The alarm is sounding, from the warnings of the McDonalds' and WalMart CEO's to the cattle, pig and chicken farms throughout the country your meat prices are going up. There are three main reasons why meat prices are going up. One, the prices of corn feed have skyrocketed because it is more cost efficient for corn growers to raise 'fuel' corn than it is for them to raise 'food' corn. Regardless of whether you have cattle, pigs or chickens, corn is the staple which feeds them until it's time to get to the slaughterhouse.
Two, since the dollar doesn't buy as much corn as it used to, farmers are having to choose to raise fewer animals or sell them before they get to the right size for slaughter and lose money on them since they get paid by the pound. Three, recent floods have affected what corn crops were available for feed. Recent fires and droughts have destroyed areas formerly used by cattle for grazing.
You may say, well I don't buy that much meat so this won't affect me. Understand this, there is corn, eggs, milk, cream and other products that go into the foods you do eat that will be affected as well. Tortilla shells. Corn flour and syrup, bread, pizza dough, cereals, infant formula, juice drinks, pet food, ice cream, chocolate, and thousands more products will be priced beyond what we can pay.
Meat prices are expected to more than triple before the end of this winter. Your salaries however will remain the same. Animal by-products will be unsellable. THIS is what has been called food hyper-inflation. Until recently, food riots have been a 'other country' kind of occurrence. The National Guard are being trained right now to respond to food riots IN OUR OWN COUNTRY. They know what is coming.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?
Believe it or not there are some steps you can take to ensure a steady supply of protein in your diet. Some you just won't do until the SHTF. Others you must do, if for no other reason than to make sure your family is fed.
1. Join a warehouse club now. Buy meat in bulk while it is still under $4.00 per pound. Cut the bulk amounts down into small portions and freeze them, can them or dehydrate them.
2. Join the 4H program in your area and see who you can meet. They raise animals and are always looking to sell, trade or otherwise supply others with beef, pork, or chicken.
3. Buy some hens for eggs. Hens are much quieter than roosters and when the SHTF, HOA rules will fly out the window. The hens will provide you with eggs each day until you are ready to retire them. They will keep your yard virtually bug free and leave rich nitrogen based fertilizer all over. If you have a rooster and incubate the eggs correctly, (see Preparing for the Coming Collapse of the US Dollar book) you will have a ready supply of baby chickens who will be old enough to lay or cull at 17 weeks.
4. Buy some rabbits. They are quiet and will serve as protein rich meats and will also provide a ready supply of more rabbits.
5. Get fishing equipment. Make your own traps or nets. Fishing is free. (screw licenses when the SHTF)
6. Contact your local slaughterhouse now for deals on full or quarter sections of cows or pigs. A cow in the freezer, (already processed that is) will last up to a year for a small family. Can't afford a whole or quarter cow? Get some friends together and split the costs.
7. Watch for abandoned cattle. As food prices rise, the independent farmers will be looking for ways to rid themselves of the animals that no one can afford to buy or feed and may offer you a deal on trading for the cattle they left in Field X in city Y.
8. Develop a taste for venison and hunt for deer, or moose, or bear. Yes, each of them can be turned into a meal.
9. When the food riots begin, there will be grocery store robberies where the only thing taken is food. Food riots will continue for months until food redistribution centers are set up. Some will be confiscated from others to redistribute, they can and WILL do this. Tell NO ONE that you have food. Stock up silently. Begin now.
10. Download instruction on how to process cows, pigs, and chickens, print them out and have them ready. There WILL be abandoned livestock. If you can't find the owner, and the animals are not part of someone's self-sufficiency farm, do what you have to do. After all, that's what happens when the SHTF.
Remember, it will take under the most ideal of circumstances, two years for meat production to increase AFTER things have returned to normal. It takes that long for the newborn cow to reach slaughtering age. It may take years to get things back to normal. What kind of prices can we look forward to?
Hamburger - $8 a pound for the cheap stuff.
Roasts - $15 a pound for chuck roast.
Pork Loin - $9.00 a pound
Pork Chops - $27.00 a pound
Chicken - $5.00 a pound for whole chicken
Breasts - $12.00 a pound
Eggs - $13.00 a dozen
Milk - $12.00 a gallon
THESE prices are a minimal estimation and only reflect the first wave of food hyper-inflation to come. Prepare yourself and your family NOW.
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