# Midwest drought may spark food inflation



## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/10/155668/midwest-drought-may-spark-food.html

McClatchy Washington Bureau

Tue, Jul. 10, 2012

Midwest drought may spark food inflation

By Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers

last updated: July 10, 2012 06:29:05 PM

WASHINGTON -- ]

A punishing Midwest drought may lead to food inflation as the cost of corn soars and the price of a key feedstock for ranchers rises. Experts warn it could mean higher costs for everything from a hamburger to a gallon of milk in the months ahead.

"Farmers are going to have higher feed prices. We're definitely going to see food inflation coming into the equation," said Phil Flynn, a veteran commodities trader for the PFG Best brokerage in Chicago. "I think we're at the point of bigger problems. This was one of the most critical weeks, and we didn't get the rain that we needed."

Big users of grains, namely ranchers who depend on corn as a feedstock for their animals, are taking the first hit.

"This is going to be a beef issue, as well as a pork and poultry issue. We're all sitting here with short breath watching the soybean and corn crops develop this year," said Michael Miller, the senior vice president of global research for the Denver-based National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that farmers had planted 96.4 million acres of corn - the greatest amount since 1937, as the nation was coming out of the Great Depression. This year's huge corn planting anticipated growing demand in an improving U.S. economy and from big developing countries such as China.

That led cattlemen to expect corn prices in the range of $5 a bushel. Instead, corn is selling this week at around $7.50 a bushel.

"That's a 50 percent increase, based on their expectations," said Miller, noting that it adds about $75-$80 more per head of cattle in production costs, which in turn could lead to an increase of as much as 6 percent when reaching consumers. And that's if the drought doesn't get considerably worse.

The rising corn prices have caused a large drop in the share prices of major chicken producers, who are spread across the Southeast. Shares in Pilgrim's Pride Corp. and Tyson Foods Inc. have fallen 24 percent and 11 percent, respectively, in recent weeks, according to the financial wire MarketWatch.

The USDA, which had projected a record harvest of 14.79 billion bushels, now warns that about 60 percent of the corn grown in the United States faces moderate to extreme drought conditions. The question on the minds of growers and their customers is how much damage the dry weather will inflict.

"We started the year with an expectation of probably a record corn crop that was going to blow away the old record by a billion bushels. Now we're looking at a corn crop that is clearly not going to be a record and is probably going to be smaller than what we've had in the last several years," said Dave Miller, who farms corn and soybeans on 350 acres near Lucas, Iowa.

He's also the director of research for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, a state that's the nation's top corn producer. His farm hasn't seen more than an inch of rain in five weeks, and he's concerned that users of corn are going through stocks quickly. It means that the hit to crop output will come out of future usage, not stored supplies.

"Somebody has got to quit using it. That's when you get the real sharp market impact, when you really have to curtail usage," he said.

When supply is tight and demand is strong, prices rise. The price for future delivery of corn soared 29 percent in the three weeks that ended Monday, approaching the record prices set in June 2011 during flooding in the Midwest. Prices dipped a bit Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's update on corn crops from the USDA.

Additionally, prices for ethanol, a bio-fuel made primarily from corn, are at seven-month highs and producers are curbing production amid rising prices and falling demand from consumers as gasoline prices have plunged in recent months. Financial wires report that hedge funds and other speculators are flooding back into contracts for future delivery of corn, wheat, soybeans and similar products, anticipating volatile prices in the months ahead.

It all means that the prices of hamburgers, steak, chicken nuggets, eggs and even a loaf of bread are likely to go up. It may happen subtly, but it probably will happen, much as it did in recent years as spikes in fuel prices fed into the cost of food production.

The Midwest isn't the only place where dry conditions are hurting growers. West of Lexington, Ky., Adrienne Lewis' family-run Cleary Hill Farm struggles with the unusually dry summer.

"Vegetables are drying up, even though we irrigate pretty much nonstop," she said. "Now it's not a matter of trying to get plants to produce, it's just hoping to keep them alive until we get some rain."

In Missouri, many ranchers have found grass pastures so thinned by the drought that they're feeding their cattle with hay, when they can find it. Others are rushing calves to the sale barn.

"There's no pasture and almost no hay to be found, and what you can find you can't afford," said Mickey Walker, who raises cattle and works at the Ozarks Regional Stockyards in West Plains, Mo. "A lot of people are getting rid of their cattle."

Some will be sent to feedlots earlier than they usually would or shipped to areas in the northern Midwest, where the drought has been less severe.

How much this all translates to rising food prices for consumers is hard to gauge. Farmers now use genetically modified seeds that improve the plants' drought tolerance, and this summer is effectively a trial by fire for the technology. A well-timed rain and drought-tolerant plants could mean that things don't end as badly as now is feared.

"While there is a lot of speculation and a lot of nervousness, the reality is we won't really know until we start harvesting this fall," said Nathan Fields, the director of biotechnology and economic analysis for the St. Louis-based National Corn Growers Association.

Predictions of falling yields proved off during last year's flooding, Fields cautioned, and the same could happen with this year's dry weather.

Still, Flynn, the commodities trader, expects Mother Nature to hit American wallets late this year.

"Weather has always been a major factor in your pocketbook, but people haven't realized how much," he said.

Scott Canon of The Kansas City Star and Jim Warren of the Lexington Herald-Leader contributed to this article.

Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @KevinGHall


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

"He’s also the director of research for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, a state that’s the nation’s top corn producer. His farm hasn’t seen more than an inch of rain in five weeks, and he’s concerned that users of corn are going through stocks quickly. It means that the hit to crop output will come out of future usage, not stored supplies.

“Somebody has got to quit using it. That’s when you get the real sharp market impact, when you really have to curtail usage,” he said."



Maybe the .gov could knock off the corn for fuel programs? We're sitting on billions of barrels of oil, and they are taking corn and making alcohol for fuel as the food prices start heading through the roof? Doesn't make sense to me.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

tac803 said:


> Maybe the .gov could knock off the corn for fuel programs? We're sitting on billions of barrels of oil, and they are taking corn and making alcohol for fuel as the food prices start heading through the roof? Doesn't make sense to me.


It fits in perfectly with the UN's agenda 21. The taxpayer subsidized ethanol program raises global food prices. Corn mostly. But high-priced corn causes other grain prices to rise too. All of which causes more malnourishment around the world along with political instability in countries with hungry people.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

How about we end both ethanol subsides and corn subsidies? Let world markets back into the USA for corn even if it's just for a year or two?


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

It isn't just Corn... Soybeans too are threatened right now.

And it isn't just beef or grain... although cows should be eating PASTURE NOT CORN... but that's an argument for a different thread.

Look at most prepared foods. They have soy or corn products in them. TVP, soy protein, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc. The list is nearly endless. As corn and soybeans fail, price will continue to surge and show up in almost ALL foods. Expect substantial price increases at the grocery store in the coming months.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

CulexPipiens said:


> It isn't just Corn... Soybeans too are threatened right now.
> 
> And it isn't just beef or grain... although cows should be eating PASTURE NOT CORN... but that's an argument for a different thread.
> 
> Look at most prepared foods. They have soy or corn products in them. TVP, soy protein, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc. The list is nearly endless. As corn and soybeans fail, price will continue to surge and show up in almost ALL foods. Expect substantial price increases at the grocery store in the coming months.


What pasture??


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## Jack Aubrey (May 24, 2009)

Say a prayer for those farmers. Time for Victory gardens and chickens! JA


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I keep praying for the farmer across the road. Our garden looks good because we're still able to use water we collected this past spring. But the farmers in this area don't have irrigation systems. A lot of folks will be hurting...


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## cybergranny (Mar 11, 2011)

It's not just these areas. I was at the farmers market 2 days ago and tomatoes (local) were $7 for a quart basket, $6 for a pint; blueberries were $7. for a quart. Carrots were outragious for a bunch although I don't remember the price I do remember being in total shock.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Todays spot price for corn $7.41

Todays spot price for wheat(hard red winter) $8.33

http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/wh_gr111.txt


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

CulexPipiens said:


> It isn't just Corn... Soybeans too are threatened right now.
> 
> And it isn't just beef or grain... although cows should be eating PASTURE NOT CORN... but that's an argument for a different thread.
> 
> Look at most prepared foods. They have soy or corn products in them. TVP, soy protein, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc. The list is nearly endless. As corn and soybeans fail, price will continue to surge and show up in almost ALL foods. Expect substantial price increases at the grocery store in the coming months.


Add wheat to soybeans and corn..I just read that today(Russia)has a wheat blight..and 20% of the world's food source is in wheat--did I say that right??


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

cybergranny said:


> It's not just these areas. I was at the farmers market 2 days ago and tomatoes (local) were $7 for a quart basket, $6 for a pint; blueberries were $7. for a quart. Carrots were outragious for a bunch although I don't remember the price I do remember being in total shock.


Tomatoes here are $1.25 a lb...how many tomatoes would you say were in that quart?


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Farmers markets are always much more than a grocery store when it comes to produce...Although I think it is great to support them and could be the produce is better, it is out of necessity that I get produce from the grocery store, more dependable prices.

I have not seen our local produce from farmers and how much they are, we are having another cool summer, and things are not getting enough sun, so I can bet it is all going for a premium. Our local strawberries (Hoods) were not as sweet this year, pretty tart.


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## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

CulexPipiens said:


> It isn't just Corn... Soybeans too are threatened right now.
> 
> And it isn't just beef or grain... although cows should be eating PASTURE NOT CORN... but that's an argument for a different thread.
> 
> Look at most prepared foods. They have soy or corn products in them. TVP, soy protein, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc. The list is nearly endless. As corn and soybeans fail, price will continue to surge and show up in almost ALL foods. Expect substantial price increases at the grocery store in the coming months.


Corn is not particularly good for people OR animals, it fattens them without providing much nutrition and corn syrup is worse! From the latest research and what my wife and I practice for health and staying slim is a low carbohydrate diet....and please USA, stop that ethanol nonsense, using valuable soil for that...yikes!
DB


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

db2469 said:


> Corn is not particularly good for people OR animals, it fattens them without providing much nutrition and corn syrup is worse! From the latest research and what my wife and I practice for health and staying slim is a low carbohydrate diet....and please USA, stop that ethanol nonsense, using valuable soil for that...yikes!
> DB


I partially agree with what you said, High Fructose Corn Syryp is one of the most worthless and even dangerous "Food Stuffs" that has ever been dumped on the population. IMO it is one of the primary causes for Obesity and a major contributor to the rise of Diabetes in America.

The HFCS is metabolized by the liver and can cause liver abnormalities and in extreme cases it can cause symptoms similar to Alcaholics Liver Sclerosis. The propaganda spouted by the supporters of HFCS state that "your body cant tell the difference", and that may be true once it is in your blood stream but how it gets there is the hazzard.

On the other side of the issue, Corn eaten in the traditional way it has been eaten for thousands of years is a good thing but, too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. The danger lies in the excesses of the Modern American Diet. If corn were an across the board dietary evil, the America's would likely never have been populated by the civilizations that flourished here.


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## Foreverautumn (Oct 25, 2010)

tac803 said:


> Maybe the .gov could knock off the corn for fuel programs? We're sitting on billions of barrels of oil, and they are taking corn and making alcohol for fuel as the food prices start heading through the roof? Doesn't make sense to me.


Ain't gonna happen, Tac.  Obama, Congress, George Soros and their cronies have their elitist heads so far up their a$$es it's not even funny! :nuts:


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

HoppeEL4 said:


> Farmers markets are always much more than a grocery store when it comes to produce...Although I think it is great to support them and could be the produce is better, it is out of necessity that I get produce from the grocery store, more dependable prices....


I've found that when peak production is going on, then the farmers markets are really cheap, at least in my area. I would assume it's because they have a LOT of whatever and so do all their competitors so they want to sell. Also, right at the end you can sometimes get a good deal, especially at the afternoon/evening ones. I'll go up and ask how much if I take all of the peppers (or tomatoes or beans or...) and they usually cut me a pretty good price to avoid hauling the stuff back. If they don't then I'll just take what I needed instead of all. Either can or dehydrate your windfall.


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## cybergranny (Mar 11, 2011)

JayJay said:


> Tomatoes here are $1.25 a lb...how many tomatoes would you say were in that quart?


4 or 5 in the quart, medium large.


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## tsalam16 (Oct 23, 2011)

People have got to learn how to drip irrigate like the Israelis do. Less water and more production. Most areas in Israel only get rain for a couple of months throughout the year and yet with drip irrigation they always have huge production of farm products. Israel raises some 95% of what they consume. They have bug free food without insecticide also. Americans are terribly spoiled and are at the whims of nature each year. Time for farmers to use some common sense.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

tsalam16....I live in drip irrigation central (Western Oregon)...even today, July 15th, we got some, and have some coming this week...Though, in drier climates I can agree with you, watering could be so much more efficient than it is.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

cybergranny said:


> 4 or 5 in the quart, medium large.


Ouch---$7??
$7 across the street would get you over 5 lbs.--man, about 20 tomatoes and good sizes too.


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## lhalfcent (Mar 11, 2010)

I learned about a film called Back to Eden and how this guy figured out a way to grow food etc without having to water etc.
The guy follows biblical principles just to let you know. Excellent how to on growing. I did this with my garden this year and in spite of the extreme heat we are having I have a wonderful crop of tomatoes and carrots etc coming. 
http://backtoedenfilm.com/


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

I'd like to watch that lhalfcent...I have this tendency to forget to water...I am a no indoor plant person, even the "you can't neglect it enough" plant my mother gave me (Snake plant), gets neglected till its limp.

Though I am better with outside plants and garden beds, but overall I am a total underwaterer. This is why I love native plants in the landscape, you simply cannot kill them once they are established. Too bad vegetables weren't "native" and perennial...


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## lhalfcent (Mar 11, 2010)

HoppeEL4 said:


> I'd like to watch that lhalfcent...I have this tendency to forget to water...I am a no indoor plant person, even the "you can't neglect it enough" plant my mother gave me (Snake plant), gets neglected till its limp.
> 
> Though I am better with outside plants and garden beds, but overall I am a total underwaterer. This is why I love native plants in the landscape, you simply cannot kill them once they are established. Too bad vegetables weren't "native" and perennial...


I portioned out a 1/2 my garden to the Back to Eden techniques and the other half the way i always did it with just some composting mixed in.
there is a huge difference in the size of my plants and all that. 
I haven't had to water the eden part at all this month and yesterday just out of curiosity i put my hand down into the dirt and it was moist and cool. amazing!
this is definitely a win win garden. lol 
I didn't make a huge garden this year cuz of my son's health problems and not being able to be home much, so this technique was a life saver for my family. cuts down on weeds and everything. I am getting a lot of food out it already. I am definitely going big for next year. this fall going to prepare so it is ready to go next year. I might even experiment with a greenhouse thing and see what it does for winter with kale and lettuces etc. maybe keep some root crops going. not sure but will see. lol


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Well pepple, I finally heard it on the MSM(Fox News), they were doing a spot on the drought gripping the country and the subject drifted to "Stocking Up".

The commentator suggested that you go to your local grocery store and "stock up" on the things that you normally use, "fill your shelves" and "fill your freezer" were phrases that were used.

It was mentioned that the food items you normally purchase that contain "grain" are going to "sky rocket", so pick up extra each time you go to the store.

It sounds like Fox News is starting to encourage "Prepping".


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## ilovetigger (Aug 10, 2011)

JayJay said:


> What pasture??


We get our beef from friends that own and run a small local farm. They were just talking today about how the heat and sun has burned their pastures up and they are having to supplement with hay already.

Costa are gonna rise.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

ilovetigger said:


> We get our beef from friends that own and run a small local farm. They were just talking today about how the heat and sun has burned their pastures up and they are having to supplement with hay already.
> 
> Costa are gonna rise.


I heard Ky. farmers were supplementing two weeks ago.


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## Rain23 (Jul 18, 2011)

There's a huge reset coming for the former middle class. You can see the difference when my husband and I make tacos. He seasons hamburger, fries it, throws salsa in it and then puts about 1/4 cup each on giant flour tortillas smothered with cheese. I make mine with thirds of meat, beans and vegetables, less meat if it wasn't on sale (sometimes it's almost beef tacos without the beef). I put about 2 tablespoons on a corn tortilla and sprinkle it with grated cheese. Seeing that difference, I wonder how many people in America have a huge reset coming. An amount of taco filling that used to feed me all week and some to freeze lasts the two of us 2 days. I had to point out to my husband that we need to be making this stuff last. We could both stand to lose weight, and after hearing the news lately I'm thinking we will. 

It's not just about food preferences. You do get abdominal cramping, bloating, etc. when you suddenly switch from a processed-food diet to one high in fiber. People could do themselves a huge favor by starting slowly to add more vegetables and legumes to their diets. You'll know when you've readjusted because beans won't have those dreaded side effects  

It took me a long time as a diabetic to find the proper balance of fiber to carbohydrate so I could eat nearly meatless meals that didn't taste like tree bark, and at first I was one unhappy camper. I have no idea how people who medically have to have low-fiber, low-residue diets are going to cope if they suddenly look at the meat case and discover the hamburger is $12 a pound. If you ever thought about being a quasi-vegetarian, now's the time.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

I am wondering something about the prices...Out here, we do grow a lot of grass hay, some feed corn, alfalfa, and I am sure other feed crops, besides Washington and Oregon grow a good portion of the countries spring wheat (all purpose flour), or white wheat, I think I remember reading also some soybean (feed also). We are not having a drought, and of course ranchers here would not be having as hard a time to feed their cattle.

Lots of local chickens for eggs and meat, dairy, beef and pork. I wonder if there is going to be a difference in prices between here and other parts of the nation, or will it reflect all around? I have heard people talking about paying so much for produce out east and it shocks me that even though we are in a cool streak and not getting enough sun for our local produce (berries for example), still our prices are dirt cheap, and of course local u-picks make it cheaper yet.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Good question. I know the food market is global, like the oil market is. Oil produced anywhere in the world, no matter how much it actually cost to process, is sold for the same amount or to the highest bidder. That is why a lot of oil produced in the US is shipped offshore and we buy oil from other countries.

If a farmer can get (I don’t know the actual prices, this is just an example) $10 for a bushel of corn on the global market and only $5 locally, where do you think he will sell? I would like to think that farmers would be happy selling locally, but they are not in business to lose money. Maybe some of the smaller farms will sell local for a little less. A small farmer not in a co-op will sell locally because he cannot sell into the global market. Things like hay should stay local unless there is profit to be made shipping to the drought areas.


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## elohem2012 (Jul 18, 2012)

Hello everyone
I'm a newbie to the sight, interested in growing vegetables, fruit here in alaska
and learn as much I can, hope to teach others of this mind set.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Rain23 said:


> There's a huge reset coming for the former middle class. You can see the difference when my husband and I make tacos. He seasons hamburger, fries it, throws salsa in it and then puts about 1/4 cup each on giant flour tortillas smothered with cheese. I make mine with thirds of meat, beans and vegetables, less meat if it wasn't on sale (sometimes it's almost beef tacos without the beef). I put about 2 tablespoons on a corn tortilla and sprinkle it with grated cheese. Seeing that difference, I wonder how many people in America have a huge reset coming. An amount of taco filling that used to feed me all week and some to freeze lasts the two of us 2 days. I had to point out to my husband that we need to be making this stuff last. We could both stand to lose weight, and after hearing the news lately I'm thinking we will.
> 
> It's not just about food preferences. You do get abdominal cramping, bloating, etc. when you suddenly switch from a processed-food diet to one high in fiber. People could do themselves a huge favor by starting slowly to add more vegetables and legumes to their diets. You'll know when you've readjusted because beans won't have those dreaded side effects
> 
> It took me a long time as a diabetic to find the proper balance of fiber to carbohydrate so I could eat nearly meatless meals that didn't taste like tree bark, and at first I was one unhappy camper. I have no idea how people who medically have to have low-fiber, low-residue diets are going to cope if they suddenly look at the meat case and discover the hamburger is $12 a pound. If you ever thought about being a quasi-vegetarian, now's the time.


Do what I do.. Ground turkey often goes on sale here and you can mix it half and half, I often use only ground turkey. Family likes the flavor better.
and you can take cheap zucchini and (depending on the size of it) de-seed it and then just grate it fine and mix it in. Most times tho.. we don't buy ground meat. We used shredded venison for our tacos. 
There are many things that people will have to get used to. We eat quite a few veggies here and beans and rice yadda yadda.. 
but hubs is diabetic and we had to cut back on the carbs big time.. They ran his blood sugars way up.


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## sillymoo (Oct 30, 2011)

I nearly keeled over today. Bananas were at $1.19/lb. They are usually between 59 and 79 cents a pound. A certain cheese we like went from $4.99 for 16 oz to $6.99 for 14 oz. I went to Costco last week and *everything* I usually buy was more expensive. I didn't expect things to be cheaper, but things were not raised nickle and dime; more like 2 and 3 dollars. Thankfully, we called a farmer at the right time and managed to get one of the last halves of cow he had available, and it was the same price as last time.


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## Rain23 (Jul 18, 2011)

Emerald said:


> Do what I do.. Ground turkey often goes on sale here and you can mix it half and half, I often use only ground turkey. Family likes the flavor better.
> and you can take cheap zucchini and (depending on the size of it) de-seed it and then just grate it fine and mix it in. Most times tho.. we don't buy ground meat. We used shredded venison for our tacos.
> There are many things that people will have to get used to. We eat quite a few veggies here and beans and rice yadda yadda..
> but hubs is diabetic and we had to cut back on the carbs big time.. They ran his blood sugars way up.


Thanks for the useful ideas! I hadn't tried the ground turkey. Ironically, at the very moment I read your post my handsome Viking was in the kitchen grating a zucchini. I suspect that may be a crop that saves us. Plant a zucchini, feed a city block... :flower:


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Yeah, zuchinni will just about grow anywhere. Here in our little town, people know people and one summer my mother said she and my father would go into the VFW and come out and someone had gone along and deposited fresh zuchinni in everyones open vehicle windows..Everyone began calling it zuchinni strikes! I guess people could not get rid of it as fast as it grew.

We also have good luck here with cool weather veggies, green beans and peas...cabbages, kale, lettuces, squash..

One thing I am going to have to do, make myself like squash, zuchinni and kale, we're in a cool weather streak and we are not a hot summer climate anyways, so it is a struggle to get sun loving veggies to grow normally.

As for those prices, I do think much of what we get on store shelves is essentially local. Flour has never been expensive here, even now a five pound bag is about $2.25 or so (depending on sales) for store brands, unbleached of course. Milk is all around about $2.59 a gallon for 2%, apples, on store shelves anyways, are about .99 cents a pound..local cheese (Tillamook is one of them) goes for about $5.99 for 2# block. Eggs go for about $1.25 per dozen, local yogurt about .49 cents a 6 ounce container.

Let's see, beef is averaging $1.99 a pound for good quality ground beef, lean. Pork varies a lot, I would think pork chops about $2.99 a pound, chicken is always cheap we have a lot of producers here, so a whole chicken will be .99 cents a pound, and legs or thighs in large packs I have seen as low as .79 cents a pound.

What are current best prices where you all are at?


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## MrsOHpreps (Jul 14, 2012)

goshengirl said:


> I keep praying for the farmer across the road. Our garden looks good because we're still able to use water we collected this past spring. But the farmers in this area don't have irrigation systems. A lot of folks will be hurting...


I have been praying for our farmers too. One of my typical driving routes cuts through corn fields, and you can tell where the watering equipment ends.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I bought 4 - 50 pound bags of corn today, $11.00 + change per bag. Corn is about 60 pounds per bushel so that is(here) over $11.00 per bushel retail.

Spot corn per WSJ, was $8.03 today, time is running out to stock up before it becomes a major investment to pick up a bushel or two.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I spent about $50 bucks and got more corn at $9.99 a 50lb bag. and today was in the big town for a bit and their feed store had the crumbles for $10.99 50lbs That is $4 a bag cheaper than where I get it locally.. so I spent almost my last penny picking up some.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

For those in Texas, a guy in Waco/Killeen area is selling whole corn bulk

Barrel = $50
Pickup load = $200
Trailer load = $400

http://waco.craigslist.org/grd/3176241060.html

254-292-3520


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## Jaspar (Feb 3, 2010)

Bread, milk, butter, gasoline and beer are what worry me. We raise chickens and have a very large and productive garden. Parents raise beef and we usually buy a pig with our parents every year from a local farmer, or from a 4-Her at our county fair. Father in law usually supplies us with venison and step father in law usually supplies us with fish.


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## Jaspar (Feb 3, 2010)

CulexPipiens said:


> It isn't just Corn... Soybeans too are threatened right now.
> 
> And it isn't just beef or grain... although cows should be eating PASTURE NOT CORN... but that's an argument for a different thread.
> 
> Look at most prepared foods. They have soy or corn products in them. TVP, soy protein, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc. The list is nearly endless. As corn and soybeans fail, price will continue to surge and show up in almost ALL foods. Expect substantial price increases at the grocery store in the coming months.


Pasture? That's pretty much gone too. Hay isn't far behind. :gaah:


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

Davarm said:


> I bought 4 - 50 pound bags of corn today, $11.00 + change per bag. Corn is about 60 pounds per bushel so that is(here) over $11.00 per bushel retail.
> 
> Spot corn per WSJ, was $8.03 today, time is running out to stock up before it becomes a major investment to pick up a bushel or two.


Was that from the feed store like you usually buy?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

neldarez said:


> Was that from the feed store like you usually buy?


Yes, he said the price is going to keep going up so I better get it while I can. I am going to get 4 more bags Monday and call it good, I'd buy more but am just about out of space.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Davarm said:


> Yes, he said the price is going to keep going up so I better get it while I can. I am going to get 4 more bags Monday and call it good, I'd buy more but am just about out of space.


Where are you storing yours? I'd put it out in the shed but the animal will chew thru and ruin it. right now I have 200lbs of corn stacked under the dining room table. and another 100lb in the big bin that locks out in the shed. I wonder if I put it stacked neatly and drape a big blanket over it I can pass it off as a foot stool?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Emerald said:


> Where are you storing yours? I'd put it out in the shed but the animal will chew thru and ruin it. right now I have 200lbs of corn stacked under the dining room table. and another 100lb in the big bin that locks out in the shed. I wonder if I put it stacked neatly and drape a big blanket over it I can pass it off as a foot stool?


I put mine in 5 gallon buckets(lined with 5 gallon sized ziplock bags), I have never seen critters chew through one, 100 pounds will exactly fill 3.

I have so much 'New Furniture" in my house now that I am going to have to come up with something else to do with the buckets and jars pretty soon. I have 2 coffee tables made from 5 gallon buckets, 2 wide and 5 long with a piece of plywood over the top and covered with a nice tablecloth. They are not bad looking and are definitely sturdy. End tables are cases of quart jars with the plywood and table cloths cut to fit, those dont blend in quite as well but are still passable and unless someone lifts the cloth covers, they would never guess what they are. We just have to make sure the grandson doesnt play too rough around the end tables.

When we were kids, we would camp out in friends barns and sleep on the bags of grain, pretty comfortable(and warm in the winter). You could always stack the bags in a closet with a blanket covering them and call it a bed room for uninvited guests. lol


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

tac803 said:


> the .gov could knock off the corn for fuel programs? We're sitting on billions of barrels of oil, and they are taking corn and making alcohol for fuel as the food prices start heading through the roof? Doesn't make sense to me.


drought-stunted corn often develops a toxin and is NOT fit for human OR animal consumption, about the only thing it's good for would be fuel... IMHO they should make a surplus of the biofuel, enough for 5 years of enforced production or so, that way corn can be grown for FOOD for those 5 years



> Corn eaten in the traditional way it has been eaten for thousands of years is a good thing but, too much of a good thing is not always a good thing.


modern corn resembles corn from "thousands of years ago" about as much as a skyscraper resembles a mud hut in sub Sahara Africa



ilovetigger said:


> We get our beef from friends that own and run a small local farm. They were just talking today about how the heat and sun has burned their pastures up and they are having to supplement with hay already.
> Costs are gonna rise.


Actually costs are going to PLUMMET in the short term, and that is when those of us prepared will buy.



Woody said:


> Good question. I know the food market is global, like the oil market is. Oil produced anywhere in the world, no matter how much it actually cost to process, is sold for the same amount or to the highest bidder. That is why a lot of oil produced in the US is shipped offshore and we buy oil from other countries.
> 
> If a farmer can get (I don't know the actual prices, this is just an example) $10 for a bushel of corn on the global market and only $5 locally, where do you think he will sell? I would like to think that farmers would be happy selling locally, but they are not in business to lose money. Maybe some of the smaller farms will sell local for a little less. A small farmer not in a co-op will sell locally because he cannot sell into the global market. Things like hay should stay local unless there is profit to be made shipping to the drought areas.


Which is WHY I take trailer-loads of hay to Florida every year... This year I'm actually taking less because of deals with a local cattle rancher for 'guaranteed' future beef... What do I care? Hay DOESN'T cost me anything to grow and very little to bale.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I haven't seen $1.99 per pound beef here for almost 2 years . Chicken for .79 a pound is usually a once every 6 months of so. Around here, the cheapest ground beef I can get is a 10 pound tube for $22 and that sale doesn't happen very often. Forget having other cuts of beef. At $3.49 - $9.00 per pound I can't afford it. I can sometimes get a 10lb bag of cut up chicken for .79 a pound, but the store usually runs out about an hour after they open. 
I'm bad at keeping track of prices on other things. Canned veggies used to be (about 2 yrs ago) around .50 and now are at or over a dollar.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Davarm said:


> I put mine in 5 gallon buckets(lined with 5 gallon sized ziplock bags), I have never seen critters chew through one, 100 pounds will exactly fill 3.
> 
> I have so much 'New Furniture" in my house now that I am going to have to come up with something else to do with the buckets and jars pretty soon. I have 2 coffee tables made from 5 gallon buckets, 2 wide and 5 long with a piece of plywood over the top and covered with a nice tablecloth. They are not bad looking and are definitely sturdy. End tables are cases of quart jars with the plywood and table cloths cut to fit, those dont blend in quite as well but are still passable and unless someone lifts the cloth covers, they would never guess what they are. We just have to make sure the grandson doesnt play too rough around the end tables.
> 
> When we were kids, we would camp out in friends barns and sleep on the bags of grain, pretty comfortable(and warm in the winter). You could always stack the bags in a closet with a blanket covering them and call it a bed room for uninvited guests. lol


DOH'!!!!:gaah: I can get the big buckets for .99cent each! never even crossed my mind for chicken food! Thanks!


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

Emerald said:


> Where are you storing yours? I'd put it out in the shed but the animal will chew thru and ruin it. right now I have 200lbs of corn stacked under the dining room table. and another 100lb in the big bin that locks out in the shed. I wonder if I put it stacked neatly and drape a big blanket over it I can pass it off as a foot stool?


I think I found somewhat of a solution to rats, mice and other critters. In one of my sheds I store corn and other feed in, I always had the critter issue. NO more so far for 3 years. I built a 8x8x4 box out of Hardie Boards. I used the 5/16 smooth panels. Had to end up with a block & tackle situtation for lifting the top, cause it's so heavy, but not too bad to make . I left the panels about 1/4" proud when putting it together so when it comes together, panel rests on panel.

The Hardie Board is a concrete/wood mix. They just don't seem to bother it. I keep chicken feed, pig feed and corn in it with the open ends just rolled and clamped shut.

Wasn't very cheap and though not big time construction, you will need help as the panels are VERY heavy. But seems to be doing the job.

Jimmy


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## boar2u2 (Jan 3, 2012)

I use an old chest freezer -keeps the critters out


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

We keep our feed in metal trashcans.


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## boar2u2 (Jan 3, 2012)

should add freezers are not water proof


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> modern corn resembles corn from "thousands of years ago" about as much as a skyscraper resembles a mud hut in sub Sahara Africa


I agree that modern corn does not much resemble Teosinte, however, I was referring to the process used to prepare it. Soaking/Cooking it in in lime or wood ash to make the nutrients available. The modern practice of producing HFCS and other nutritionally dead(not to mention harmful) products are adversely impacting the health of those who eat them.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

kejmack said:


> We keep our feed in metal trashcans.


I have two big metal trash bins now that hold about 150lbs each one for corn and one for crumbles.
I just bought more than I had room for.. and not any cash left to buy more trash bins. we have to bungee them shut tho the darn raccoons are crafty little things..


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

lazydaisy....wow, those are some high meat prices. Out here our standard price for chicken, all the time, is about .79 cents to .99 cents a pound for whole chickens. Of course seperate the breasts out and package them alone the stores charge more, but the legs and thighs are drit cheap. Beef out here is highest at about $6.99 a pound for premium cuts, pork is averaging in at $2.99 to 3.99 a pound for lean cuts and about $1.99 for raw picnic cuts (which I really like the way they cook up).

Although we have egg laying hens, I have been watching prices, and a 5 dozen package has been about $6.99 sp far. Five pound bags of flour are around $1.99 for store brands of all purpose.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

HoppeEl4, Prices here are comparable to what LazyDaisy posted.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Wow.. how is it back east the prices are so high? I would figure that with a higher population than out here, there was better volume, translating in better prices.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

I'm thinking your prices are extremely low. And I live in Texas, not "back east".


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

kejmack..to me everyone is back east, we're only 1&1/2 hour drive from the Oregon coast.

I am surprised, seems we have been really fortunate here. Although I know there are preppers here, I wonder if there are more elsewhere because we have such good prices so far and no one feels hard pressed to do more than they ever have?

I know right now we could be raising our own chickens for meat. With feed prices going up, I figured it all in the cost of raising them and having them professionally processed, which is only $3 per bird, but still, with all the local producers of meat birds out here, they can still beat the price of raising them ourselves. I can go to our local chain store, Winco, and their deli can roast a chicken and sell it for $3.98! Thats even cheaper than a fresh one, which averages about $5.00 for a whole fryer (an eight week old hen).

Now I admit I am tempted to go down to my sons work and pick thru their overgrown chicks and find all the roosters and raise them to 10 weeks just to have my own selection of roasters, just because. However, dealing with those messy beasts is not top on my priority list right now.

I still think the main reason is we have a lot of production of these basics, keeps prices down here, but I also think it will take one problem and people here who have been pretty complacent will find out fast that being independent of a stores supply chain would have been in their best interest.


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

HoppeEL4 said:


> kejmack..to me everyone is back east, we're only 1&1/2 hour drive from the Oregon coast.
> 
> I am surprised, seems we have been really fortunate here. Although I know there are preppers here, I wonder if there are more elsewhere because we have such good prices so far and no one feels hard pressed to do more than they ever have?
> 
> ...


I will be going through Portland on my way to see family next week, I'm going to wave and yell hi to you!! Listen for me next monday!:wave:


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I just picked up 4 more bags of corn today, up $.50 a bag from last week.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Davarm said:


> I just picked up 4 more bags of corn today, up $.50 a bag from last week.


You can't buy it in bulk anywhere locally??!?!?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

LincTex said:


> You can't buy it in bulk anywhere locally??!?!?


About the best you can do locally here is at one of the several feed stores within a reaonale driving distance. The one I go to gaurentees in writting an aflatoxin level lower than 20ppb. We dont have any Grain Silo's or Coop's in the area that sell bulk corn or grains other than peanuts. The Coop's or feed stores that sell bulk peanuts are all but gone in this area now also, the last one stopped dealing in them several years ago.

So, I guess the answer is no, not that I am aware of.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I heard on the news a little earlier tonight, corn futures(dont know delivery) hit an all time record high, $8.46 per bushel. They also said that they believe that it will soon top $9.00 per bushel.

Thats about a double in price from last year.


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

Howdy from southwest Missouri 
We felt lucky to get big round bales for$50+
that we're %30-35 sticks.
When the cows quit eating it I use a single spike to carry 
It 1/2 mile back ( to horses who stomp it open)
I have never seen unwrapped round bales carry this way 
on rough ground.
It should just fall right off.
We are also remembering times long ago when we cut
trees down so cows had tree leaves to eat.
The wild cherry trees have bright red leather pith filled 
sacs.
The deer just began to eat them there is little else.
My pear tree has very few sour ugly little things on it.
Yesterday I watched a blind calf walk straight into a post
And I guided him back to mama and wept as I rode back
to house.
You know what I should have done with that calf I just
couldn't 
Our cows reluctantly eat waist high lespadeza ( it breaks 
like a pencil)
This morning one one of the more noticible herd queens
was hard to find.
I found her, well I found most of her.
Can't find her calf anywhere it's probably dragging down 
an adopted mama who already has her own.


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

The rain has come back just a bit.
Is it enough ?
Will it keep coming?
I will have spring water.
I will have meat.
But will how many of you will I be able to feed?
Will I be able to buy ANY Tposts or barb wire?
That's enough bad.
How bout some good? 
Anybody want the good news?


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

kejmack said:


> We keep our feed in metal trashcans.


I had some ants chew through the tape sealing the lid on one... one tiny hole with a river of ants streaming in and out of it.

I wish I had some old Phosgene tablets from the 1980's to toss in there and suffocate all of them... 

Maybe some dry ice will do the trick.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Was watching the news(Fox) this morning while drinking my coffee and they were talking about the Drought being the worst since he 30's.

That in itself was not noteworthy, however, they did mention and discuss the possibility of "Food Rationing". It was not a warning or said to be inevitable but it was mentioned and discussed.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

*I thought I knew these things-just a clearer understanding of why*


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## greigbosh (Aug 21, 2012)

That may be a great concern but one thing is your concern with. You should be aware of the worst scenario, i'm talking about the natural disaster, flash flood. We can cope up this kind of situation by learning some survival techniques, this can help you be aware and prepare at all times.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Something kinda funny today, went to the local grocery stores today and found all three were out of 25 pound bags of flour. Went to Wally's to check there and they were almost out also but the price was only $9.00 and change.

Local demand seems to be high and Walmart was selling for only $9 and change?


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

I don't think flour is going to be something that will be completely affected by the midwest drought. Washington, Oregon and Idaho are the largest producers of soft white wheat in the U.S.

This region has been unaffected by the drought in the midwest, so your standard all purpose flour on the shelfs prices are going to stay similar.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

HoppeEL4 said:


> I don't think flour is going to be something that will be completely affected by the midwest drought. Washington, Oregon and Idaho are the largest producers of soft white wheat in the U.S.
> 
> This region has been unaffected by the drought in the midwest, so your standard all purpose flour on the shelfs prices are going to stay similar.


Yea, I dont understand the whole flour/wheat thing, saw on "The Market Round-UP(FoxB) this morning that wheat was nearing $9.00 per bushel and yet a 25 pound bag of flour(where I could find it) was under $10.00.

They must do that to keep you guessing.


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## AZSas (Oct 27, 2011)

Walmart has a reputation of forcing suppliers to go low on prices. A bushel is 56-60 lbs tho so there is theoretically still a profit margin in there.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

I don't understand the markets either, simple country (translates into "*******") woman here. I see a price per pound and compare it to what I remember in years past, that's my point of referance.

I think the only reason wheat could go up is simply because of this whole drought issue, and not because the wheat crops were affected, but because Wall Street got its hands into it all.

I said it before, I am seeing a LOT of these nurseries that are obviously struggling in this economy, growing wheat and corn. They just harvested all the fields here and corn should be soon (I believe what they are growing is feed corn otherwise it would have been picked by now for sweet corn). It was an odd sight to see at first. People don't think of us growing wheat on this side of the Cascade mountains (we're wet about 9 months out of the year and lots of trees around that can block constant sun to fields), but it is possible and smart to boot. Heck if more of these nurseries would take out the stupid expensive trees no one is buying and plant an edible crop, our nation would be in better shape.


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