Current Economic Crisis

Food prices to skyrocket as supplies plunge
Low inventories, lack of farmers brings on 'perfect storm'

In a recent report on the state of the economy, the New York Times said food stamps are being used by a record number – one in eight – Americans and one in four children.

At the same time, food banks run by churches are being overrun with requests for help.

And if that isn't troubling enough, other data point to a much darker future.

According to the National Inflation Association, food costs are about to skyrocket. Officials cite agricultural commodities which have remained at historically low levels despite a worldwide shortage of farmers and record low food inventories. They equate this to a "perfect storm" that could bring about a dramatic rise in food prices.

Some Americans have observed the warning signs and are making emergency plans. Patrick Thompson of Charleston, S.C., read the writing on the wall and began researching what it would take to have a family garden that would produce enough food to supply his family's year-round nutritional needs.

"I read how Germany accumulated a bunch of debt between the two world wars, tried to manage the crisis by printing money wildly, and the result was hyperinflation in food prices," he said. "Obama is doing the same thing, and I'm worried that it will take my entire paycheck to buy just a few days' food. I bought the best quality seeds I could find and we have begun our own crisis garden."

Bill Heid, the CEO of Solutions from Science which owns SurvivalSeedbank.com, says Thompson's analysis of history is prescient.

"History has shown repeatedly that God has given us more than enough natural resources to feed the entire world," he said. "But governments manipulate the markets and get entire classes of people dependent on welfare so they can control us by controlling the food supply. Our company is based on the concept that families should be self-sufficient and always have a reliable food supply."

SurvivalSeedbank.com provides high-quality, open pollinated seeds that can produce enough food to feed an entire family on just an acre of land. Unlike the seeds used by most agri-business firms in the U.S., the seeds are not genetically modified in any way.

"These seeds are grown in remote plots of land, far from the prying eyes of the big hybrid seed companies, and have been hand-picked for their germination rate, nutritional density and of course, storage life," said Heid.

The idea of returning to the days when most families had their own garden in the backyard might have been laughable just a few years ago, but trend experts point out that the combination of rising food prices, an economic collapse and a cultural crisis brought on by unprecedented government intrusions into daily life may lead to food riots in American cities.

Gerald Celente, famous for predicting the 1987 stock market crash, the fall of the Soviet Union and the current economic crisis, says the economic situation within the next three years could become so grave that living standards could drop dramatically.

Heid points out that the political left isn't the only threat to food supplies; the contemporary just in time delivery system, designed to keep inventories low and profits high, also means that the slightest disruption to the supply lines can result in food shortages.

"We saw it with Katrina and whenever there is a natural disaster, even if it is relatively minor and localized; the grocery store shelves will be empty in as little as 72 hours, and the situation will be aggravated if there is advance warning and people panic beforehand," he said.

The elderly would be among the first to suffer, since so many live on fixed incomes. In fact, they already are suffering disproportionately from the crisis. Catholic Charities USA reports that the number of seniors seeking food assistance from local food banks is up more than 54 percent in the last 12 months, a shocking number if in fact the real crisis has yet to begin.

Patrick Thompson believes he has the answer.

"Even the elderly can manage a small garden that will provide fresh, nutritious, great-tasting food. With a crisis garden you'll never be dependent on the government or agri-business again. Whether its government rationing, a natural disaster or just sky-high prices, my family will always have enough food on the table," he said