If you listen to the news, you are sure to have heard about chain supply disruptions in the last little while. Even if you have not listened to the news lately, you probably have noted these issues from friends and family. As a result of these chain supply disruptions, you may have even noticed empty store shelves yourself. In 2021, some of the hardest-to-find foods included: poultry (even the popular restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings almost ran out of chicken), bottled water, pet food, canned soup, and spices.
Many of these trends have continued into this year. Now the main shortages of concern are meat (especially beef and poultry), canned foods, baby formula, milk, corn, soybeans, oats, and wheat.
Due to surging prices, many businesses have slowed or stopped shipping to other states altogether. The demand remains high, yet there are still employee and material shortages. With these factors in mind, many experts predict shortages of dairy, canned foods, bottled water, and certain fruits and vegetables later this year.
Wheat
Recent events have brought food storage to the front many minds. Now, more than in recent years, folks are looking for foods that are nutritious, non-perishable, and store for long periods of time. Wheat is a great source of fiber and many other essential vitamins and minerals, and under proper storage conditions, it can be stored for 30+ years. It is no wonder wheat is rapidly growing in popularity! In fact, in just the last two years, wheat prices have nearly doubled.
Many other factors are contributing to the higher than usual wheat prices we are seeing. Ukraine is expected to harvest less than half of the wheat they usually do, and farmers elsewhere may need to plant more grains than usual to make up for it. In our own country, the drought, along with extremely high winds is shrinking the crop. Texas is expected to harvest about 1/3 of their crop and Oklahoma is expected to harvest about 2/3. While no one knows for sure, a lot of experts predict wheat prices will remain high for the next little while.
But enough said about our global supply chains…let’s have a look at how things are going for local farmers in our own backyard!
Fruits and vegetables
While some experts predict fruit and vegetable shortages this year, there certainly aren’t any shortages on our farms. Things are getting exciting around here! On our beautiful farm in Filmore, Utah, we have planted potatoes, carrots, peppers, corn, green beans, and squash. Our mouth waters just thinking about these delightful vegetables, and everything that comes with them. Soups, tin foil dinners, stir fries, and vegetable platters to name a few.
We hope and pray for the moisture that we need for our crops to thrive. The fruit growers in Northern Utah use a drip system to conserve water and to ensure that the fruit is getting the steady stream of water needed. There is a lot of work, love, and care that goes into growing the perfect fruit, and boy, are the fruits looking wonderful. The delicious, juicy peaches will be ready at the end of August…we can’t wait to get our fingers on peach cobbler, fresh peach pie, smoothies, peach jam, and of course, gold old plain peaches. As you know, after peaches come the apples. Some of our favorite apple treats include applesauce, homemade apple pie, and caramel apples. The harvest cannot come soon enough!
So, what will happen with these chain supply issues? Will they work themselves out sooner rather than later? Will prices continue to rise? Only time will tell. The way we look at it, you never know what will happen in today’s world. Prices may go up or down, but there is no time like the present to build your food storage. Our favorite ways to remain prepared include growing our own food, constantly building our food storage, and canning. Working the good old-fashioned way not only tastes better but is also cheaper. It is comforting to know that we ourselves oversee our food storage situation rather than the rest of the world.
What are some of your favorite ways to stay prepared despite the challenges we are facing? Let us know in the comments below!
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