The resident farmer is gonna have a little rant here. I am reading in the newspapers how the price of food is going up so high due to increased ag commodity prices and it kinda irks me and want to put out the other side of the coin. When I started farming 25 yrs ago, we counted on getting about $4 a bushel for wheat, $1000 for a fat (ready to slaughter) heifer or steer. Up until a year ago, we were still at $4 or so for wheat, it has been a bit higher, a bit lower over 25 yrs. We still are getting an ave of $1000 for fat cattle. There is currently a plan here to euthanize over 20,000 baby pigs A WEEK to reduce oversupply. A bushel of wheat is 60 lbs, and can make 60 loaves of whole wheat bread. Wheat has gone from $4 to $8 or more (tough to tell what we get from the wheat board and I am organic so my prices are different than most farmers). That translates into an increase of less than 10 cents a loaf.

My question is what is everyone seeing on their grocery bills? Has meat gone up? Cuz it sure hasn't for us! Has bread gone up more than 10 cents? If it has the difference is going to someone in between.

A quick note on input prices. Phosphate fert is about $1300/ton. It was $600 last yr, $47 when my Dad started farming 50 yrs ago. I don't use it being organic. Sinbad and Portee, there is great momentum in fert stocks but I caution you to be careful. Even with grain at twice the price, farmers margins are tight and many call it an "all in" year (a la texas hold em) in that the huge $ required for our inputs like fert, fuel (you tihink your car costs lots, fill up 1000 gal tanks!) and seed will sink many if there isn't a good crop with good prices waiting for us in the fall. I think any drop in grain prices will have a big effect on many fert stocks, though I don't know how int'l demand holds up with subsidies etc. Good grain prices rarely last more than a yr, though this could be the exception.

There is my rant! GLTA in KXL, fert, farming, whatever. A few million ouncees of gold in GM will solve many fuel bills at Ganalane! And lastly, I think grain should feed people, not fuel cars, and we should all bear the costs to feed the less fortunate.