gardeners, but we are seeing this and talking to other folks in the area, even local nurseries see similar results. Based in east TN, Appalachians.

 

[Magnolia]

Food supply news waxes and wanes like the moon, although always visible. But there have been a lot of articles over the past 1-2 weeks, and the impact of the EOY crop statistics to be released in the fall (with availability decreases/price increases in stores) has been hypothesized by a good number of people for almost a year now.

Major Food Crisis Coming In 2023? – "Prices Will Be On Steroids After The Election"
Zerohedge reflects IceAgeFarmer's assessment -- this article was originally published on the Economic Collapse.
"Global officials have been telling us over and over again that we are heading into an unprecedented global food crisis [but] the vast majority of the population doesn’t seem to be taking this seriously...... Crop losses haven’t hit the food system yet. So none of these crop losses are reflected in grocery store prices yet.........Most people simply do not realize how much our farmers are hurting right now. Just check out these numbers…"

 

[KJS]

A couple of bad news from Poland regarding fertilizer production:

Meat plants in a few days may come to a standstill. The stocks of carbon dioxide are running out​

Record expensive gas takes its toll. First, fertilizer producers were hit hard, and now food producers are alarming. The lack of carbon dioxide will mean that in a few days, for example, meat plants will have a huge problem. - If the government does not do anything about it, 80-90 percent. Pork and poultry may be slaughtered - warns the president of the Polish Meat Union.

Fertilizer producers from Poland and Europe severely limit or even suspend their production due to the record cost of gas. They explain that in such a situation production is not profitable.

It turns out that not only farmers may have a problem in the fall, but representatives of the food industry are already sounding the alarm. - This is a huge problem that affects all beer producers, and not only beer, says Business Insider Bartłomiej Morzycki, general director of the Union of Brewing Industry Employers in Poland, Browary Polskie. He warns that the lack of carbon dioxide is "a direct threat to production continuity".

- Beer is the smallest problem. Meat plants have five or six days of carbon dioxide stocks. Later, pigs and poultry will be slaughtered, because nobody has carbon dioxide - emphasizes Witold Choiński, president of the Polskie Mięso association, in an interview with Business Insider.

This gas is a by-product of the production of fertilizers. Why is the meat industry needed? Solidified carbon dioxide is similar to snow. It is called "dry ice". It is used, among others in transport.

Moreover, in order to lower or maintain the desired temperature in the processing process, dry ice pellets can be added directly to the meat (during grinding, mixing, to lower the initial temperature or to keep the temperature constant by compensating for the heat generated in these processes).

- There is no alternative. We are looking for carbon dioxide abroad, but it is nowhere available . If the government does not do anything about it, 80-90 percent. Pork and poultry can be slaughtered - admits Choiński.

It does not hide that the entire industry expects the government to intervene and supply enough raw material to allow for slaughter. He explains that the problem will be immediately faced by producers, because no one will collect pigs or poultry from breeders, because there will be nothing to do with it.

- Losses can go even into billions of zlotys - estimates the president. - This problem cannot be underestimated.

According to our information, a letter of representatives of several industries (including meat and milk) is currently being prepared. The addressees are Prime Minister Morawiecki, Minister Sasin and Minister Kowalczyk.

Zakłady mięsne za kilka dni mogą stanąć. Kończą się zapasy dwutlenku węgla

Rekordowo drogi gaz zbiera żniwo. Najpierw potężne uderzenie otrzymali producenci nawozów, a teraz alarmują producenci żywności. Brak dwutlenku węgla sprawi, że za kilka dni gigantyczny problem będ...

businessinsider-com-pl.translate.goog

The dramatic situation of the producers of beverages and beer. There is no carbon dioxide. They want an immediate response from the government​

Restrictions in the production of Grupa Azoty and Anwil affect not only the fertilizer industry. There is also a lack of carbon dioxide for beer production - reports poradnikhandlowca.com. The problems basically concern the entire beverage industry and more, which was confirmed by Carslberg Polska. Stocks in many companies may run out any day.

- As a consequence of the reduction in production at Grupa Azoty and Anwili, Air Products suspended the production of CO2 and dry ice
- This is hitting the retail industry directly, mainly beverage producers
- As we learn in Carlsberg Polska, the situation is serious, because most companies have carbon dioxide reserves for a few days
- For now, Grupa Żywiec only tells us that it "analyzes the situation"
- Industry demands immediate government response

The reduction in production at the Grupa Azoty and Anwil plants is not only hitting farmers, who may find it more difficult to obtain fertilizers. In a moment, the beverage industry may have problems with production due to shortages of CO2, and the rest of trade with products requiring low temperatures due to shortages of the so-called dry ice.

"The company Air Products sp. Z oo with its registered office in Warsaw, hereby announces that on August 23, 2022 we received information that both Anwil SA and Grupa Azoty SA suspend the production of nitrogen fertilizers, and in both cases the reason for such decision was given a sudden and unprecedented increase in natural gas prices; emphasizing that this situation is unique, completely independent of both companies and was impossible to predict (relevant stock market announcements of both companies are attached)" - the largest producers in the country received letters with this content, which was confirmed by us a representative of Carlsberg Polska.

"Both of the above-mentioned entities are key suppliers of Air Products sp. z o.o. in the area of liquid CO2 and dry ice production, supplying, respectively, our production plants in Włocławek (Anwil SA) and Tarnów (Grupa Azoty SA - Zakłady Azotowe Tarnów), the so-called raw Carbon dioxide is the basic raw material for the production of liquid CO2 and / or dry ice, 'we read.

As we found out in the Carlsberg Polska press office, the situation is really serious, because most companies do not have large CO2 stocks. Maybe enough for "less than a week". The representatives of the beer industry are counting on the government's immediate response, which will allow production to be restored.

Grupa Żywiec, one of the biggest players on the beer market, informs Business Insider that it is currently "analyzing the situation" related to CO2.

On the other hand, Kompania Piwowarska informs that "despite all external challenges it does not anticipate any interruption of supplies and will continue production as planned.

- Thanks to the technology used in all our breweries, we recover the carbon dioxide generated in the beer brewing process, which allows us to meet our demand for this ingredient - explains Iwona Jacaszek-Pruś, corporate director at Kompania Piwowarska.

Dramatyczna sytuacja producentów napojów i piwa. Brakuje dwutlenku węgla. Chcą natychmiastowej reakcji rządu

Ograniczenia w produkcji Grupy Azoty i Anwilu mają wpływ nie tylko na branżę nawozów. Brakuje także dwutlenku węgla do produkcji piwa — donosi poradnikhandlowca.com. Problemy dotyczą w zasadzie cał...

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