Author Topic: Whats with the beef? (Read 852 times)

eagl · « **Reply #15 on:** December 01, 2007, 12:30:58 PM »

The real breakthrough will come when Al Gore finds out that you can make ethanol from beef. That way we'll be taking MOST of our food and converting it into really expensive stuff that we just light on fire anyhow.

AWMac · « **Reply #16 on:** December 01, 2007, 12:36:02 PM »

Cows are expensive cuz...

Texans don't like to eat their pets.

Mac

Halo · « **Reply #17 on:** December 01, 2007, 03:39:10 PM »

Been a couple beef recalls, as I recall. Noted one company filed for bankruptcy after taking back a million pounds or so. Hard to imagine that much meat wasted.

FrodeMk3 · « **Reply #18 on:** December 01, 2007, 03:48:24 PM »

Welcome to inflation.

john9001 · « **Reply #19 on:** December 01, 2007, 03:59:57 PM »

it's not "inflation", it's monetary expansion.

Tigeress · « **Reply #20 on:** December 01, 2007, 04:10:17 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by AWMac
Cows are expensive cuz...

Texans don't like to eat their pets.

Mac

hahaha.. Got fed horse sushi in Japan a few weeks ago.
Actually quite tasty with soy sause.

No, I am not kidding... wasn't told what it was till I ate it.

Woman newscaster here locally said off the cuff this week on camera that she noticed vegtables had doubled in price... her co-anchor sorta suched her up and they broke for commercials... whatcha think is up with that?

Is inflation now like a tree falling in the woods?; if no one talks about it, it isn't happening?

TIGERESS

Rolex · « **Reply #21 on:** December 01, 2007, 05:23:54 PM »

Speculators have certainly over-hyped the market, as they always do. There will always be another commodity overblown in a continuous cycle. If it isn't copper, it's silver. If it isn't platinum, it's wheat.

The US rush to ethanol is impacting foreign shipments of corn severely, which will increase the trade imbalance even more. Even wheat prices have increased 10% from farmers replanting corn and a decrease in wheat supply. Japan is a major importer of US corn and wheat, but the supply has been cut to a trickle now.

Inflation is underreported by the government. The statistical method used to calculate inflation was changed a few years ago. Prices for consumer products increase every year, but the government reports a flat price because the new models have "new features that enhanced value." For example, if you buy the same model car next year as you have this year, the price may have gone up 8%, but the government says there is no inflation because it has more "value."

The greatest inflation has been in BS.

Meatwad · « **Reply #22 on:** December 01, 2007, 06:33:47 PM »

Dont forget the cost of fertilizer that has gone sky high. Cant grow corn without fertilizer

Phosphate last year was $280 a ton, right now its about $500/ton
Potash was $220/ton, now $450/ton
Nitrogen $325/ton, now over $500 a ton

Reason for the increase? Since the dollar amount per bushel of corn and wheat has gone sky high, they raise prices to line their pockets with money (all profit too)

Gotta pay more for fertilizer, add the cost to the grain products and pass it on.

For example, lets say a 40 acre corn plot needs 175 lbs/acre of phosphate and potash spread.

Phosphate at $480/ton = $1680
Potash at $450/ton = $1575
Add another $1000 (rough guess) for nitrogen sidedressing in the spring

Thats over $4000 just for fertilizer alone, not counting spraying pesticide, weed killer, etc.

In all honesty, fertilizer corporations and importers are just as bad as the oil companies. They can charge whatever they want for fertilizer and not care how high it is. They know the farmers need fertilizer to grow crops so they sit back and collect the many millions on profits that they pocket.

Nashwan · « **Reply #23 on:** December 01, 2007, 09:02:44 PM »

Quote

Reason for the increase? Since the dollar amount per bushel of corn and wheat has gone sky high, they raise prices to line their pockets with money (all profit too)

The main reasons for the price increases are:

1. Fertilizer is made largely from natural gas. The price of natural gas has gone up sharply.

2. The US imports most of its fertilizer. The dollar has gone down, which means the fertilizer costs more.

3. Increased fuel costs means the fertilizer costs more to transport.

SD67 · « **Reply #24 on:** December 01, 2007, 10:03:38 PM »

All this time I though fertiliser came gushing forth from the mouths of politicians:confused:

SD67 · « **Reply #25 on:** December 01, 2007, 10:05:14 PM »

BTW around AUD$7/kg for grain fed rump steak here at the moment

FTDEEP · « **Reply #26 on:** December 01, 2007, 10:31:41 PM »

economy is in the tank. the dollar is worth about .60 . bizness sucks right now for a lot of people. the malls are complaining how slow it. my bizness is slow..