It is no surprise to any of our readers that, to put it lightly, the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Gas prices, temperatures, and natural disasters are all on the rise. The Earth has a pretty clear carrying capacity that everyone in power chooses to ignore for the sake of convenience. Like it or not, we have to be prepared for the consequences of each action that our leaders don’t take. If there are days when living off the grid seems a troublesome or exhausting task, it is important to remember
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With one of the worst droughts in decades causing corn prices to escalate, Americans may be forced to choose between putting meat on the dinner table and filling their gas tanks. At the heart of the problem is a battle between meat and ethanol producers over how best to use this year’s shrinking corn crop. The debate over using America’s food crops to produce fuel has been brewing since 2008 when a boom in commodities and surging food prices brought into question the ethics of diverting corn to the production of ethanol, which Washington promotes
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As the worst drought in 50 years continues its onslaught, corn prices rose on Monday to new record levels. Drought-ravaged areas account for 90% of the US corn crop, and 40% of those crops sit in the worst-hit areas, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Since June 18th, corn prices have risen over 50%. On Monday, the Chicago Board of Trade reported another 3% jump, to a record high of $8.17 per bushel. Soybeans are not far behind. They’re up 20% in as many weeks, and they rose 1% on Monday to $16.17 a
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July 26, 2012 The US drought is the worst in decades, and has already caused corn prices to hit a record, and soy to soar. And as we first reported last week, Asia could well be next to suffer soaring food prices next as “the monsoon season, which is critical for that country’s agricultural production,
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Weather Service reported this past Thursday that more of the U.S. is affected by drought this summer than any time since it started keeping records through its Drought Monitor twelve years ago. Prolonged periods of extreme heat have not only set records in the Midwest, but drought conditions are spreading and intensifying. According to the weekly Drought Monitor, 56 percent of the continental U.S is now affected by drought. That’s up five percentage points from the previous week and higher than the nearest record of 55 percent in 2003. Though
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For a homesteader, gardening is a crucial element of living off the land. If you grow your own food, a drought can be a scary and trying time. However, droughts are a fact of life, and depending on where you live, may be a fairly regular occurrence. That’s why the best way to garden through a drought is to plan ahead. Water is, and always will be, a limited resource. There is only so much water to go around on this planet, and you need to use yours wisely. With proper planning, especially in drought-prone
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