Re:U.S. Farmers Stung by Tariffs Now Face a $3.5B Corn Loss
by dabbledash on Saturday August 17, 2019 @07:47AM
(#20723523)
“Don’t worry if food gets too expensive, you could stand to lose some weight anyway.”
I don’t think I can give a response to this that’s acceptable on HN, but wow.
Re:U.S. Farmers Stung by Tariffs Now Face a $3.5B Corn Loss
by asdfasgasdgasdg on Saturday August 17, 2019 @09:47PM
(#20727709)
Is there something wrong with what I said? Is it impolitic to observe that most Americans exist in a serious caloric surplus? I am not excluding myself here or making any moral judgment on those who do. It's just a fact, and it is relevant to the concern that Americans might starve if the food supply contracted.
Re:U.S. Farmers Stung by Tariffs Now Face a $3.5B Corn Loss
by DiogenesKynikos on Saturday August 17, 2019 @01:19AM
(#20722249)
This might work if income were more equally distributed. If food becomes more scarce and the typical American has to eat 20-30% fewer calories, the price of food will spike significantly. People at the bottom will be priced out and will starve without government intervention.
Managing the food supply to make sure there's always a healthy surplus makes a lot of sense to me. The problem with holding land in reserve, as you're suggesting, is that it takes at least an entire growing season to start producing from that land. That might be too long in the case of a famine.
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Re:U.S. Farmers Stung by Tariffs Now Face a $3.5B Corn Loss
by Dylan16807 on Saturday August 17, 2019 @02:13AM
(#20722460)
> Yes, because corn grows in 3 days
Our food reserves are huge.
> And panic buying also isn't a thing.
Panic buying can only eat up a tiny little fraction of a year's food supply.
> [just insults]
Of course, you wouldn't switch to this all at once. You'd announce that you are gradually cutting farm subsidies over the next ten years. The least profitable (efficient) operations would close. This would also develop slack in the form of unused land, which could be held in reserve in case of a supply shock like the one you're hypothesizing.