global warming

Worldwide alarms are now beginning to sound regarding the devasting impacts of U.S. (and other Western nation's) ethanol policy which has combined with growing food demand and sequential droughts in key grain growing areas around the globe to produce an impending humanitarian food crisis.

The UK Telegraph says food-based ethanol production may be reaching its political and moral limits. By forcing, through mandate and subsidy, a fifth (and soon to be one third) of the U.S. corn crop out of the food chain and into your gas tank, a mounting humantarian crisis has begun to emerge on a global basis.

Take a look at the above chart which was produced by the International Energy Agency and can be viewed at: http://www.iea.org/Textbase/country/maps/world/co2.htm

You will note that the United States and Chinese/Malaysian Industrial economies are the big releasers of CO2 on a global basis (that orange-ish color means a lot). The point which we have made is that this kind of information is only half or less of the story. The issue is what are we and they doing with the resources which we use to send this gas into the atmosphere? If we are an efficient user of energy and create more value in the world than most if not all other economies, we should be allocated the lion's share of energy to make sure very little of it is wasted. Trade should take care of distributing our stuff to other nations. With the value of the dollar, that makes it a bargain for most other economies.

     Recent attacks on agriculture, especially meat production have focused on the "input-output" relationship in production.  By this I mean that calculations are being put forward that attempt to measure the output of meat production in terms of its use of water or energy or greenhouse gas producing inputs (and of course outputs, especially cattle flatulence). 

     When they focus on meat, most of the time these "studies" are driving toward implicating the U.S. as a disproportionate producer and consumer of meat and therefore a disproportionate contributor to global warming and a disproportionate user of global energy supplies etc.

     The answer of course is right here in the United States, judging by the massive quantities coming to market this fall and winter.  The deeper question however is, where will the growth in production take place globally that will be needed to feed not only the coming billions of people but the added per capita demand that most of the world's existing pork-eating population is clamoring for as their incomes rise.

     Population and incomes are growing dramatically and expected to continue to grow in countries like China, India and Brazil for instance.  These countries are leading worldwide demanders of commondities primarily stimulated by rapid growth in their economies.  These countries also have a comparative advantage in labor intensive production processes such as agriculture and most manufacturing.     What each of these contenders lack is developed infrastructure to fully exploit their labor advantages.  This is changing but it is a slow process.  Will global pork production gradually fade from North America and Europe and wind up in Brazil, China and countries like Russia?

SwineCast 0193 Show Notes:

• World of contrasts - cloning to produce insulin but not for food
• Corn/Soy production costs up significantly
• Global warming and carbon sequestration - money in your pocket?
• Quality System Verification Program overview
• Canadian Quality Assurance
• Link to Pork Management Conference Brochur