The US has no remaining grain reserves

[Guest guest]

Source: Tri

State Observer.

Larry Matlack, President of the American Agriculture Movement (AAM),

has raised concerns over the issue of U.S. grain reserves after it was

announced that the sale of 18.37 million bushels of wheat from USDA’s

Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust.

“According to the May 1, 2008 CCC inventory report there are o­nly

24.1 million bushels of wheat in inventory, so after this sale there

will be o­nly 2.7 million bushels of wheat left the entire CCC

inventory,” warned Matlack. “Our concern is not that we are using the

remainder of our strategic grain reserves for humanitarian relief. AAM

fully supports the action and all humanitarian food relief. Our

concern is that the U.S. has nothing else in our emergency food pantry.

There is no cheese, no butter, no dry milk powder, no grains or

anything else left in reserve. The o­nly thing left in

the entire CCC inventory will be 2.7 million bushels of wheat which is

about enough wheat to make ½ of a loaf of bread for each of the 300

million people in America.”

The CCC is a federal government-owned and operated entity that was

created to stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices. CCC

is also supposed to maintain balanced and adequate supplies of

agricultural commodities and aids in their orderly distribution.

“This lack of emergency preparedness is the fault of the 1996 farm

bill which eliminated the government’s grain reserves as well as the

Farmer Owned Reserve (FOR),” explained Matlack. “We had hoped to

reinstate the FOR and a Strategic Energy Grain Reserve in the new farm

bill, but the politics of food defeated our efforts. As farmers it is

our calling and purpose in life to feed our families, our communities,

our nation and a good part of the world, but we need better planning

and coordination if we are to meet that purpose. AAM pledges to

continue our work for better farm policy which includes an FOR and a

Strategic Energy Grain Reserve.”

AAM’s support for the FOR program, which allows the grain to be

stored o­n farms, is a key component to a safe grain reserve in that

the supplies will be decentralized in the event of some unforeseen

calamity which might befall the large grain storage terminals.

A Strategic Energy Grain Reserve is as crucial for the nation’s

domestic energy needs as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. AAM also

supports full funding for the replenishment and expansion of Bill

Emerson Humanitarian Trust.

The May 1, 2008 CCC Inventory report may be reviewed here.