The Economy

@dannyboy Indeed! :)

The news today said the average price of a turkey Thanksgiving meal went up 14% this year due to supply chain issues. Does anyone see whether these events will lead to a rise in vegetarianism worldwide or in the US in the near future?

@chromosomexy I have seen in visions that vegetarianism , and even more important veganism , will rise sharply in the future. I feel the acceleration will coincide with accelerated climate change and the coinciding  rise in consciousness. I hadn’t thought it would come from rising prices but from the increasing awareness of the cruelty of making animals suffer for something that has better and also tastier solutions.   Meat eating also is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas pollution and other forms of environmental degradation, so more will stop eating meat to save the earth.

The fact that meat producers are actually artificially raising their  prices right now, which they are —and that is regardless of food supply chains, could be how this industry shoots itself in the foot.    

While there are good people in the organic free range small farm meat industry, the bulk of producers in this industry have a dark history that has only gotten worse. They are digging their own graves.  

@jeanne-mayell @chromosomexy

There was a NYT Magazine article a few months ago about how the "super-weed" Palmer's amaranth is making it harder for farmers to harvest soy beans. Since soy is a major component of livestock feed, the weed is also driving up meat prices.

To be honest, the article wasn't very good. The author never questions the wisdom of the pesticide treadmill that is making weeds more resistant nor did he make the obvious conclusion that people may no longer be able to count on cheap animal protein (the horror!). The article briefly mentions that Palmer's amaranth was a food crop for indigenous people, but it doesn't suggest that we can turn this "weed" into a food source. I'm thoroughly unconcerned by Palmer's amaranth and think pesticide-resistant weeds will help play a role in the demise of industrial meat.

@chromosomexy 

There is a noticeable rise in vegan prepared meals and products over the past few years.  More and more product lines are also being created to meet the demands and desires for a growing educated public who want to eat clean foods for their own health and for the health of the planet.  Some products are from major brands because those companies closely follow where trends are headed, not for altruistic reasons.  Major brands and major grocery stores are concerned about the bottom line and what is selling.  When multiple people are requesting certain things, they listen and adapt or are left behind.  It is difficult for mom and pop brands.  It is difficult for small businesses to get shelf space in a supermarket or natural food store. Whole Foods has nearly eliminated their "local" produce and product space which makes it difficult for small products to find shelf space.   It takes a great deal of money to simply get your product on display and be seen at major natural food product expos and conventions.  Then you need to be noticed and you must have something unique and interesting to capture the attention of the buyers.  That is just the first step. Most small companies that demo their products in an expo or convention will never make it to a major retailer.  Price point is also a key concern as it can be expensive to produce vegan products especially if they are organic.  

That being said, look to more farmers markets to discover small company vegan and natural products.  

My family has been active in the Natural Food industry for over 45 years. It has grown from a very small almost "hippie" movement to a leading whole life way of living.  

Where do I see trends happening in both the natural and regular grocery industry?  Well, vegan products for sure.  Taste, global footprint, price point and of course organic ( and Non- GMO) have been driving forces in the industry. Conventional farmers will turn more to raising more organic vegetables and meats.  Many are learning the chemical industry is not their friend nor the earth's friend.  People will begin to search out more grass feed and pasture raised animal products when the chose to eat them.  They may also eat less  meat, but making sure it is as "clean" as possible when they do so.   Humanly raised animal products will be trending and likely staying that way as our awareness shifts to understanding the animal human connections.  

Many companies are doing research on the health benefits of unusual vegetables and herbs.  Expect to see more heirloom vegetables which have greater nutrition than current conventionally grown vegetables and more unique plants which are known for health benefits but not really outside of their country of origin right now.

There is so much more to talk about but this is a good starting point.

Where we spend our dollars matter.  Change does happen over time.  

Things are certainly changing.  I remember in the 1970's in elementary school  I would have sandwiches on whole wheat bread with alfalfa sprouts instead of lettuce.  I would get teased royally for eating "grass" by my classmates.  NOBODY was eating "brown" bread either.  What most people understood about natural or healthy food was from Euell Gibbons eating Grape Nuts and telling us we could" eat a pine tree" because "many parts were edible". 

@coyote  I occasionally plant a species of amaranth as an ornamental. It has a beautiful deep-red seed head. If the deer don’t eat it (they usually do) and if I plant it early enough in our short growing season, it will go to seed and spread like crazy. One of these years, I hope to harvest some for myself and see what it tastes like. See below:

Species belonging to the genus Amaranthus have been cultivated for their grains for 8,000 years. Amaranth plants are classified as pseudocereals that are grown for their edible starchy seeds, but they are not in the same botanical family as true cereals, such as wheat and rice. Wikipedia

@jackie 

I actually wan't quite sure on what part of the plant amaranth seeds grew. So thanks for answering that question!

@coyote @jackie  the variety Amaranthus Tricolor has beautiful psychedelic leaves.  They grow tall, and reseed freely, creating all kinds of new color combos as they go.

@jackie You can eat the leaves just like spinach.

I grew up eating alegria every chance I could get. It's a Mexican street or festival treat - you pop the seeds on a griddle, then stir in honey and wait for a pan of the stuff to set. Slice it up and you get a much tastier and healthier version of rice crispy squares.

Walden Ponderer
(@walden-ponderer)
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Posts: 47
11/26/2021 8:44 am

@jackie You can eat the leaves just like spinach.
I grew up eating alegria every chance I could get. It's a Mexican street or festival treat - you pop the seeds on a griddle, then stir in honey and wait for a pan of the stuff to set. Slice it up and you get a much tastier and healthier version of rice crispy squares.
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Lovendures
(@lovendures)
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01/26/2022 4:45 pm

Procter and Gamble recently announced it is raising prices on laundry products next month. This will be followed by price increases on personal care products in April. You might want to stock up now and not later.
https://www.businessinsider.com/procter-gamble-price-increases-laundry-detergent-healthcare-products-inflation-2022-1
Last week I went to Dollar Tree on a Valentine's stop for a care package I am sending to each of my daughters. I found some really good items ( a shipment had JUST be stocked that morning) and I also found some gardening items for my husband. It was a bit of a nudge by spirit I think because I was going to go this week instead but kept feeling I should go last Friday. I am glad I went because the prices had not yet increased to $1.25 in my area. (This is a a nationwide roll out increase). They did however increase prices here beginning on Monday. At least they haven't raised prices on their cards. I love the 50 cent and $1 cards.
Dollar Tree isn't going to be as much fun anymore. A budget is a budget and many rely on it for some of their basic needs. I like my Dollar Tree for gift giving supplies (cards, wrapping paper, and some seasonal things). There are some nice surprises which can pop up also. Last week I bought a gardening foam pad to kneel on for a $1 and non GMO seeds, 4 packets for a dollar as well as some simple tools for a dollar. That was fun because I knew my husband wound appreciate it.
Oh well.
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Mickiemac
(@mickiemac)
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Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 7
01/26/2022 6:30 pm

I feed the birds at my house w/Member's Mark Premium Blend Wild Bird Food (Sam's) which they are out of locally so I ordered 2 40lb. bags last week. They arrived yesterday and today I checked the price and it went from 20.98 to 26.98 since I ordered it! The price was 18.98 late last year and I can understand going up a few dollars due to various factors but 8 dollars? Of course the birds don't give a peep about the prices going up - they just want to eat! Oh, and the squirrels make sure they get their share of the seeds as there are plenty of the black sunflower seeds to go around.
I am fortunate to have sufficient resources to maintain a reasonable standard of living (no debt, everything is paid for). I have always watched the pennies and buy in bulk to save and eliminate unnecessary trips. Still, if prices really explode as some are predicting those on the financial brink will really be hit hard.
Cheers to all!

That is a steep rise for sure. 

How fortunate the birds are to have you helping them through the seasons.  The squirrels also. 

Inflation is soaring. It appears we’re are headed for a dramatic interest rate hike.  Then there is this news which came out of Phoenix today. There is a dramatic rise in people using food banks to help feed their families.  Many are first time food bank users who are currently employed.  I am unable to provide a link right now but this quote was from abc15, a local AZ news station:

The Phoenix food bank's main distribution center doled out food packages to 4,271 families during the third week in June, a 78% increase over the 2,396 families served during the same week last year, said St. Mary's spokesman Jerry Brown.

I'm starting to wonder if there will be a war between Iran and Israel. If so oil prices could shoot up which would help Putin but cause extreme inflation that would damage the west.

I just signed up on the predictions subscription page. Are there any predictions about where the economy/housing market will be in the spring of 2023? I didn't see any, so I was just checking. Thanks! :)

There are 2 relevant ones for that time frame.  I see, one from the September 2022 RTFN and one from the Oct 2022 RTFN. 

Here is a link to some older predictions which are for the whole year 2023 which may work also which is available to anyone on the forum.

https://www.jeannemayell.com/community/new-set-of-timeline-predictions/old-predictions-for-2023-that-were-positive/

In general, there are some interesting older predictions in the predictions thread worth checking out.  You might need to dig a bit but lots of interesting information.

Can someone with knowledge of such things, please explain why everyone is dumfounded over the unexpectedly high jobs growth report today?  So dumbfounded that "experts" don't know how to react?  I understand it was stunning, but why is it causing the reactions of such bewildering...concern from the people who have comprehensive and authoritative knowledge about these issues.  

What am I missing? The only things I am gleaming (and who knows if I am understanding any of this at all) seem counter intuitive.

So, we actually don't want large job growth?  An apparently strong economy is...bad?  Interest rates keep rising with the hope that the economy will slow (because a strong economy produces inflation) and the plan is totally not working? 

Also, there doesn't appear to be a backup plan because well, the stunning jobs growth was never supposed to happen. 

Does anyone know whether the experts are considering whether inflation is also related to:

1- Russia's war against Ukraine and war related food/oil global supply chain consequences

2-Playing catch-up with covid supply chain and related issues.

3-Bird Flu (eggs)

4-Climate Crisis and Natural Disasters causing food scarcity and material shortages.

I welcome knowledge from anyone with a background in economics or related field because there appears to be such confusion right now, the media is even confused.

I am linking to CNN because they were the most COLORFUL with their additive use, but other outlets who reported on the topic were also trying to find their own words.  Perhaps as the day goes on more words will come.

https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/stock-market-news-today-jobs-2323/index.html

@lovendures Not to say that I'm an expert in economics (I'm not), but frankly, I'm as puzzled as you are.  My speculative take on it is that they are looking at it as a zero-sum game.  If regular people are thriving, that must mean that less money is going to the elites (which is, of course, a tragedy! 🙄), and they want every penny they can get their grubby little hands on. Also, if people are happy and comfortable, it's far harder to control them with ridiculous rhetoric.

It could also be the simple fact that they think their "top-down, trickle down) system is best, and now that they're being proven wrong,  publicly, and in spades, they're world-view is being challenged.

@lovendures as I follow Heather Cox Richardson on substack ... I also follow Robert Reich... https://robertreich.substack.com

It helps me understand that the current response is all wrong for most Americans ...and they are doing their damnedest to keep the trickle down trickling to nothing it seems.

I saw the obscene profits posted by the oil companies  on the news : https://www.cbsnews.com/news/exxon-chevron-shell-conocophillips-record-profits-earnings-oil-companies-most-profitable-year/

Yet " We must stop inflation... stop raising wages! Make cuts to Social Security and Medicare!! Blah blah blah"

They are killing us with their song ... slowly.

I have a bad feeling about the economy. I am definitely worried. 

@fnwilliamson Hi Nathan, Welcome to our forum.  Would you care to explain a bit about your worry, like break it down a bit?