USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) regularly publishes a trade outlook report. The most recent can be found at the link above.
On page 5:
The fiscal 2010 export forecast for livestock, poultry, and dairy products is up $200 million to $19.9 billion, as strong gains in dairy outweigh moderate declines in poultry exports. The forecast for exports of dairy products is raised by 10 percent with U.S. prices more competitive as global prices have staged a dramatic recovery. Further, the recent decision by the EU to sharply curtail export subsidies has provided a significant boost to global dairy prices. Import demand is expected to expand slightly while competitor supplies—particularly from Oceania—will likely
be constrained by lower-than-expected production.
So now you can see why block cheese has fallen $0.22/lb in the past few days - or maybe not.
There was a quote I read once "in an insane world the sane will seem insane". Seems fitting as we marvel at this "free market" system that we've created.
ReplyDeleteThis market system saddles us with debt and bills;, we are but subjects to this royalty by their own design. They guide us by bit, rein, and whip as we are unable to grasp the simple power we still have even as it slips from us more and more as the decades pass. Stranded in economic slavery we march ever closer to perdition.
ReplyDeleteA mere child can see what we refuse to believe. Will the crest of our frustrations soon be reached? Will we come to the point where market thievery leads us to disgust and revolt? Or will we continue to be the whipping boys for the market traders? Will a small price bump pacify us into leaving these traitors in control of us and our children?
As you can see from the posting above; this market we blindly rely on writes it's own rules and has no respect for us or traditional market forces. Our rights and freedoms slip away day by day and soon will be compromised to the point of no return.
Yes, soon we will be completely beholden to this corrupt market, our huge industrialized food system, the WTO, OEI, EPA and folks that don't know a bull from a cow. It's probably already too late for beef, pork and poultry - dairy might be the last hold-out and best hope.
The choice is yours to make, follow your heart and think for yourselves. Don't listen to the false prophets and industry leaders that lead you and your brothers astray. Don't continue to believe that "profits" are right around the corner, as they aren't, and as recent history shows reasonable prices are short lived and fleeting.
JS