Peak Oil: Disrupting the World's Supply of Food

This is a thread I have been contemplating about making for some time now.

Here goes.

First, lets look at what the governments are saying.

Ms. Donna DuBreuil (President, Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre):

The global impact of peak oil—and it's not something I've heard mentioned at this committee—will have a profound consequence for food production. To be prepared will require strengthening local rural economies and encouraging diversification.

Mr. Gerry Ritz (Battlefords—Lloydminster, CPC):

...

The global impact of peak oil--you mentioned that we hadn't said a whole bunch about that. I have no idea what you're referring to there, Donna.

First off, isnt that good to know? An MP from a vast oil producing region has no clue on the impacts of peak oil production. Ah but thats not the point, lets carry on.

Ms. Donna DuBreuil: Well, I didn't either, actually, until just a little while ago. Just let me refer to my notes. It really essentially means that oil production worldwide, in terms of both oil and gas, is projected to peak within the next year or two. Essentially this is going to mean, obviously, increasing costs as demand goes up and production remains even.

It's certainly a consideration. The U.S. Congress, for example, had a hearing just last month, on March 14, to discuss the implications of it. From what I've read, it's going to have pretty substantial implications for farmers and for food production.

You think?

Now this was from Tuesday, April 19, 2005. Little did they know of our little "Micro Peak" that we are currently living in today.

Now think about it. Look at the population of the world we are living in today. The food supply needed to feed this population is astonishing.

When the need to produce large amounts of food is there, who does the work? Well of course farmers do the work, but what happens when the cost of production becomes more than the product itself?

Mr. Gerry Ritz: My concern then, Steve, is that my producers are going to have to swallow that cost, and we're already running--you know the lastest numbers for 2003--minus $13 million net income in all agricultural sectors, coast to coast to coast. How can we be expected to pick that up and still actually produce a product so you guys have jobs to carry on?

All quotes thus far from here:

Now I can assure you the debt numbers for agriculture are much higher currently than what is mentioned here.

Lets look at the costs of this farm production. Fuel that is.

Take a look at this chart for the gallons of fuel used per acre to put in and take off the crops.

www.ext.colostate.edu...

Now lets just see how much farm land we are talking about in Canada, for an example.

Area in hectares^2 for 2001 = 67,502,447

www40.statcan.ca...

Now you may be saying, but its not all crop land! Surely not all of it requires this much fuel.

So lets look at crop land for Canada.

Area in hectares^2 for 2001 = 36,395,151

Someone do the math on that fuel usage. Its no pocket change.

"B-b-but why cant they just be organic etc and farm like they used to !"

Farms reporting certified organic products in 2001 = 2,230
Thats compared to 246,923 total farms in Canada.

www40.statcan.ca...

Even then do you think they go around with horses and straw hats plowing up 10,000 acres of cheerios so you can eat every day? No they still use fuel !



Yes all these machines use fuel.

So when you are complaining at the pumps about fuel prices, think about fueling up one of these and putting nearly 500 dollars into a shot and selling your product in the end for 50 cents a bushel.

Oil is going to effect us in so many ways its scary.