HN

Comments (123)

• Menu

  ericpauley
  Title claims "due to plains drought" but the article text largely attributes this to increased planting of soy for its lower fertilizer requirements (related to Strait of Hormuz).
• Menu

  btbuildem
  > growers expanded plantings of soybeans, which require less fertilizer than grains like corn and wheatIt's not the drought per se, it's input costs. Farmers are favouring crops that need less nitrogen and potassium.Commodities have responded accordingly.
• Menu

  eightysixfour
  Western hay prices are as much as double what they were last year for feed: https://www.reddit.com/r/homestead/comments/1ta64d0/breaking...
• Menu

  evanjrowley
  Same region all the new data centers are being built. Unfortunately, humans can't eat data like they can wheat.
• lukasb
  My fault: last weekend I told my wife during a discussion of climate change "hey, at least we don't have to worry that the rains won't come and the crops will fail."
• Menu

  giantg2
  It will only get worse for the next generation as the aquafers are continuing to be depleted.
• Menu

  YesThatTom2
  “Dictators stay in power until there are food riots” is what every sociologist I know tells me.I hope the “riots” are in the form of voting.
• Menu

  _DeadFred_
  I live in the middle of nowhere. The farmers here wheat crop failed last year, and DOGE prevented their insurance claims. They chose to grow oats this year because it's safer for them without the insurance backstop.
• s1artibartfast
  If you enjoy pistachios, eat eat them this year, because you wont see them next year. California produces 70% of global supply and an indian summer this year ruined the crop. Many farmers aren't even planning to harvest.20% of the remaining global supply comes from Iran, which has its own issues of drought and war.
• Menu

  belzebub
  Why do we have a drought USDA?
• Menu

  jmyeet
  This is about China. The timing of this article coming out during the Trump-China summit is no accident. The article beat around the bush (pun intended) that the real issue here is that China stopped buying (or seriously cut back) US agricultural products (particularly soy) because of tariffs imposed on China last year that got to over 100% at one point. China now buys significantly more soy from Argentina instead.The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is another big factor here as fertilizer prices have massively gone up. Diesel is more expensive too. Many crops this planting season (in the northern hemisphere) haven't been fertilized like they would normally and it's too late now so that will absolutely impact food prices later this year. The Global South will be disproportionately affected.Lastly, the continued Russia-Ukraine war continues to impact Ukraine's wheat crops. Ukraine is (or was?) often called the "bread basket of Europe" because it was such a significant wheat grower and exporter.We (the world) are genuinely going to have much more expensive food prices later this year and, in some places, there will be genuine famine.
• redsocksfan45
  [dead]