Forecast: Farmers Face Major Hay Shortages

Humans Face Major Food Shortages.

That's a personal forecast actually.

It's based on a run of wet weather the past few weeks that has put a halt to hay making round here.

In Canada "An Interlake man is organizing a rally to support other farmers in the area affected by the worst flooding in almost 60 years."

When I was farming in New Zealand I realized that hay in the barn is better than money in the bank.

It can see you through the storms and floods of winter (we had some doozies), and the summer as well if you're over stocked, sale prices are down, or you run into a drought.

Funny how we think it's quite natural to have at least a six month supply of hay for our animals...and maybe, just maybe, a three day supply of food for ourselves.

Ravaged by earthquakes blizzards floods and hurricanes which this year alone have cost tens of thousands of lives, made millions homeless and created a huge drain on the economy, China is pinning some hopes on a high-tech approach to disaster mitigation.

It has just launched a couple of small satellites that will hopefully provide weather and environment monitoring data 24/7.

How this will translate into being able to keep people out of harm's way - especially in the event of continuing severe earthquakes - remains to be seen.

But then again, perhaps these satellites are equipped to detect subtle changes in the earth's energy fields(infra red for example) that may be precursors to such disasters.

Pic: (Xinhua/Wang Yongji)

"Hundreds of people were found dead in Haiti as international aid trickled Saturday to desperate residents who have not eaten in days since the latest in a battery of storms crushed the country."

So who cares, and how much? The European Commission has put $2m on the fast track, Switzerland is offering close to $1m, Canada says it can provide $600,000, and "the US Agency for International Development has allocated 100,000 dollars..."

Three Cliches to Consider

D'you get the feeling that since the Banda Aceh tsunami of 2004 the world has become so accustomed to huge disasters that we almost don't care any more about the dead, the dying, or even the survivors?

Or is it that it's finally sinking in - we live in a world that is changing at every moment, so maybe it's time to stop trying to save or help people "over there" and time to do what must be done for ourselves?

"Charity begins at home - the Lord helps those who help themselves"..."Love They Neighbor As Thy Self..."etc etc.

Florida's St Petersburg Times says Floridians need to heed the lessons of Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav. This as Hurricane Ike makes its way toward that state.

"Tampa Bay residents can learn from our Gulf Coast neighbors without enduring Katrina-like devastation.

Many communities are subject to flooding and storm surge, and we have thousands of residents living in manufactured homes. All residents, not just public officials, are responsible for preventing disaster. The next time evacuation orders for your zone are issued, take them seriously and do not wait for the last minute."

Got it?

"June flooding that damaged about 7,500 mainly south-central Indiana homes found many flood victims without a disaster plan for their families and lacking the 3-day supply of food, water and other basic necessities emergency officials recommend.

It's not all sun surf and bronze bodies on the shores of the Mediterranean.

"...there are three areas prone to tsunamis in the Mediterranean region: to the east between Cephalonia and Crete; the Hellenic arch; and to the west between the Straits of Gibraltar and the Sicilian channel.

"If an earthquake hit Greece, some 1,200km of Italian coast would be at risk of being hit by metre-high waves - or even higher.

Locations at risk are cities such as Reggio Calabria, Catania, Syracuse and Agrigento.

"This means that the whole of Malta and Gozo would also be at risk."

"Newcastle and Durham and other parts of northern England today faced the risk of flooding as the death toll from two days of torrential rain rose to four."

By now you're probably well aware that Earth Change Report is about what Nature is up to - and what the consequences are likely to be (much more detail on that in my eBook - pic at right - click here to check it out)..

But hopefully you are NOT dismissing these reports as irrelevant to your own life and future - rather, I would expect you to see them as reminders that we too are inextricably combined with Nature.

What she does inevitably affects all of us - all life forms depend on her for sustenance, and - to put it very bluntly - for their very survival.

Think about these contrasts for a minute. Domesticated animals (cats, dogs, sheep, cattle etc) require us to look after them.

Other species are so in tune with Nature and the seasons that they move freely around the planet (right now the local swallows are gathering on the power lines ready to head for Capistrano or somewhere as fall approaches).

I disturbed an ant nest when I lifted a log yesterday, and within seconds they had gathered all the exposed eggs and taken them into deeper shelter. An emergency occurred, and they responded - because they had a plan ingrained in their consciousness.

I didn't see any of them sitting around asking each other if CNN or the BBC or TVNZ or the president or prime minister had warned them it was coming.They just acted. And their family will survive.

But it's not such a pretty future picture for some species. Including us.

In South Africa's Kruger National Park "two-thirds of all animal species.... could become extinct.

"This includes the extinction of 24-59 percent of mammals, 28-40 percent of birds, 13-70 percent of butterflies, 18-80 percent of other invertebrates and 21-45 percent of reptiles in the Kruger National Park.

"A loss of 66 percent of all animal species could become a reality if nothing is done..." (about global warming, according to the IPCC).

We prepare for more war, spend more money on killing ourselves, and plan for a future in which oil will never run out, solar storms will not kill off our heating and air conditioning, food will always keep coming along the highway in a big truck,earthquakes will always happen somewhere else, our job future is totally secure, as is our retirement fund, and the grandchildren can look after themselves.

I know you know that is totally facetious. But do you know that like charity, love begins at home?

There's nothing better than unconditional love either. It is tolerant, it always sees the best in others and it allows them to live their lives without interference. Unconditional love can be a hard thing to grasp and practice, but the practice of it always foresees a happy ending - without trying to control what that might be.

If we go on hating our own species, being intolerant of their different points of view, manipulating and controlling them, killing them to impose our version of truth and justice on them, denying them food and fuel (blockades as per Israel versus Palestine), encouraging some to have nukes and threatening others with nukes, ripping people off for the sake of a dollar....or an oil field...the list could go on...but the question is, are we as humans our own Mass Extinction Event?

Yes we are.

Unless we personally choose to take a different route than the so-called normal one.

Take care.

Prepare.

Michael Knight - Reporter/writer/director since 1960.

Editor - "Earth Change Report" (a free weekly newsletter that keeps you up to date with Nature's changes and what science is saying about our future). You can subscribe at this link.

Author - "Earth Changes - Mind Matters." (a 27,000 word interactive eBook that comes with dozens of additional resource links, including to top class on-line videos, plus a money back satisfaction guarantee). Check it out here.

Director - "Contact Has Begun" - a professional documentary that tells the true life story of Contactee James Gilliland. Includes untouched video of UFOs "powering up" over James' Trout Lake sanctuary near Mt Adams, Washington.

© 2008 Michael Knight