Corn, Rice and Grain Prices Rising

Fuel Prices and Big Business Agriculture

With food prices on the rise and food riots breaking out, I decided to do a little homework. You couldn't tell it to look at the nightly news in the United States, but we are in serious trouble.

The U.S. has seen a 41% surge in the price of staples such as corn, wheat, and rice over the past six months. Corn is selling at historic highs thanks to the unsustainable practice of using the grain for a source of ethanol. The rising profits made from corn are making this staple food product unattainable for the public, particularly in Mexico, who rely on it for their daily meal.

Corn is only one of the staples that is fast becoming out of reach to the majority. The global prices for rice and wheat are rising at a similar rate. These simple foods are the mainstay of the diet for the vast majority of the world's population.

During my recent visit to alocal organic grain farmer, I brought up the issue of food supply, organics, and grains. After walking me through his experiences over the past few decades, the farmer, Alfred Farris, summed it up with one phrase, "The system is broken."

Big Business Agriculture Strangleholds Food Supply

Our current food supply system in the United States is in shambles because large corporations have transformed agriculture and food production into something with which to turn an ever larger profit. Our government continues to subsidize these big businesses who support unsustainable practices. It is out of touch with the needs and the health of those who it serves.

There is something very wrong with a system that ships your food to you from an average of over 1,500 miles away. Fresh local foods are more expensive than those that have traveled halfway across the country to reach your table. Food is used to make fuel while people starve.

Save Money by Growing Your Own Food

We must opt out of the current system and get back to the basics. Grow a garden. Raise some chickens. Or, at least, find people around you who do. Do not buy those organic blueberries from Chile, buy your produce locally even if it is conventionally grown.

Encourage those growers in your area to think about organic production. Lobby your local and state governments to subsidize organic and other sustainable methods of production. Over the past few generations, we have lost our connection to our food. If we are to have feast rather than famine in our future, we must do everything in our power to reclaim that connection.