What Will People Do For Food When Much of Europe And North America Is Too Cold to Farm?

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Perry Staltic

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It'll be a while before that happens. What will happen soon, and has already likely begun, is weather instability due to the weakened jet stream caused by low solar activity. A wavy jet stream allows very cold arctic air to move further south and warmer air to move towards the arctic resulting in shortened growing seasons from disrupted, unpredictable weather patterns.
 

ddjd

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It'll be a while before that happens. What will happen soon, and has already likely begun, is weather instability due to the weakened jet stream caused by low solar activity. A wavy jet stre
is that why spains currently experiencing unprecedented snowfall and -25 degrees celsius temperatures
 

Perry Staltic

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is that why spains currently experiencing unprecedented snowfall and -25 degrees celsius temperatures

Yep and not just Spain. Haven't looked, but Alaska typically gets warmer in times like this. Great website to monitor the changes.

 
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Yep and not just Spain. Haven't looked, but Alaska typically gets warmer in times like this. Great website to monitor the changes.

Wow! Thanks Perry....great site!
 

DrJ

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A lot of the unhealthy people who are kept alive by modern medicine would no longer be around in such a situation so I imagine the food demands would be less. Dairy and hunting would probably still be quite viable, along with seafood
 

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out of interest what will happen to the area of land known as Israel (Real name Palestine)
 

Grischbal

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Ditch agriculture and get into Pastoralism again, like they used to. Atleast that would be the smartest move but would probably not happen.
As someone who has grown up on a farm, it is alot easier and more nourishing to live from dairy and fruits than from the seeds and nuts you plant
 

yerrag

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Ditch agriculture and get into Pastoralism again, like they used to. Atleast that would be the smartest move but would probably not happen.
As someone who has grown up on a farm, it is alot easier and more nourishing to live from dairy and fruits than from the seeds and nuts you plant
I read that the reason why corn, rice, and wheat are grown is because it's easier for the tax collector, in earlier times, to count how much to tax from what he can see in terms of acreage of the crops expected to be harvested. With other foods, it is much harder. I've heard if the same acreage were used to grow sweet potatoes, more calories per acre can be harvested.
 
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akgrrrl

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Before the govt took over and gmo'd the hell out of wheat, millet was the most prevalent grain in N. america now relegated to birdfoodm in far north Alaska at Delta Junction, huge fields of barley are produced. The leavings (scratch) are sold statewide as chicken food while the flour and hot cereal and whole grain is delicious.yes, we have had warmer winters with major thaws durin the months it used to stay cold. This can ruin perennials like rhubarb, berries, chives,horseradish, if the stems are wrongly chopped down at summers end, as thawed water seeps into the core and refreezes, destroying the taproot. We are wild about hightunnel gardening and many put homecrafted vents from their living space into greenhouses to get a jump on the 20hr sunlight summers to create 2 series of crops.
 

LA

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What will people do for food when much of europe and north america is too cold to farm
Meat, cold water fish, herring, sea food, winter berries, etc. My Scandinavian ancestors ate/eat pork since pigs are small enough to fit on small islands along with lamb etc. My Italian ancestors high up in the mountains of Southern Italy also ate pork, lamb, sheep, goat milk etc. They have deep snow, avalanches, etc. No vegetables grow in the Southern Italian areas high up in the mountains. I still have distant relatives in both places and it has not changed. Only dummies that do not know how to clean pigs and make sure there is nothing unhealthy about them are afraid of pork.
Also the Chinese will force everyone to eat their Frankenstein pigs if they take over.
 

Birdie

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I spent all weekends and vacations at my grandfather's farm when I was a child. They let me do something like milk a cow or collect eggs or watch chickens get their heads cut off. But never any real chores since I was their pampered grand child. I got my start reading Adele Davis books there.

But, looking back, I see that running a farm whether it's cows, cornfields, orchards etc had to be hard work. This farm was mostly for them and relatives. They must have sold some though as who eats all that corn or strawberries. @LA my grandfather failed at farming hogs in Saskatoon. Norwegian side of my family.

I know I won't be farming. But I am a master gardener!! I think I'll grow carrots in a large tub and that'll be it.
 

LA

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I spent all weekends and vacations at my grandfather's farm when I was a child. They let me do something like milk a cow or collect eggs or watch chickens get their heads cut off. But never any real chores since I was their pampered grand child. I got my start reading Adele Davis books there.

But, looking back, I see that running a farm whether it's cows, cornfields, orchards etc had to be hard work. This farm was mostly for them and relatives. They must have sold some though as who eats all that corn or strawberries. @LA my grandfather failed at farming hogs in Saskatoon. Norwegian side of my family.

I know I won't be farming. But I am a master gardener!! I think I'll grow carrots in a large tub and that'll be it.
Sounds great to spend all that time on farms. You were fortunate
Spending time on a farm as a youngster you probably already know all of the following. I am just listing a few things so you know I know too. (grin)
Folks in rural communities have their specialties. They trade food, products, skills, work time and etc. Amish people in Pennsylvania still do it. Cajuns in the back woods live that way although they are a shrinking demographic. When society breaks down no one will be paying the tax collectors so there will be no need to do anything but barter and exchange products. Plus most will trade time in helping someone build things such as storage areas, engines, fences, etc to survive. There will be evil thieves sneaking around so we all will need to be on defense. Good people will need to help each other stand guard.
Most of my American relatives never raised pigs or chickens *for sale* they did it to feed their families. A few of my mom’s sisters married professional dairymen and farmers. These are difficult occupations. People in the old country had to do it to survive and many still live that way and are usually stronger then we city slickers due to their lifestyle.
Pigs have to be moved to another pen and the empty pig-pen needs to be cleared of all cr ap on a regular basis. One big pig or two can feed a family for a year after it is cut up unless they eat alot of pork. I only know of men who are strong enough to butcher pigs or deer or cows.
There is someone here on this forum who lives in Alaska and she sounds hardy so maybe she can handle it. Wild boars are the worst and they have attacked small children in Florida. It takes a team of men and hunting dogs to get them. Some places in FL hire those teams to clear out the wild boar.
My distant (mtdna) relatives on an small island in the Baltic sea (belonging to Denmark *this* year) survive on an occasional pig roast, herring, lamb, chicken eggs, berries and other items in their area.
If you ever pulled clams out of a marsh then you know they have to be washed off, tossed into another bucket of clean water along with a cup of corn, the clams will eat the corn and poop it out, if the water still looks dirty, repeat procedure. When it looks clean enough they are ready to be eaten. (same basic procedure with pigs = clean them out before eating)
Carrots are a good choice we never tried to grow them. We grew potatoes in a few large tubs. We don’t eat many potatoes. Maybe we will try the carrots.
Raising chickens for eggs is the easiest since the chickens and ONE rooster can be put into a huge cage and moved to different locations while in the cage. Chickens sterilize everything (so to speak) they will eat all the weeds, bugs (including ticks) and all you need to do is move their cage to the next spot after they run out of weeds and bugs to eat. Keep plenty of water for them *all* the time. Build small coverings (little roof things) over parts of the cage and also boxes so they can get out of the sun and rain to comfortably lay eggs. Again you probably know - the cages need to be checked daily so the eggs are not picked at or kicked around. Egg-layers produce eggs for about 5 years. A few pigs come in handy as old egg layers are very tough to eat. We grew vegetables for a few years. It is a big fight between the bugs that eat vegetables and getting to eat the vegetables. We tried 3 to 5 different organic bug sprays. It is not worth the time and all the super-duper supposedly wonderful organic bug spray definitely changed the flavor.
Trying to make a business of farming, running a dairy, having orchards is too difficult. I have one brother (not nearby) who has many fruit and avocado trees. He and his family eat some and locals come and pick them to sell at their highway stands. He lets the pickers have them for nothing since the organic laws have changed. He doesn’t want to pay the high fees to be cleared by an organic organization. Best wishes for a safe and healthy future!
 
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akgrrrl

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Sounds great to spend all that time on farms. You were fortunate
Spending time on a farm as a youngster you probably already know all of the following. I am just listing a few things so you know I know too. (grin)
Folks in rural communities have their specialties. They trade food, products, skills, work time and etc. Amish people in Pennsylvania still do it. Cajuns in the back woods live that way although they are a shrinking demographic. When society breaks down no one will be paying the tax collectors so there will be no need to do anything but barter and exchange products. Plus most will trade time in helping someone build things such as storage areas, engines, fences, etc to survive. There will be evil thieves sneaking around so we all will need to be on defense. Good people will need to help each other stand guard.
Most of my American relatives never raised pigs or chickens *for sale* they did it to feed their families. A few of my mom’s sisters married professional dairymen and farmers. These are difficult occupations. People in the old country had to do it to survive and many still live that way and are usually stronger then we city slickers due to their lifestyle.
Pigs have to be moved to another pen and the empty pig-pen needs to be cleared of all cr ap on a regular basis. One big pig or two can feed a family for a year after it is cut up unless they eat alot of pork. I only know of men who are strong enough to butcher pigs or deer or cows.
There is someone here on this forum who lives in Alaska and she sounds hardy so maybe she can handle it. Wild boars are the worst and they have attacked small children in Florida. It takes a team of men and hunting dogs to get them. Some places in FL hire those teams to clear out the wild boar.
My distant (mtdna) relatives on an small island in the Baltic sea (belonging to Denmark *this* year) survive on an occasional pig roast, herring, lamb, chicken eggs, berries and other items in their area.
If you ever pulled clams out of a marsh then you know they have to be washed off, tossed into another bucket of clean water along with a cup of corn, the clams will eat the corn and poop it out, if the water still looks dirty, repeat procedure. When it looks clean enough they are ready to be eaten. (same basic procedure with pigs = clean them out before eating)
Carrots are a good choice we never tried to grow them. We grew potatoes in a few large tubs. We don’t eat many potatoes. Maybe we will try the carrots.
Raising chickens for eggs is the easiest since the chickens and ONE rooster can be put into a huge cage and moved to different locations while in the cage. Chickens sterilize everything (so to speak) they will eat all the weeds, bugs (including ticks) and all you need to do is move their cage to the next spot after they run out of weeds and bugs to eat. Keep plenty of water for them *all* the time. Build small coverings (little roof things) over parts of the cage and also boxes so they can get out of the sun and rain to comfortably lay eggs. Again you probably know - the cages need to be checked daily so the eggs are not picked at or kicked around. Egg-layers produce eggs for about 5 years. A few pigs come in handy as old egg layers are very tough to eat. We grew vegetables for a few years. It is a big fight between the bugs that eat vegetables and getting to eat the vegetables. We tried 3 to 5 different organic bug sprays. It is not worth the time and all the super-duper supposedly wonderful organic bug spray definitely changed the flavor.
Trying to make a business of farming, running a dairy, having orchards is too difficult. I have one brother (not nearby) who has many fruit and avocado trees. He and his family eat some and locals come and pick them to sell at their highway stands. He lets the pickers have them for nothing since the organic laws have changed. He doesn’t want to pay the high fees to be cleared by an organic organization. Best wishes for a safe and healthy future!
*curtseys*
Real alaskans show how its done. Clean meat in the natural world

View: https://youtu.be/dDlu0ZSW3-w
 

Inaut

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hunting in Canada will sustain the people for quite a while. No shortage of game... We just need to ensure the winter doesnt kill us....
 

LA

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hunting in Canada will sustain the people for quite a while. No shortage of game... We just need to ensure the winter doesnt kill us....
Yes I understand. People have moved here to smog-city in order to avoid the Canadian Snow. It is difficult there and in Alaska except for those who learn how to survive in it such as Akgrri. At least you will be able to eat. The vegetarians / vegans / deer lovers on the East Coast protested against the hunting of deer so now the deer are eating all the plants, all the grass, all the flowers, all the vegetables, shrubs, tree bark, etc. etc/ So laws were passed in some places allowing people to take home 'road kill' due to the over abundance of deer. We might be able to survive on the small island of my maternal line ancestors as the sea keeps it a little less cold although the winters have plenty of snow. Some friends told us that Holland is a little more comfortable than Alaska or England. Although my husband says Amsterdam is too cold and when he was there people in the older homes lived all winter in the kitchens to stay warm.
 

akgrrrl

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Yes I understand. People have moved here to smog-city in order to avoid the Canadian Snow. It is difficult there and in Alaska except for those who learn how to survive in it such as Akgrri. At least you will be able to eat. The vegetarians / vegans / deer lovers on the East Coast protested against the hunting of deer so now the deer are eating all the plants, all the grass, all the flowers, all the vegetables, shrubs, tree bark, etc. etc/ So laws were passed in some places allowing people to take home 'road kill' due to the over abundance of deer. We might be able to survive on the small island of my maternal line ancestors as the sea keeps it a little less cold although the winters have plenty of snow. Some friends told us that Holland is a little more comfortable than Alaska or England. Although my husband says Amsterdam is too cold and when he was there people in the older homes lived all winter in the kitchens to stay warm.
Every place has microclimates, and secrets to discover. When you understand the land and it's gifts, you can adapt. Do you think Texas is big? It has a west dusty plain and grassland prairies, a rolling hillcountry central, thick moist mountains east, a rich fertile "banana belt" valley south, etc.
Now, imagine. 5X that, from rainforest to arctic tundra to thousands of coastline=Alaska.
 

LA

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Every place has microclimates, and secrets to discover. When you understand the land and it's gifts, you can adapt. Do you think Texas is big? It has a west dusty plain and grassland prairies, a rolling hillcountry central, thick moist mountains east, a rich fertile "banana belt" valley south, etc.
Now, imagine. 5X that, from rainforest to arctic tundra to thousands of coastline=Alaska.
Love to look a pictures and films about Alaska. It is gorgeous. We have watched a few of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Races. Dogs are beautiful. We rescued a few Rotties as they are good Den-dogs. The few people I knew who moved to Alaska (one family for 15 years) said they left when they started getting cabin fever. Then they moved to Hawaii to warm up. We also know a few musicians who went to Alaska for the steady employment due to people going to bars, clubs during the snows to stay warm and cozy. - - have a number of relatives in Texas including, recently, a nephew, his young wife and their 3 young boys. They moved from CA to TX simply to be able to give their boys a better education after their first was born; home schooling or not. Texas still has large areas for free range cattle. They also have a lot of speeding cars including restored old muscle cars. Many people in Texas can fix and repair anything so probably the same in your area. TX also has many venues for entertainment. Many good rock-n-roll guitarists come from the Louisiana Texas areas
 

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