Even Food For Thought Costs More

Of the many things humans can live without, food and water are not among them. We live in a global society, so drought and disease rarely affect the overall supply of food. What is affected, however, is the prices we pay to survive.

California’s central valley is often called the “breadbasket of America.” True, California consistently far outranks other states in production of dairy, fruits, vegetables, and meat. Also true is that most of California qualifies as desert. Unlike most central and eastern states, the crops we raise are produced through irrigation.

What happens when the water spigots are turned off? Well duh… crops die. Does that mean we will starve? Probably not, but we will pay more for our food – maybe much more.

We could be seeing that effect right now. When my wife returned from buying groceries the other day she shook her head in dismay at how much money she left at the supermarket.

“Did you buy something special or more than usual?” I asked. “No!” she exclaimed, “I couldn’t even buy much of what I always get.”

Yes folks, the crunch is in the works. Of course, our global economy will always allow us to get food grown outside of the country, but at what price?

No, this isn’t the first drought California has been through. I’m sure it won’t be the last. This time, however, the stars have aligned in a particularly bad configuration.

It was around 2003,when ethanol production began in earnest. Since that time, we have seen crop production take a drastic shift toward growing corn – not for livestock feed, but for fuel. That’s right, the fuel you are putting in your car contains corn that might have otherwise gone for livestock feed. Or the land it was grown on might have otherwise been used for soy, wheat, potatoes, or any other crop to feed the population. Mandated levels of ethanol have bumped crops that would undoubtedly have keep food prices lower.

Well that corn is gone -- sent up in vapor from your exhaust pipe. As it turns out, the livestock industry probably wouldn’t have been able to use all that corn anyway. The drought in the central states over the last few years had ranchers selling off their herds and others not replenishing the their stock. Because of the drought, they couldn’t grow feed, and due to the now higher corn prices, couldn’t afford to buy feed what they had.

Again, the price of food went up. Now comes another drought, this time in the nation’s breadbasket, California. Someone, I’m not sure who, made the decision that the burgeoning population in this state must take priority over the farmers in receiving the now scarce water resources. After all, food is available from other sources water is not so easy to come by.

Unfortunately, that formula only works when everyone can afford to pay higher prices for food. If you are fortunate enough to have a job that allows you to have “disposable income” (whatever that means), you may grumble about the high cost of food, but are not likely to suffer from malnutrition. But the recession isn’t over yet. There are many people still out of work or earning less than could be considered a living wage. Then there are those of us on a “fixed” income. Times are still hard. Do we pay the rent or mortgage, or do we eat? That is the decision.

So, what ya gonna do? Well, fortunately, it is springtime. Planting a vegetable garden might be a wise thing to do this year. If you don’t have the space for one, you could find a farmer’s market specializing in local grown produce. Those with the land for it could also raise some livestock.

All those endeavors require water, you might say, and you would be right. Remember, even though the water companies have shut off water to the farms and ranches in the state, they still provide water to the population. It may be a little pricey, but in the long run it could be better and cheaper than getting food from overseas. You may be able to offset the cost by not washing down your drive, or not washing your car. You can always lower your water bill by not drowning your lawn – especially on hot summer days. And if you simply MUST have green grass (why is beyond my comprehension), make certain you don’t water the sidewalk or street too – asphalt and concrete do just fine without water.

Yep, our Easter ham this year will probably be a few slices of bacon. By Thanksgiving, we may have to substitute a few doves for the usual turkey. I just hope that by Christmas we won’t be reduced to eating wild Jackrabbit.