Showing posts with label Chemtrails and Atmospheric Geo-engineering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chemtrails and Atmospheric Geo-engineering. Show all posts
April 27, 2016
August 24, 2014
Ted Gunderson: Obama, FBI, CIA - Stop the Death Dumps of Chemtrails
Former FBI Chief Says Chemtrails Must Be Stopped
February 24, 2014
----- Original Message -----
From: "David M. Adam,Jr."
To: undisclosed-recipients
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2014 11:56 AM
Subject: FBI CHIEF SAYS CHEMTRAILS MUST BE STOPPED!
Former FBI Chief Ted Gunderson Says Chemtrail Death Dumps Must Be Stopped!
WHAT IS WRONG WITH CONGRESS? This has an affect on their population, and their people, and their friends, and their relatives, and themselves. What’s wrong with them? What’s wrong with the pilots who are flying these airplanes and dumping poison on their own families and children? We have to do something about it. Congress must step forward and stop it now!
Video: Former FBI Chief Ted Gunderson Says Chemtrail Death Dumps ...
aircrap.org › All Chemtrail Videos
Feb 21, 2013 – Former FBI Chief Ted Gunderson Says Chemtrail Death Dumps Must Be
Former FBI Chief, Ted L. Gunderson, makes a statement regarding the chemtrail “death dumps”, otherwise know as air crap, on January 12, 2011. Ted says the following: “The death dumps, otherwise known as chemical trails, are being dropped and sprayed throughout the United States and England, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Europe. I have personally seen them not only in the United States, but in Mexico and in Canada. Birds are dying around the world. Fish are dying by the hundreds of thousands around the world. This is genocide. This is poison. This is murder by the United Nations. This element within our society that is doing this must be stopped. I happen to know of two of the locations where the airplanes are that dump this crap on us. Four of the planes are out of the Air National Guard in Lincoln, Nebraska. And, the other planes are out of Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I personally have observed the planes that were standing still in Nebraska – Lincoln, Nebraska – at the Air National Guard. They have no markings on them. They are huge, bomber-like airplanes with no markings. This is a crime: a crime against humanity, a crime against America, a crime against the citizens of this great country. The must be stopped.
April 21, 2014
Neurologist Warns Aluminum in Chemtrails Could Cause Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurologist Warns Aluminum in Chemtrails Could Cause “Explosive Increase in Neurodegenerative Diseases”
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. - The internet is littered
with stories of “chemtrails” and geoengineering to combat “global
warming”; and, until recently, I took these stories with a grain of
salt. One of the main reasons for my skepticism was that I rarely saw
what they were describing in the skies. But over the past several years I
have noticed a great number of these trails and I have to admit they
are not like the contrails I grew up seeing in the skies. They are
extensive, quite broad, are laid in a definite pattern, and slowly
evolve into artificial clouds. Of particular concern is that there are
now so many – dozens every day are littering the skies.
Nanoparticles of aluminum are not only infinitely more inflammatory, they also easily penetrate the brain by a number of routes, including the blood and olfactory nerves (the smell nerves in the nose). Studies have shown that these particles pass along the olfactory neural tracts, which connect directly to the area of the brain that is not only most affected by Alzheimer’s disease, but also the earliest affected in the course of the disease. It also has the highest level of brain aluminum in Alzheimer’s cases.
The intranasal route of exposure makes spraying of massive amounts of nanoaluminum into the skies especially hazardous, as it will be inhaled by people of all ages, including babies and small children for many hours. We know that older people have the greatest reaction to this airborne aluminum. Because of the nanosizing of the aluminum particles being used, home-filtering systems will not remove the aluminum, thus prolonging exposure, even indoors.
In addition to inhaling nanoaluminum, such spraying will saturate the ground, water, and vegetation with high levels of aluminum. Normally, aluminum is poorly absorbed from the GI tract; but nanoaluminum is absorbed in much higher amounts. This absorbed aluminum has been shown to be distributed to a number of organs and tissues including the brain and spinal cord. Inhaling this environmentally suspended nanoaluminum will also produce tremendous inflammatory reaction within the lungs, which will pose a significant hazard to children and adults with asthma and pulmonary diseases.
I pray that the pilots who are spraying this dangerous substance fully understand that they are destroying the lives and health of their families as well. This is also true of our political officials. Once the soil, plants, and water sources are heavily contaminated there will be no way to reverse the damage that has been done.
Steps need to be taken now to prevent an impending health disaster of enormous proportions if this project is not stopped immediately. Otherwise we will see an explosive increase in neurodegenerative diseases occurring in adults and the elderly in unprecedented rates as well as neurodevelopmental disorders in our children. We are already seeing a dramatic increase in these neurological disorders and it is occurring in younger people more than ever before.
March 16, 2014
Aluminum, Barium and Strontium: Chemtrails Are Not Contrails; Air Force Whistleblower, Kristen Meghan, Lifts the Lid on Chemtrails
Published on January 21, 2014
In the video above, Luke Rudkowski talks to U.S air force whistleblower Kristen Meghan about her conclusions and observations regarding the U.S military connection with chemtrails. The issue of chemtrails has been widely debated among many circles and is regarded in popular culture as a "conspiracy theory". But with whistleblowers like Kristen Meghan coming forward can it really be regarded a conspiracy theory anymore?
Weather weaponizing and controlling the weather for profit.
Is the government ready to come clean about climate engineering by convincing the public that is is necessary to "combat climate change?" Consider David Keith and his book, A Case For Climate Engineering" and his presentations on geoengineering against climate change:
"A Case For Climate Engineering" author David Keith explains his proposal to use geoengineering as a means of slowing climate change.
A leading scientist long concerned about climate change, Keith offers no naïve proposal for an easy fix to what is perhaps the most challenging question of our time; climate engineering is no silver bullet. But he argues that after decades during which very little progress has been made in reducing carbon emissions we must put this technology on the table and consider it responsibly. That doesn’t mean we will deploy it, and it doesn’t mean that we can abandon efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But we must understand fully what research needs to be done and how the technology might be designed and used. This book provides a clear and accessible overview of what the costs and risks might be, and how climate engineering might fit into a larger program for managing climate change.
“Keith manages to keep the tone sober without ever sounding dull. His chapter on ethics deftly summarises some of the competing moral claims…Reading about proposals to alter the climate of an entire planet on purpose is dizzying. Yet scientists already talk of the dawning of a new geological age, the Anthropocene, named because humans, or rather, the industrial civilisation they have created, have become the main factor driving the evolution of Earth. [The Case for Climate Engineering emphasises] just how seriously the idea of deliberately altering the climate is being considered, both in scientific journals and among some governments…[Keith is] a guide for the undecided.”—The Economist
“Keith deserves credit for directing attention to ideas he knows are dangerous. Accepting the concept of the Anthropocene means accepting that humans have the responsibility to find technological fixes for disasters they have created. But little progress has been made toward a process for rationally supervising such activity on a global scale. We need a more open discussion about a seemingly outlandish but real geopolitical risk: war over climate engineering.”—Eli Kintisch, Technology Review
Bill Gates is also a strong proponent of geo-engineering. His goal is to reduce the world population to "avoid planetary catastrophe." At TED2010 (video above) he described the need for "miracles" to accomplish this goal and unveiled his vision for the world, proposing that one way to reduce populations is through the use of vaccines:
"If we do a really great job on new vaccines... we could lower [the population] by perhaps 10 or 15 percent."
Chemtrails to Depopulate
Uploaded on December 22, 2011
Please find and Watch 2 Most important documentary movies: "The World According to Monsanto" and "Food Inc". Youtube keeps deleting them due to corporate pressure. Watch these videos and learn how Governments are killing us through food. Good Luck!!!
CHEMTAILS EXPOSED! Air Force Whistleblower, Kristen Meghan, Lifts The Lid On Chemtrails
Published on May 18, 2013
After watching Terrorstorm in 2006, I began a journey to promote the truth and question the status quo. I am a nonconformist and believe that one should take a stand in educating themselves. I spent nine years on active duty and saw, first hand, the over-regulation and contradictory actions within our government. After "blowing the whistle", I left the military honorably and stronger than ever. I believe that I have done more for my country in two years in the support of liberty than I accomplished while in uniform for almost a decade. I am an Industrial Hygienist and Environmental Specialist in my other life. This education, experience and expertise in these sciences fuel my distaste not only for the EPA, but the TSA! I will not sugar coat the truth, I'm not here to hold your hand, so put away your "binky", I'm here to take a stand!
December 13, 2012
Thirty-six Percent of U.S. Residents Blame Weather on 'End Times'; 63 Percent Blame It on Climate Change
Nearly four in 10 U.S. residents blame weather on "end times"
December 13, 2012Reuters - Nearly four in 10 U.S. residents say the severity of recent natural disasters such as Superstorm Sandy is evidence the world is coming to an end, as predicted by the Bible, while more than six in 10 blame it on climate change, according to a poll released on Thursday.
The survey by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with the Religion News Service found political and religious disagreement on what is behind severe weather, which this year has included extreme heat and drought.
Most Catholics (60 percent) and white non-evangelical Protestants (65 percent) say they believe disasters like hurricanes and floods are the result of climate change.
But nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of white evangelical Protestants say they think the storms are evidence of the "end times" as predicted by the Bible.
Overall, 36 percent point to end times and 63 percent to climate change.
PRRI research director Daniel Cox said that some respondents - including 75 percent of non-white Protestants - believe extreme weather is both evidence of end times and the result of climate change.
"No one really knows how (end times) would look and how God would bring it about," Cox said.Politics also color perceptions of the weather, the survey found. More than three-quarters of Democrats and six in 10 independents believe that the weather has become more extreme over the last few years, while less than half of Republicans say they have perceived such a shift.
"Their political leanings are even affecting how they experience weather, which is pretty fascinating," said Cox.The January-to-November period in the United States this year was the warmest first 11 months of any year on record for the contiguous states. And 2012 will likely surpass 1998 as the warmest year on record for the nation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
CALL FOR ACTION
Most climate scientists believe that the warming trend for the nation and the world is tied to human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels.
Extreme storms like Sandy, along with more intense droughts, wildfires and floods, are projected by some as the result of climate change, though scientists are reluctant to attribute individual events to global warming.
The PRRI survey found that while there is disagreement about the causes of global warming, there is widespread agreement about the need for action.
Two-thirds of Americans say the U.S. government should do more to address climate change - including most of those who believe global warming is due to natural weather patterns, the survey found.
It also found that 15 percent of Americans believe that the end of the world, as predicted by the New Testament's Book of Revelation, will occur in their lifetime. Some 2 percent believe that the end of the world, as predicted by the ancient Mayans, will occur by the end of this year.
Some people who say they believe in end times do not act on that belief in their everyday lives, said Cal Jillson, political science professor at Southern Methodist University.
"I think that's their way of expressing a deep commitment to Biblical literalism," said Jillson. "If you sat down with them and said, 'Do you really think that within the next few years we'll experience the end times?' they probably don't ... . A good number of these people are saving for retirement."
The survey of 1,018
adults was conducted between December 5 and December 9. The margin of
error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Read More...
November 27, 2012
New Global Climate Deal to be Adopted in 2015
Will US role at climate talks change after storm?
November 23, 2012AP - During a year with a monster storm and scorching heat waves, Americans have experienced the kind of freakish weather that many scientists say will occur more often on a warming planet.
And as a re-elected president talks about global warming again, climate activists are cautiously optimistic that the U.S. will be more than a disinterested bystander when the U.N. climate talks resume Monday with a two-week conference in Qatar.
The climate officials and environment ministers meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha will not come up with an answer to the global temperature rise that is already melting Arctic sea ice and permafrost, raising and acidifying the seas, and shifting rainfall patterns, which has an impact on floods and droughts."I think there will be expectations from countries to hear a new voice from the United States," said Jennifer Morgan, director of the climate and energy program at the World Resources Institute in Washington.
They will focus on side issues, like extending the Kyoto protocol — an expiring emissions pact with a dwindling number of members — and ramping up climate financing for poor nations.
They will also try to structure the talks for a new global climate deal that is supposed to be adopted in 2015, a process in which American leadership is considered crucial.
Many were disappointed that Obama didn't put more emphasis on climate change during his first term. He took some steps to rein in emissions of heat-trapping gases, such as sharply increasing fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks. But a climate bill that would have capped U.S. emissions stalled in the Senate.
"We need the U.S. to engage even more," European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard told The Associated Press. "Because that can change the dynamic of the talks."
The world tried to move forward without the U.S. after the Bush Administration abandoned the Kyoto Protocol,
a 1997 pact limiting greenhouse emissions from industrialized nations.
As that agreement expires this year, the climate curves are still
pointing in the wrong direction.
The concentration of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide has jumped 20 percent since 2000, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil, according to a U.N. report released this week. And each year, the gap between what researchers say must be done to reverse this trend, and what's actually being done, gets wider.
Bridging that gap, through clean technology and renewable energy, is not just up to the U.S., but to countries like India and China, whose carbon emissions are growing the fastest as their economies expand.
But Obama raised hopes of a more robust U.S. role in the talks when he called for a national "conversation" on climate change after winning re-election. The issue had been virtually absent in the presidential campaigning until Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast.
The president still faces domestic political constraints, and there's little hope of the U.S. increasing its voluntary pledge in the U.N. talks of cutting emissions by 17 percent by 2020, compared to 2005 levels.
Still, just a signal that Washington has faith in the international process would go a long way, analysts said.
"The perception of many negotiators and countries is that the U.S. is not really interested in increasing action on climate change in general," said Bill Hare, senior scientist at Climate Analytics, a non-profit organization based in Berlin.For example, Hare said, the U.S. could stop "talking down" the stated goal of the U.N. talks to keep the temperature rise below 2 degrees C (3.6 F) compared to pre-industrial levels.
Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy on climate change, caused alarm among climate activists in August when he said that "insisting on a structure that would guarantee such a goal will only lead to deadlock." He later clarified that the U.S. still supports the 2-degree target, but favors a more flexible way to reach it than dividing up carbon rights to the atmosphere.
Countries adopted the 2-degree target in 2009, reasoning that a warming world is a dangerous world, with flooding of coastal cities and island nations, disruptions to agriculture and drinking water, and the spread of diseases and the extinction of species.
A recent World Bank report found the world is on track toward 4 degrees C (6.2 F) of warming, which would entail "extreme heat-waves, declining global food stocks, loss of ecosystems and biodiversity, and life-threatening sea level rise."
The U.S., alone among industrialized countries, didn't ratify the Kyoto Protocol because it found it unfair that China and other emerging economies, as developing countries, were not covered by any binding emissions targets. The U.S. and other rich countries say that firewall must be removed as the talks enter a new phase aimed at adopting a new climate treaty by 2015 that applies to all countries.
China — now the world's top carbon emitter — wants to keep a clear dividing line between developed and developing countries, noting that historically, the former bear the brunt of the responsibility for man-made climate change.
The issue is unlikely to be resolved in Doha, where talks will focus on extending Kyoto as a stopgap measure while negotiators work on the wider deal, which would take effect in 2020.
The 27-nation EU, Switzerland, Norway and Australia are on board but New Zealand, Canada and Japan don't want to be part of a second commitment period of Kyoto. That means the extended treaty would cover only about 15 percent of global emissions.
Delegates in Doha will also try to finalize the rules of the Green Climate Fund, which is supposed to raise $100 billion a year by 2020. Financed by richer nations, the fund would support poorer nations in converting to cleaner energy sources and in adapting to a shifting climate that may damage people's health, agriculture and economies in general.
In addition, countries need to agree on a work plan to guide the negotiations on a new treaty. Without a timeframe with clear mileposts, there's a risk of a repeat in 2015 of the hyped-up but ultimately disappointing climate summit in Copenhagen in 2009.
Judging by previous conferences, the negotiations in Doha will ebb and flow, with progress one day being replaced by bitter discord the next. And in the end, after an all-night session, bleary-eyed delegates will emerge with some kind of face-saving "accord" or "action plan" that keeps the talks alive another year, but does little to address the core problem.
"It shows that leaders and also the public in these countries — the U.S. certainly is one of them — don't yet understand the full implications of the costs associated with the path that we're on," said Alden Meyer, of the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists.
October 2, 2012
Scientists Warn Geo-Engineering Can Kill Billions of People
Scientists Warn Geo-Engineering Can Kill Billions of People
October 2, 2012morphcity.com - Geo-engineering is an umbrella term for deliberate climate intervention that includes spraying the sky with aerosols to reflect solar radiation away from Earth in order to cool the planet and to save the environment and humanity from the effects of supposedly man-made global warming. There is evidence that this program has already been implemented for many years using unidentified chemical aerosols, known as chemtrails.
A geo-engineering/ chemtrails experiment using a balloon to spray sulfur particles into the sky to reflect solar radiation back into space is planned for New Mexico within a year by scientist David Keith. Keith manages a multimillion dollar research fund for Bill Gates. Gates has also gathered a team of scientist lobbyists that have been asking governments for hand-outs to for their climate manipulation experiments with taxpayer money.
Geo-engineering is touted as a last-ditch effort to save people and the planet from global warming. But the truth is that geo-engineering can alter rain cycles leading to droughts and famine that could result in billions of deaths!
Therefore, Bill Gates appears to be using his concern over global warming to cloak his real intent of controlling weather and/or depopulation.
Mount Pinatubo Model for Geo-Engineering Drought, Famine & Death
The Mount Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines erupted in 1991, spewing 22 million tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the upper atmosphere/stratosphere. A 2008 study from Rutgers University based a model on Mount Pinatubo sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and applied it to geo-engineering; the scientists said that they expected overall global cooling, but some regions would experience an increase in greenhouse gases and warming, as was recorded after Pinatubo erupted.
Based on the SO2 volcanic model, the scientists reported that geo-engineering aerosols sprayed in tropical or Arctic regions are likely to disrupt African and Asian/Indian summer monsoons, threatening the food and water supply for billions of people!
Additional negative consequences include ozone depletion, reduced strength of hydrological cycles resulting in decreased river flow and soil moisture.
While the scientists, led by Alan Robock, who performed the experiments appear to believe in man-made global warming, they do have stern warnings against the dangers of geo-engineering.
2012 Geo-Engineering Study
The Max Planck Institute conducted a study of geo-engineering models based on volcanoes, but the study was unrealistic because it used climate models with 400% more carbon dioxide than the pre-industrial era. However, their results showed that geo-engineering will cause a strong decrease in rainfall (a 15% loss in North America and Eurasia and a 20% decrease in South America). Overall, global rainfall would be reduced by 5%.Unless one considers the financial benefits (government and private grants), it is bewildering why the academia would support geo-engineering.http://www.egu.eu/home/geoengineering-could-disrupt-rainfall-patterns.html
Geo-Engineering Can Cause Warming
Geo-engineering can actually cause global warming when tampering with clouds in the upper atmosphere/stratosphere. The Gates-funded scientist lobbyists propose spraying sulfur dioxide 30 miles above Earth and the New Mexico experiment proposes spraying 15 miles above surface- both of these fall within the parameters of the upper atmosphere/stratosphere.
The troposphere is the lowest portion of the Earth’s atmosphere, extending an average of 4 to 12 miles above surface. Clouds that are in the lower troposphere are generally thick white clouds with a high rate of albedo or reflectivity of the sun’s rays away from Earth that produce a cooling effect. However, the experiments are to be conducted above this level in the upper atmosphere/stratosphere.
The upper atmosphere is called the stratosphere and extends as high as 31 miles above the Earth’s surface. The clouds in the higher stratosphere are generally thin, have a lower albedo reflective rate and act like a blanket that traps heat.
Both experiments propose dumping SO2 in the upper atmosphere/stratosphere, creating a heat-trapping blanket that would theoretically increase warming. This is the opposite of Gates’ stated goal to cool the planet.(Note: most long-distance planes fly at 6 miles above surface, in the lower atmosphere/troposhere)
What About the EPA?
Given that the EPA claims that sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissionscause health problems and early death and that they are shuttering coal plants over emissions, you may be wondering why the EPA isn’t screaming bloody murder over Gates’ SO2 aerosol-spraying experiments.The answer can be found on the EPA’s own website where they promote giving regulatory power over geo-engineering/chemtrails to the UN and/or developed countries that fund the programs. The EPA is abdicating power to international interests. Bill Gates’ failure to address the EPA’s dire warnings of the dangers of SO2 is proof that he is aware that the EPA’s claims are grossly overstated or that he doesn’t really care about the environment and has ulterior motives.
Global Warming and UN Control
Global warming is a ruse that claims that life on planet Earth is in grave danger- this alarmism is used for political gain. Global warming is a hoax based on manipulated science from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The UN currently is assuming control over geo-engineering through its Convention on Biological Diversity treaty that declared a moratorium on experiments, except in some cases.
Conclusion
Geo-engineering is either a risky adventure to test ignorant theories or a scheme to control weather, water and food supplies.
Bill Gates’ record as a depopulation enthusiast supports the argument that geo-engineering is a weather domination scheme that may be used as a weapon threatening the lives of billions of people
August 17, 2012
West Nile Virus has Spread to 43 States; Aerial Spraying is Killing Honeybees, Vital to the Food Supply
Since there is no cure and no vaccine for West Nile, the best hope of slowing the outbreak may be inside a laboratory in Fort Collins, Colo. Researchers at the CDC's Division of Vector Borne Illnesses are working to track this mysterious disease. Scientists sort mosquitoes gathered in the field by species and by sex, since only females bite humans. The bugs are ground up so that they can be tested for the virus, telling researchers how fast it is spreading, and where pesticides should be used and whether or not they are working. When used correctly, the pesticides are highly effective at killing off mosquitoes. But aerial spraying in cities such as Dallas has led to a backlash from residents who worry that the spraying may be dangerous. Dr. Lyle Petersen, the director of the CDC's Division of Vector Borne Illnesses, is the man leading the government's battle against West Nile and maintains that spraying is safe. "The EPA has looked at all of this, and has deemed these pesticides as being safe, Petersen told ABC's Dr. Richard Besser during a visit to the CDC lab in Fort Collins. "We found no increased respiratory illness, or any other kind of illness," he said. "That's not unexpected, because the amount of pesticides used is often less than one ounce per acre. It's minuscule." [Source]Bees & Spraying for West Nile
August 16, 2012CBSDFW.COM – Ground and aerial pesticides are expected to help kill off mosquitoes carrying the dreaded West Nile Virus. But, the pesticides could also affect another important insect, one that's vital to our food supply.
If you eat, you can thank a honeybee.
"In order for us to have food, we must have pollinators," Brandon Pollard said.
One third of honey bee colonies in North America began mysteriously disappearing two years ago. In North Texas, honeybees face a new threat.
The same pesticides that kill mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus can kill honeybees.
"We already know we've lost thousands," Pollard said.
Brandon and Susan Pollard are founders of The Texas Honeybee Guild. The Pollards say they have already lost one colony in the Junius Heights District when ground spraying started in the area a couple of weeks ago.
The Pollards took video of their dying colony and posted it on their Facebook page.
"Writhing on the ground. And, they really do look like they've been put through a neurotoxin. It's not a pretty sight," Susan Pollard said.
The Pollards think the spray may have fallen on some of the honeybees, or some of the bees drank pesticide tainted water and brought it back to the rest of the colony.
"They will share their food and within 24 or 48 hours, 80-percent of those bees have shared that and they will be gone like the ones that we have witnessed," said Susan Pollard.
The Pollards have begun covering their colonies with large, cardboard boxes to protect them from nightly ground or aerial pesticide sprays. They have to uncover them every morning to cool them off and allow them to go for a drink of water.
The Pollards admit it is too early to tell what ground and aerial pesticides will do to the North Texas Honeybee. But the Pollards call honeybees an "indicator species."
"An indicator species is like the canary in the Coal mine," Susan Pollard said.
"This would be like if the red light on your car was not going off when it needed to go off to tell you, you know, something's wrong here," she added.
The Pollards warn if we lose the honeybees, we could also lose food production or even insects that could help protect the environment.
"We don't want to be messing with Texas or our ecosystem in Texas," Susan Pollard sad.
While the Pollards could lose their workforce, they are stopping short of calling it a potential catastrophe.
"The catastrophe to me would be that we think this is the way to approach the future when we want to be green, progressive, and draw people to come and live in this city," Susan Pollard said.
But, the Pollards are already thinking of next year, hoping local leaders take early action to rid areas that of mosquito breeding grounds without having to resort to pesticides.
Clarke, the company that manufactures the aerial spray called "Duet," said there are many reasons for a "colony collapse." But it admits the aerial spray could be toxic to honeybees.However, the company says it tries to minimize the impact on "non target species" by using a less concentrated formula than the ground spray and by spraying late at night when honeybees are in their hives.
West Nile Virus Spreading Across U.S.
August 14, 2012
Examiner.com - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated information today on the spread of the West Nile virus in the country. They noted that as of today, 43 states are now reporting West Nile virus infections in people, birds and mosquito's.
A total of 693 cases involving people have been documented, with 26 deaths reported to the CDC. Of the total cases, 403 (59%) were neuroinvasive, resulting in meningitis or encephalitis. The rest of the cases, 41%, are considered noninvasive, acting more like a flu-like illness.
The 693 cases reported so far in 2012 is considered to be the highest number of cases reported to the CDC through this week in August since the West Nile virus was detected in the U.S. in 1999.
Eighty percent of the cases come from 6 states, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and California. Of these cases, half are from Texas. In Dallas County, Texas, public health officials have declared an emergency with 175 cases there alone.
First discovered in Africa in 1973, West Nile virus didn't show up in the United States until 1999. It spread from New York across the country rather quickly, infecting animals, birds and mosquitoes, alike.
The virus cannot be caught from another person, and people can only become infected if bitten by a mosquito that's infected with the virus. Not all mosquitoes carry the virus, either. People are at the greatest risk of infection from a bite from July-September, and in some states, year-round.
People most at risk of infection are those over 50 years of age, and those with impaired immune systems. Kids with normal immune systems rarely get very sick, usually showing mild flu-like symptoms.
Symptoms of the West Nile virus resemble the flu. There is fever, headache, neck and back stiffness, as well as muscle aches, tiredness, swollen glands and a rash. In the worst-case scenario, the infection could turn into meningitis or encephalitis, an irritation and swelling of the brain.
The best prevention from contracting West Nile virus is to stay away from standing water, where mosquitoes breed, and to avoid working or playing outside during the early morning or early evening. These are the times when mosquitoes are most often swarming.
Insect repellents are a good idea, too. Repellents that contain DEET, lemon eucalyptus, or picaridin are best. Another thing that helps is to wear socks, long sleeves and long pants when out where mosquitoes are known to be in an area.
Second West Nile Virus Case Confirmed in Maryland
August 16, 2012CBSDC - A second case of West Nile Virus has been confirmed in Maryland.
A 70-year-old is suffering from swelling of the brain after being infected by the virus. The location where the patient was infected has not been given, although the first West Nile case surfaced in central Maryland in July.
The Centers for Disease Control says 26 people have died from West Nile across 43 different states from a total of 700 confirmed cases this year.
Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser says there are some precautions to take to lower the risk of contracting the disease from mosquitoes, like spraying on bug repellant and covering up skin with more clothing. He says to also get rid of standing water, which is a breeding ground for mosquito activity, so get rid of that around your house.
Concerns of the spread of the virus have gotten so severe that some states are considering the use of aerial spraying.
Mike Raupp, of the University of Maryland College of Agriculture, told “CBS This Morning, the “combination of birds carrying the virus, the high population of mosquitoes, high temperatures and wet conditions, as well as a susceptible population, have made the situation possible.”
New York and Massachusetts have already done aerial spraying to successfully reduce the mosquito population by 60 percent.
The situation is perhaps the worst in the state of Texas, however, with 10 deaths and 200 illnesses in Dallas alone.
The most susceptible populations are areas with a high concentration of senior citizen-aged adults. Raupp says people over 50 years of age are at the greatest risk.
August 11, 2012
West Nile Virus Outbreak in Dallas County, Texas; Five Planes Spraying Insecticide
Dallas County Allows Aerial Spraying for 1st Time in Decades to Fight West Nile Virus Outbreak
August 11, 2012AP - Suffering from the nation's deadliest outbreak of West Nile virus this year, Dallas County authorized aerial spraying of insecticide on Friday for the first time in nearly five decades to help fight the mosquito-born illness.
Texas' second most populous county announced the decision after its leaders met with the state's top health official and experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 90 cases of the most severe form of West Nile have been confirmed in the county so far, nine residents have died, and the virus' peak season is just beginning.
"This is a matter of extreme concern, and we're going to follow the science and do what's best for our people," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the county's top elected official.
Five planes have been requested for spraying the heavily populated northern part of Dallas as well as the nearby enclaves of Highland Park and University Park — the most affected areas — but they won't be used until leaders in those jurisdictions approve, said Jenkins, who urged the cities to allow the planes in.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and officials from the other cities said they plan to meet with other city, county and state officials and industry experts early next week to decide how to proceed.
Jenkins on Thursday declared a public health emergency. Three nearby counties have reported one death each.
There is no vaccine for the virus, which has been in the U.S. since about 1999, according to the CDC. The virus, which most often affects people over 50, can cause high fevers, headaches and disorientation.
Public health officials typically advise residents of mosquito-prone areas to drain standing water, apply insect repellent containing the ingredient DEET and wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants. But officials at Friday's meeting said it's clear that those warnings and ongoing ground-based spraying aren't enough.
"It seems like the avoidance strategy is not working, so now you have to kill the bug," said Dr. Rick Snyder, president of the Dallas County Medical Society.
The Texas Department of State Health Services this year has tracked 214 cases of neuroinvasive West Nile, the most serious form of the illness, including 89 in Dallas County. Noting that the peak season for the illness is just beginning, agency officials said they fear the state will break the record number for such cases — 438 — reported in 2003.
"This is a major outbreak," said Dr. David Lakey, the department's commissioner. "People need to do all they can to protect themselves."
Aerial spraying is controversial. Some fear health effects from chemicals falling on them from the sky, and others have questioned whether the approach was scientifically proven to stop West Nile cases.
But at least one study in California has concluded that the odds of infection are about six times lower in treated areas than those that are untreated.
The American Mosquito Control Association doesn't keep exact statistics, but an association spokesman said spraying is common in Florida, and ongoing programs exist in other states including Louisiana, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan and Minnesota.
The Texas health agency said the intensity of the disease fluctuates from year to year in the state depending on factors such as weather and the number of birds and mosquitoes that spread it.
The large number of West Nile cases this year is due to the extremely hot weather and recent rains, according to the agency.
August 10, 2012
Globalists are Starting with California to Phase in Their Carbon-free Agenda
Carbon Agenda Sets Stage for Rolling Blackouts in California
August 10, 2012Infowars.com - It is said that as California goes, so goes the nation. The Golden State is about to experience what the rest of the nation will experience after the globalists phase in their carbon-free agenda under the demonstrably bogus global climate change scam.
“California’s electricity grid operator issued a rare statewide alert on Thursday warning residents to curb power usage in coming days as a heat wave threatens to strain its already taxed network,” Reuters reported on Monday.
The alert instructs residents and businesses to “curb use” during the peak consumption hours of 11:00 AM to 6 PM. The “alert” will last through Sunday.
California Independent System Operation (CAISO) is said to be bracing for a heat wave that is moving toward the state. It will struggle to compensate for the loss of 2,150-megawatts produced by the San Onofre nuclear plant. The plant will remain down through the rest of the summer due to a small radiation leak detected earlier this year.
Reuters reports that an alert issued by CAISO “may serve as a reality check for state leaders and grid officials who are struggling to deal with increasing demands for more carbon-free electricity over the next few years.”
California plans to drastically cut back on traditional sources of electric generation and rely “on renewable power sources, such as solar and wind, while shutting a number of ocean-side plants that supply power around the clock will challenge power grid operators to keep the lights on.”
The federal government is moving ahead with plans to shut down traditional energy plants. In 2011, Obama Energy Secretary Steven Chu launched an effort to bankrupt the coal industry through EPA regulations.
The Obama administration’s strict enforcement of draconian EPA regulations has led to new clean-burning coal-fired plants being mothballed and other existing ones being shut down, Infowars.com reported in February of 2011.
During his presidential run, Obama said that “if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. It’s just that it will bankrupt them because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted…. Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”
“The deliberate deindustrialization of America has nothing to do with protecting the environment. Whereas the competitiveness of America’s energy industry is being crippled by the EPA and the White House, China and Mexico are building dozens of new power plants every year which fall well short of the clean-burning technology standards adhered to in the United States,” Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson wrote on Monday.
“This is about the implementation of the UN’s Agenda 21, which operates under the guise of ‘sustainable development’ yet is clearly part of a stealth agenda to centralize control over energy, bankrupting America in the process as part of the move towards a crony system of one world governance.
July 29, 2012
Bill Gates Wants to Spray Chemicals That Threaten the Food Supplies of Billions of People
Bill Gates Funds Scheme to Spray Artificial ‘Planet-cooling’ Sulfur Particles into Atmosphere
July 26, 2012Natural News - Geo-engineers are finally coming out of the “chemtrail” closet, as reports are now emerging about deliberate plans in the works to dump untold tons of sulfate chemicals into the atmosphere for the purported purpose of fighting so-called “global warming.”
The U.K.’s Guardian and others are reporting that a multi-million dollar research fund, which just so happens to have been started and funded by Microsoft founder and vaccine enthusiast Bill Gates, is being used to fund the project. A large balloon hovering at 80,000 feet over Fort Sumner, New Mexico, will release the sulfates into the atmosphere within the next year.
The stated purpose for this massive release of toxic sulfate particles is that doing so will allegedly reflect sunlight back into the atmosphere, and thus cool the planet. But many environmental groups and advocates of common sense are decrying the idea as dangerous, and one that could result in permanent damage to ecosystems all across the globe.
“Impacts include the potential for further damage to the ozone layer, and disruption of rainfall, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, potentially threatening the food supplies of billions of people,” said Pat Mooney, Executive Director of the ETC Group, a Canadian environmental protection group.
“It will do nothing to decrease levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere or halt ocean acidification. And solar geo-engineering is likely to increase the risk of climate-related international conflict, given that the modeling to date shows it poses greater risks to the global south.”
But the Gates-backed cohort is persistent in its efforts to geo-graffiti the world, as its scientists insist that governments are not doing enough to fight back against the supposed environment impacts of global warming. If governments refuse to implement high enough carbon taxes to eliminate greenhouse gases, in other words, then Gates and Co. believes it has no choice but to “save the planet” by polluting it with sulfate particles.
Spraying the skies with sulfate particles will destroy the planet faster than ‘global warming’ ever could
Sulfate particles are toxic, though, and constitute the very same type of ambient particulate matter (PM) that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be a noxious air pollutant. Deliberately spraying the skies with tiny particles composed of any material, for that matter, is hazardous both to respiratory health in humans and animals, as well as to water sources, soils, and other delicate environmental resources.
“Sulfate particles from acid rain can cause harm to the health of marine life in the rivers and lakes it contaminates, and can result in mortality,” says an online water pollution guide (http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/health.html). A University of Washington (UW) report also explains that sulfate particles “contribute to acid rain, cause lung irritation, and have been a main culprit in causing the haze that obscures a clear view of the Grand Canyon.”
Blocking the sun with reflective particles will also deprive humans of natural sunlight exposure, which is a primary source for naturally generating health-promoting vitamin D in the body. So once again, Bill Gates is at the helms of a project that seeks to control the climate in artificial ways using toxic chemicals, an endeavor that is sure to create all sorts of potentially irreversible problems for humanity and the planet.
Vaccines must not be doing the trick fast enough for Bill Gates and the others who want to reduce the world population to 500 million. We know from his own words (see the video above) that Bill Gates is not interested in saving lives but in reducing the world's population through vaccines and other means—he's also big on genetically modified foods and atmospheric geoengineering. If he really wanted to help the less developed countries, he'd be trying to save lives by spending the funds of his foundation (a tax-free haven for his vast wealth as well as the fortunes of other billionaires) for clean water and sanitation—but the power seekers really don't want to stop all the deaths caused by famine and lack of clean water. Rather, their goal is to reduce the world's population by 90%.
Comment by vansak,The Huffington Post (U.S. Heat Wave 2012: What's Behind The Hot Weather?)
July 5, 2012
Wow - just came across this article & embrace the interest & varying perspectives on the matter. Now I fully recognize what I'm about to state is going to expose me to intense scrutiny & ridicule - something I have learned to deal with over the past year; nonetheless all of us deserve to know the truth behind this absolute ludicrous intensity of heat, or in other words intensity of solar radiation & electromagnetic frequencies, which of course includes the visible light spectrum thus the equally ludicrous record shattering celestial illumination of Jupiter, Venus, the moon, & the sun.
Back to this heat wave – I can’t get into the details now but last May I had a “rude” introduction to multiple phenomena including those of chemtrails which subsequently led to the startling discovery these substances being doused in the skies globally consisted of crystalline substances, i.e. liquid crystals. Since I have outlined overwhelming scientific observations supporting these claims, in which these substances inherently align into waveguides upon the introduction of an electromagnetic field, provided inherently via the earth, constructing what can be thought of as a virtual “molecular fiber optic” network or grid in the sky. Why is this relevant? Because these waveguides polarize EMF’s, just as they do in HD screens & devices, literally channeling solar radiation, bypassing much of the protective elements within the lower atmosphere (nitrogen, oxygen, etc) & directing it to the surface of the earth.
I first went public with this in May of 2011. Not even considering the science & physics I’ve outlined, if my claims were to hold merit this grid of waveguides would have a subsequent effect on EMF’s resulting in heightened temperatures across the globe as well as increased illumination of celestial bodies – i.e. the “supermoon”.
As this article has outlined not only has this physical side-effect manifested, but it has done it in simply extraordinary proportions, generating the most unusual past 14 months of weather patterns, shattering heat records at an unparalleled rate. I came out with this last May, & so it also was the initial month of record shattering warmth which seems to only be escalating in magnitude.
I understand the inclination to dismiss this as why in the world would we intentionally be exposed to heightened levels of radiation? Well the answer will challenge all that we “think” we know about the nature of our reality. Please just take a moment to view some of what I have shared. In the end if you think it’s BS, that’s totally fine – just remember this info to call upon later. Take care, VanSak
“Supersun”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc5t1jg9_l0
Science & Physics behind this radiation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j2QW8bzeMM
A multitude of scientific observations clearly pointing to liquid crystals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hFaE0432tQ
The Sixth Seal, the Seven Trumpets, and the Return of Christ
The first four seals in the Book of Revelation describe death of 1/4 of the earth by war, scarcity, famine, social injustice, plagues, etc. At the opening of the fifth seal, the souls in heaven ask: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" They are told: "Rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."Following the cosmic disturbances of the sixth seal (great earthquake, sun turns black, moon turns blood red, stars fall to earth, sky rolls up like a scroll, every mountain and island moves), there is silence in heaven about 1/2 hour before the seventh seal is opened.
The seventh seal in the Book of Revelation reveals itself as the seven trumpets, described as "the wrath of the Lamb." The first four trumpets will bring destruction upon the earth (1/3 of trees burned up, all green grass burned, 1/3 sea turns to blood, 1/3 sea creatures die, 1/3 ships destroyed, 1/3 waters poisoned, 1/3 sun and moon and stars darkened).
At the fifth trumpet, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit to rule over his one-world government and religion. 'Locusts' will torment men without the seal of God for five months. "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them."
At the sixth trumpet, the 200 million man army of the one-world government, the anti-Christian beast, will kill 1/3 part of men. Shorty after this, at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, Jesus will come in the clouds of heaven to deliver up his people. As the nations prepare for the Battle of Armageddon, the final battle, Jesus will return with His army from heaven to destroy the kingdom of the beast.
God will pour out the seven vials of His wrath upon the earth; the last enemy to be destroyed will be death, Satan. And the Lord will create a new heaven and a new earth, and He will bring New Jerusalem down from heaven to earth, and He will reign with His people forever and ever.
Related:
July 27, 2012
Midwest Crops, Fish, Water Supply Punished by Drought
Midwest Crops, Fish, Water Supply Punished by Drought
July 27, 2012Reuters - Temperatures heading north of 100 degrees Fahrenheit and scarce rain portended another blistering weekend for much of the U.S. Midwest, where the most extensive drought since 1956 is devastating crops, evaporating rivers, and threatening to push world food prices higher.
Violent storms brought rain to the extreme eastern portions of the corn belt in Ohio on Thursday night, but moisture was sparse further west.
The mercury soared in Missouri, where St. Louis was expected to reach 101 degrees F (38 Celsius) on Friday. Drought is afflicting nearly all of east-central Missouri, central and western Illinois and much of Iowa, all major corn and soybean producing states.
Farther west in Kansas City, temperatures were expected to move back over 100 degrees on Sunday as residents looked for ways to conserve water.
In Missouri, more than 600 farmers have applied for state funds to drill new wells, deepen existing wells or expand irrigation systems under a program for livestock and crop farmers severely hit by drought, Governor Jay Nixon said.
In Kansas, Governor Sam Brownback objected to federal officials releasing water from three Kansas reservoirs to keep the Missouri River navigable and protect endangered birds. A spokesperson said Brownback preferred to keep the reservoirs as high as possible to conserve water for farmers and communities drawing from them.
A year ago, the Missouri River flooded parts of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, tearing up levees and roads and inundating fields.
After flooding last year, the Mississippi River is now so low that barge operators must lighten loads to avoid getting stuck.
FISH DYING, FOWL MAY BE NEXT
Extreme conditions are killing fish by the thousands in lakes and rivers and could pose a problem for migrating ducks and other waterfowl if the drought stretches into the fall, officials said.
Nationwide, fishing losses could run from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars depending on how long the drought lasts and how widespread it is, said Dan Stephenson, an Illinois state fisheries biologist.
Damage to corn, soybean and wheat crops is expected to push food prices higher in the United States and around the world. The United States is the world's largest exporter of corn, soybeans and wheat.
At the Chicago Board of Trade on Friday, corn for September delivery was up 2.2 percent, August soybeans up 1.7 percent and September wheat up about 1.6 percent.
Over the next week, soaring temperatures and little rain were in store for crops in most of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, said Don Keeney, an MDA EarthSat Weather meteorologist.
"Crops will continue to deteriorate. The corn crop is already gone. and in the north and east, beans will improve some but not in the southwest," Keeney said.
Showers and cooler temperatures were expected to bring some relief to eastern parts of the Midwest on Friday, and on Saturday and Sunday in the northwest part of the region, Keeney said.
Farmers planted corn and soybeans earlier than usual this year after a warmer than normal winter, but conditions have rapidly deteriorated.
Trade sources said on Friday that Informa Economics had cut its estimate for 2012 U.S. corn yields per acre and production and its projection for U.S. soybean yields per acre and overall production.
Corn yield prospects in central and northeast Iowa were highly variable, scouts on a U.S. Midwest crop tour said.
Some plants have withered and died in the worst drought in 56 years, some have thin stalks and small ears, and others are mostly green, but visibly stressed.
All of Iowa was in severe drought or worse, according to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor for the week ending July 24 issued by climatologists, and almost 30 percent of the nine-state Midwest was suffering extreme drought.
July 18, 2012
61% of Land Mass in U.S. Affected by Drought; Food Prices to Go Higher
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Prays for Rain
July 18, 2012ABC News - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is praying for rain to bring relief from the drought, which is devastating crops and likely to push up food prices.
"I get on my knees every day," Vilsack told reporters at the White House today. "And I'm saying an extra prayer now. If I had a rain prayer or a rain dance I could do, I would do it."
Sixty-one percent of the U.S. is experiencing a drought, the worst in 25 years. Blistering heat and a lack of rain are threatening close to 80 percent of the corn and soy bean crops, leading to declining yields. The country's livestock is also in harm's way, as a result.
"Our hearts go out to the producers, the farm families who are struggling through something that they obviously have no control over and trying to deal with a very difficult circumstance," Vilsack said, following his Oval Office meeting with President Obama.
As of today, nearly 1,300 counties have been designated as disaster areas.
The secretary admitted that the drought, which is already driving up corn and bean prices, will likely impact the greater economic recovery.
"One out of every 12 jobs in the economy is connected in some way, shape or form to what happens on the farm," he said. "So, obviously, this drought will provide some degree of uncertainty."
Vilsack urged Congress to provide help and assistance to the nation's farmers.
"The most important thing is for Congress to take action to provide some direction and assistance so that folks know what's going to happen, what kind of protection they're going to have," he said. "That certainty is really important, and that's whether they want to get to work on the food, farm and jobs bill, they want to develop a separate disaster program or an extension of existing programs, whatever it might be. Having that done as soon as possible will be quite helpful."
In the meantime, the USDA is opening areas in the Conservation Reserve Program for emergency grazing and giving farmers access to low-interest federal loans.
Grocery Prices Headed Higher as Drought Lingers
July 18, 2012AP - Shoppers across the country should stand up and take notice of the Midwestern drought that has already hurt supplies of corn and soybeans.
The drought will lead to higher supermarket prices for everything from milk to meat. How high will depend on what happens with rain and high temperatures in the Corn Belt in the next few weeks.
“We’re at the cusp of seeing how severely this is going to impact consumer prices,” said Darrel Good, professor emeritus of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.The drought and heat, he said, have "already done permanent damage to the crops, but our concern is the outlook for the weather is not very good and we’re expecting a further deterioration.”
If that happens, he continued,
“Prices will go up ever higher and have more severe and long-lasting impacts.”In a twist that may sound counterintuitive, prices in the next few weeks for certain products may end up being major deals as a result of the drought.
For example, you may want to make room in your freezer for meat because prices for beef and pork are expected to drop in the next few months as farmers slaughter herds to deal with the high cost of grains that are used as livestock feed, said Shawn Hackett of the agricultural commodities firm Hackett Financial Advisors in Boynton Beach, Fla. But, he added, everything from milk to salad dressing is going to cost more in the near term, and eventually the meat deals will evaporate as demand outstrips supply.
Agriculture experts and economists largely agree that the weather conditions are expected to hurt corn crops, and in turn will impact retail prices in the weeks ahead. But we won’t know the full impact of the drought until early August or September, said Richard Volpe, research economist for the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Rain is in short supply across most of the country and you could be paying the price for it at the grocery store. NBC's Janet Shamlian reports.
“We don’t yet know what’s going to happen and we don’t yet know how severe the drought will be and the amount we end up getting at the end of the corn harvest,” he stressed.The USDA provides monthly estimates of food prices but the June data showing increases of less than 5 percent for key items such as dairy and meat products does not take the recent grain issues into account. Updated figures on the drought’s impact will be released July 25.
Volpe wouldn’t provide specific projections based on conditions now, but he did say price increases for milk, that were expected to be flat or decline this year, could head up “if there’s a major jump in feed prices.”
At this point, he added,
“there’s been enough damage that we know we’re not going to have a record crop in field corn. Now the question is, how far below the record crop is this going to fall? What happens in next two weeks will drive what happens to corn and that will have an affect on all food prices.”Field corn, also known as feed corn -- which is different from the sweet corn many of us eat during our barbecues -- is in about 74 percent of the foods consumers buy in supermarkets, he pointed out.
This year, corn supplies were expected to be more than ample because many growers in the Corn Belt -- including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota -- increased acreage of the crop to meet growing global demand, said John Riley, assistant extension professor at Mississippi State University.
“But it will now fall short because of the drought and heat,” he noted.The price for a bushel of corn hit $7.48 a bushel at the Chicago Board of Trade this week, and government figures now project this year and next that a bushel will be as much as $6.40 a bushel, up significantly from last month's projections of $4.20 to $5 a bushel.
The expected rise in food prices is nothing new for consumers.
“Food price inflation in 2011 was well above normal,” explained Corinne Alexander, an agricultural economist at Purdue University. Grocery store food inflation was 4.8 percent last year, she said, and the expectations were of about 2 percent this year.While prices for processed foods such as cereal are not expected to rise considerably unless the shortages get much worse because producers had already instituted huge price hike last year, she continued.
“The drought means above normal food price inflation in 2012, and going into 2013,” he noted.
But, she added, the cost of things like oil and salad dressing are likely to rise because soybean crops have also been impacted.
The food-price roller coaster is a scary ride consumers have been on for some time. There have been tight supplies going back to 2006, said Mississippi State’s Riley.
“Weather events and a bump up in demand for corn for renewable fuel,” he explained, have all contributed to the problem.When asked if consumers should start praying for rain, he said,
“any rain moving forward is a blessing and is going to help, but I don’t know if it’s going to make it better.”
Midwest Drought Threatens Crops, Livelihoods and Food Prices
July 18, 2012USA TODAY – Ask Craig Ganshorn how his corn crop is faring and he winces before replying. "Basically, it's burnt up," he says.
Ganshorn, 62, who has farmed 500 acres of corn and soybeans here since 1976, is confronting the grim realities of a drought that he says is worse "by far" than the one in 1988 that's remembered as among the worst in U.S. history.
Ganshorn's farm is in Kosciusko County, which is in extreme drought. He figures he won't get much return on his corn crop but hopes his soybeans, which are hardier and pollinate later than corn, will survive.
He's already calculated what this hot, dry summer means to his bottom line.
"It just cancels any idea" of buying a newer used combine to replace his rickety old one, he says, and "there will be no trip to Colorado this year."Searing temperatures and below-normal rainfall across a broad swath of the USA have created a drought that is killing crops and drying up streams. More than 1,000 counties have been declared natural disaster areas, giving farmers access to low-interest loans. Mississippi River water levels in some areas are nearing record lows. The conditions have prompted water-use restrictions in Illinois, Indiana and elsewhere, increased risk of wildfires and a marketplace domino effect that could mean more expensive groceries.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week dropped the estimated average corn yield by 12%. That means higher prices for corn, which forces livestock producers to liquidate herds because feed is too expensive. That, in turn, could mean higher prices for meat and dairy products next year because there will be fewer cattle, hogs and cows.
Food prices already are ticking upward. The Labor Department said Tuesday that food costs rose 0.2% in June from a month earlier and are up 2.7% from June 2011.
The culprit is a weather pattern that produced dry conditions in the middle of the country starting last fall, says Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center. Those conditions were exacerbated by a winter that was warmer and drier than normal, he says.
"Currently, almost 61% of the country (not including Alaska and Hawaii) is in drought, compared to 29% a year ago," Fuchs says. "Even though it is part of the natural variability of climate, this is a rare event." About 78% of the country's corn-growing regions are in drought, he says.
The Palmer Drought Severity Indexsays this drought covers the largest percentage of the contiguous USA since December 1956.
There isn't much good news in long-term weather forecasts.
"Over the next several weeks to even the next month or so, we're not really anticipating any changes to the pattern," Fuchs says.
Crops are withering
In the Clunette area, some of the drought's effects are obvious. Corn stalks are 4 or 5 feet high, about half what they should be at this point in the summer, and nobody has to mow their lawn anymore. Grass is brown and dead, and farmers are conserving water for irrigating their fields — though even some watered corn is struggling.
The drought's effects are causing alarm across the Midwest:
•The Arkansas River near Syracuse, Kan., last week had less than 1 cubic foot per second of water flowing in it. The historical mean flow: 394 cubic feet per second. The flow was the lowest recorded for this time of year since records began in 1902, says Brian Loving, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist in Lawrence, Kan.
The temperature of the water flowing in the Wakarusa River, southeast of Topeka, reached 103 degrees on July 7, Loving says. High water temperatures reduce the amount of oxygen available in the stream to fish and other aquatic life.
"This could be the worst drought for our streams since we started keeping records a little over 100 years ago," he says.
•Randy Miles, a soil scientist at the University of Missouri-Columbia, stuck a probe into a farm field on Monday and found no moisture more than 5 feet deep. In a normal year, he would expect only the top 12-16 inches to be dry.
Current conditions, he says, mean that "crops won't thrive." The drought, Miles says, affects everything from earthworms, which must bore deeper to find moisture, to nutrients in the soil.
•Kent Lorens, who raises livestock, wheat and corn on a 3,400-acre farm near Stratton, Neb., is giving his cows and calves protein supplements because the dry grass they're eating doesn't provide enough nutrition. They're drinking 20 or 30 gallons of water daily instead of the usual 10, he says.
•At Honker Hill Winery near Carbondale, Ill., "Some of the plants are beginning to shed their leaves like they're dying. A lot of the grapes are drying up, too," says manager Stan South. Wine is still being made from last year's excellent crop, he says, but he thinks "it's very possibly time to invest in an irrigation system."
•Salesman Mark Holzum says foot traffic at Heuer Sons Implement Co. in Cape Girardeau, Mo., is "a fourth of what it normally would be" as farmers scrap or postpone equipment purchases. "They're not in a good mood," he says.
Close to 'total failure'
Iowa and Illinois are the top corn-producing states, according to the USDA, and usually account for about one-third of the U.S. crop. Indiana typically ranks fifth, says Chris Hurt, an agricultural economist at Purdue University. Much of Iowa is abnormally dry or in moderate drought, but its situation is not as bad as the one in Illinois and Indiana.
About 61% of Indiana's corn crop is rated poor or very poor — the worst of any major corn-producing state, Hurt says.
"Those crops are getting close to having total failure," he says.
At this point in 1988, 90% of Indiana's corn was rated in those two bottom categories. "This one is not yet as intense and horrible as 1988," he says, "but it's the only one that's close to comparable."
Tell that to Bruce Ferguson, who walked into the Clunette Elevator Co. — which helps manage and stores crops — one day last week with a 6-inch ear of corn with silk hanging from it. The corn had not pollinated, which means that it would never produce full rows of kernels.
Multiply that one ear by all the unirrigated corn planted on Ferguson's 1,400-acre farm for a sense of what the drought means to him. Only about 150 acres are irrigated, he says. "You have to be prepared for a pretty complete failure this year," says Ferguson, 60, who has farmed here since 1978.
Only a "minimal amount" of his crop was insured, and Ferguson estimates his eventual losses at about $500,000 unless conditions change. "If we get 2 or 3 inches of rain soon and 1 inch every week after that, the corn could rebound," he says.
John Anglin, the elevator's co-owner, doesn't expect a reprieve.
"We can already identify some (corn) fields that will have zero yields," he says. Although some farmers will recoup most of their losses through insurance, that's no consolation, he says. "It is hard for the farmers to accept" a failed crop, Anglin says. "They would rather have a good crop than the dollars."
Meredith Powell, the Clunette Elevator's entomologist, says the drought is creating expensive problems that go beyond dryness.
"Insects thrive in this environment," she says.Dry soil encourages Goss's bacterial wilt, which affects corn, she says, and the elevator is doing aerial spraying to try to eradicate adult corn rootworm beetles and spider mites, which attack soybeans.
John Powell, 55, who farms 2,000 acres here, faces a couple of big decisions in the next few days.
"Right now we have to decide whether we're going to put more money into the corn crop," he says. Fungicides and herbicides that would help keep surviving corn healthy would set him back another $13-$15 an acre, he says.
Powell raises ducks with his brother-in-law and already has taken a big hit on that venture because of the drought. A couple of weekends ago when the temperature hit 104 degrees, 1,700 ducks died in a single day, he says.
Miles, the soil scientist, says the drought is so widespread and severe that even a return of regular rainfall through fall won't be enough to end it.
"It would be nice," he says, "to have a winter … with plenty of snow and rain."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
