Posted on 05/19/2011 7:51:55 AM PDT by OB1kNOb
On the rare occasion that New Yorkers talk about farming, it's usually something along the lines of what sort of organic kale to plant in the vanity garden at the second house in the Adirondacks. But on a recent afternoon, The Observer had a conversation of a different sort about agricultural pursuits with a hedge fund manager he'd met at one of the many dark-paneled private clubs in midtown a few weeks prior. "A friend of mine is actually the largest owner of agricultural land in Uruguay," said the hedge fund manager. "He's a year older than I am. We're somewhere [around] the 15th-largest farmers in America right now."
"We," as in, his hedge fund.
It may seem a little odd that in 2011 anyone's thinking of putting money into assets that would have seemed attractive in 1911, but there's something in the air-namely, fear. The hedge fund manager and others like him envision a doomsday scenario catalyzed by a weak dollar, higher-than-you-think inflation and an uncertain political climate here and abroad.
The pattern began to emerge sometime in 2008..........
(Excerpt) Read more at observer.com ...
Whether you agree or disagree, it's a good topic to discuss and debate because it causes each of us to think in terms of being prepared for whatever life throws at us, and being prepared is, in and of itself, not a bad thing. In fact, it's the Boy Scouts motto, "Be Prepared", and we all need to take some time out from our ratrace daily schedules to ponder just what that means to us individually.
Ping - for your weblink of useful info.
If real people with real money are taking the problem seriously, and looking to make money off it, then it is already mitigated. That’s how capitalism is supposed to work.
So stop selling America’s food abroad.
And stop buying so much tech from China.
A win-win. We bring back American jobs, and keep our own food.
Time to invest is now! And the investments of the hour are food, guns, ammo, common household and cleaning supplies and seeds. A crash is coming it just remains to be seen if its a hard one or a controled one.
Those of you who maybe just starting to ‘prep’ might like to take a look at my Preparedness Manual which thanks to Freeper eaker is available for free download at:
http://www.tomeaker.com/kart/preparedness1i.pdf
Sure, their quality of life may decrease, but they will survive. Me and mine, I'm not so sure.
Idea: what does an elite taste like?
I’m thinking about buying MREs or some other type of dried food for long-term storage. Any suggestions?
I have plenty of ammo, fuel, tools and water. Still plenishing my pharmaceutical supplies.
Interesting Jim Rogers interview from 2009:
India
Economic Times
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Interviews/Fund-Managers-can-become-farmers-Jim-Rogers/articleshow/4610704.cms?curpg=1
Fund Managers can become farmers: Jim Rogers
4 Jun 2009, 0005 hrs IST, ET Bureau
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2716522/posts?page=7#7
<>
Jim Rogers ON COMMODITIES: The Bull Market Will Go Up, Consolidate, Go Up, Consolidate, Go Up And Consolidate...
TBI ^ | 5-7-2011 | Gus Lubin
http://www.businessinsider.com/jim-rogers-commodities-consolidates-2011-5
Posted on Saturday, May 07, 2011 9:37:11 AM by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2716522/posts
Jim Rogers didn’t buy or sell anything during last week’s commodity sell-off.
He says he isn’t good at market timing. What he does believe is that we’re in the middle of a commodity bull market where everything will go up for years.
Rogers tells the Economic Times:
“5% correction in gold is meaningless. These things correct 10-15-20-30% every year. Nothing unusual about that. That is the way the markets work. I do not see anything unusual. I expect there would be more correction during the course of the bull market. I hope that the bull market goes up, consolidates, goes up, consolidates, goes up and consolidates for years to come. That is my expectation for all commodities.
“I have not sold any commodity. I own all my commodities. We are in a flexible bull market. I hope I am smart enough in the entire 15 years to realize when the commodity bull market is finally coming to an end, I am probably smart enough to sell. This commodity bull market will probably end in a bubble. Most bull markets and most sectors, whether it is stocks, real estate, whatever it happens to me, lands in a bubble. We are far-far-far from a bubble so far.”
That's easy. America has been a net-food-importing nation since about 2000.
Don’t buy MRE’s - very expensive for one meal. Buy mylar bags and food storage buckets with O2 absorbers and load up on staples such as beans, rice, sugar, flour, wheat, and salt. Buy canned foods such as tuna, chicken, and fruits. Load up on honey (last a long time) and ramen (sp?) noodles and spam if u want to do it on the cheap. Get a good water filter and store some water along with a small rocket stove and you will make you money go much much further than MRE’s.
http://waltonfeed.com/
ping to self to read later
Productive agriculture land is about 50% of my diversified portfolio. I am moving to increase that portion by about 20% in the near future. There is no substitute and the supply is shrinking.
Actually, the US is the #1 exporter of ag products in the world. We are 5% of the population and responsible for 15% of the global supply of ag products.
Mike
Other FReepers are better qualified than me to suggest the best prices and suppliers of MRE's. As for other dried foods one can go the route of buying freeze-dried or dehydrated food in #10 cans from a number of sources on the web. You might search Sam's Club and Costco's websites who also have lines of long storage food available.
Personally, as for my house, we have focused more on filling a well stocked pantry of various can and dry goods and spices we find on sale with a year or more future expiration date, which we currently use and rotate.
For longer term storage I am focusing on storing large quantities of basics, i.e. several different kinds of dry beans and peas, rice, pasta, powdered milk, potato buds, etc. which I am repackaging into mylar storage bags with oxygen depleters, and stored inside 5 gallon food grade plastic buckets with lids for extra protection against bugs and rodents. I find doing it myself saves me quite a bit from ordering bulk foods packaged this way.
I've also expanded the garden this year to grow additional quantities of shell beans, purple hull peas, squash, and okra. We will be canning and freezing the excess. In addition, we've added to our permacultures by planting more apple and plum trees, blueberry bushes, blackberries, and muscadines, and multiplying onions this Spring.
I hope this helps.
Sounds like you are ahead of the game in the productive land arena. Kudos on your foresight.
We must be using the same playbook! Every time my wife comes back with cases of various vegetables on sale, she tells me she's been hard at work "canning" all day, LOL!
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