[Vladaar]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13985428

 

[Crutch]

Monsanto controls the corn... and the prices.

Sure it looks good to pay 20 cents an ear, but do you really know what you are eating? More importantly have we considered the consequences of doing business with monsanto?

I grow my own corn, non GMO, with out the pesticides. I also shop farmers markets with real Organic farmers.

It might not be cheaper, but it's at least consistent.

 

[pearlselby]

We are also growing a bunch of corn this year. I steer clear of moonsanto too. My garden is all heirloom organics.

 

[ForestBeekeeper]

I do not grow our corn, rather I buy corn by the tonne.

We are fortunate that this is not a big GMO area, few farmers here grow GM crops.

 

[oldparanoia]

I'm trying to grow corn but I don't think it likes our current weather. My neighbor mentioned that it's supposed to be knee high by the 4th, right now it's about ankle high. We had rain almost every day since the snow melted but I guess it needed heat also. At least that's my excuse this time. I can't seem to grow corn or zuchinni.

 

[Allamakee County]

I'm trying to grow corn but I don't think it likes our current weather. My neighbor mentioned that it's supposed to be knee high by the 4th, right now it's about ankle high. We had rain almost every day since the snow melted but I guess it needed heat also. At least that's my excuse this time. I can't seem to grow corn or zuchinni.

Still gotta a couple days...

Yep, "knee high by the Fourth of July" is the adage. Ours is at least hip high in most places. And by ours, I mean, the area's corn growers. We gave up on sweet corn ourselves.

 

[ex-hunter]

Monsanto controls the corn... and the prices.

Sure it looks good to pay 20 cents an ear, but do you really know what you are eating? More importantly have we considered the consequences of doing business with monsanto?

No corn that you buy by the ear has been grown from Monsanto seed.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

'Knee high by the 4th of July' was Grampa's addage.
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=61450
Today, corn is usually knee high by the middle of June here.

Last year, my corn was well over my head on the 4th weekend.
this year, the corn is a month behind, I'm not taking pics.

 

[Packitup]

Much of the corn in central Illinois is over head high now. That is except for what is in the river bottom and most of it is flooded out.

 

[Mic]

I have a friend that works for a large agriculture company (no it is not Monsanto) who is what I call an "agri-geek" because he knows so much about the worldwide agriculture markets. Anyways a few months back he was telling me how low our U.S. grain bins were getting and saying that one really good growing year could pull us out of the shortages we are in at the moment, but he thought all things considered it might be 2-3 years before we could "grow ourselves out of this" as he said.

Maybe this is the trend of something positive that it will happen earlier. With the economy what it is these days we can probably use a *little* good news. We shall see.

 

[MC Ain't Crazy]

I have a friend that works for a large agriculture company (no it is not Monsanto) who is what I call an "agri-geek" because he knows so much about the worldwide agriculture markets. Anyways a few months back he was telling me how low our U.S. grain bins were getting and saying that one really good growing year could pull us out of the shortages we are in at the moment, but he thought all things considered it might be 2-3 years before we could "grow ourselves out of this" as he said.

Maybe this is the trend of something positive that it will happen earlier. With the economy what it is these days we can probably use a *little* good news. We shall see.

Pay attention to that, everybody. The past few years of climate weirdness (whether human-caused or not) would seem to augur that we're not going to get that one really good year, and that 2 or 3 years might see us deeper in instead.

You've also got to consider the fact that we export grains of just about every kind all over the planet, and that's probably not going to stop. Whether it should stop or not (I'm not that smart) the fact is that it won't. Economics alone says the corporations that own the production are going to send it wherever prices favor them (and maintaining a level of shortage definitely favors them). Factor in the elevated threat of terrorist attacks if dependent populaces get angry and desperate because we've cut off the food supply, and you've got your answer.

Prices might get better. It looks more likely to me that they're gonna get worse. There's all the above, plus the fact that the Fed has to phase out all those frankly outdated ag subsidies sometime. Throw fuel-from-food and the rising demand for meat in the developing world into that stew.

It's all speculation, of course. I hope they're right. It's just that I prefer to speculate on the side of caution, being a dyed-in-the-wool pessimist. I still think the smart money stocked up five years ago, and the not-stupid-really-I-swear money is stocking up now while it's still at least possible.

For what it's worth. You milage may vary. And et cetera

 

[home in oz]

IMO, once prices go up, they tend to stay up.

 

[ex-hunter]

IMO, once prices go up, they tend to stay up.

... we're talking about commodity prices and commodity futures prices.

They go up, they go down, they stay in the same range for decades.

 

[Colorado Rancher]

You've also got to consider the fact that we export grains of just about every kind all over the planet, and that's probably not going to stop. Whether it should stop or not (I'm not that smart) the fact is that it won't. Economics alone says the corporations that own the production are going to send it wherever prices favor them (and maintaining a level of shortage definitely favors them). Factor in the elevated threat of terrorist attacks if dependent populaces get angry and desperate because we've cut off the food supply, and you've got your answer.

90% of the farms in the United States are owned by individuals or families. I know we all like to dig on the big bad wolf (evil corporations), but in this case I'm not sure its warranted.

I would instead place the blame on stupid energy policies of our government that encourage corn based ethanol. That alone has done more to increase prices than anything else I have witnessed.