[count-your-change]

So true! Most of the world gets about half the yield per acre that the U.S. produces. I don’t have up to date figures but in the southeast U.S. perhaps 3 to 3.5 tons per acre while world ave.is close to 1 to 1.5 tons per acre.

[RayChuang88]

At the rate things are going, the southern USA--especially near the Mississippi River regions--could end up being one of the world's biggest exporters of rice, since American farming methods mean high yields per acre/hectare and less farmers needed to make all that rice.

Interestingly enough, I haven't heard a peep about rice and wheat shortages in China, since they've learned the lesson of the ill-advised Great Leap Forward and made sure that they grow enough rice and wheat for local consumption. The price of Thai jasmine rice has gone up but most rice consumed in China is grown domestically, so....