[Sca-cooks] Current farm prices and affects on feast budgeting

Terry Decker t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net
Sat Feb 16 06:53:29 PST 2008


> My guess is that the major reason for increased cost of grains is the
> increasing use of biofuels, which compete for the same agricultural
> inputs.
> -- 
> David Friedman

In the case of wheat, there have been weather problems with a number of the 
major producing areas in the past year reducing the quantity of available 
wheat.  Since half of the U.S. crop is exported, the global market is 
pushing the domestic rise in prices.  And to cap it off, the U.S. wheat 
reserve is at the lowest it's been in 30 years, so we can't flood the market 
to smooth the spike.  A shortage of wheat pushes the market in alternative 
grains.

Combined that with the increasing use of biofuels you mention and we 
certainly get rising prices in the grain markets.  Toss in the speculation 
that occurs when there are major price shifts and I would suggest we are in 
for an interesting time at the grocery.

Bear 




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