Bacon fans felt a blood pressure spike earlier this week after a British group said a rise in the cost of pig feed would cause an “unavoidable” drop in pork product production next year.

But the U.S. Department of Agriculture said there was plenty of frozen pork on hand, and experts say a 5 percent drop of hog production in the European Union likely wouldn’t ripple across the Atlantic.

“There may be some shortages of pork in Europe, but there will be no shortages in the U.S.,” economist Erin Borror of the U.S. Meat Export Federation told the Des Moines Register…

The high cost of pig feed could fatten your grocery bill, though.

On average, a pound of bacon was 25 cents more expensive in August than in July, but still 10 cents cheaper than a year ago, the Register reported…

The cost of pig feed has risen mostly as a result of droughts throughout the Midwest this year…

Pork producers spreading alarmist rumors to jack up prices? Shock and amazement!



  1. deowll says:

    There is a corn shortage. For you the price goes up. According to the U,N in 2010, the last year for which numbers have been compiled ~100,000 people starved to death so you could use the corn they didn’t eat to run your cars. How many people will starve this year so you can burn ethanol?

  2. spreeuw says:

    where did the harvests fail again?

  3. spreeuw says:

    BTW JCD shouldnt badmouth NA IRC, old CRANK

  4. bobbo, one true Liberal recognizing Obama is too far Right says:

    I read a few months ago the drought was diminishing corn supply which HAS CAUSED enough producers to send their pigs and cows to the slaughter house causing a glut/cheaper prices now which will ripple to a shortage/higher prices next year and then level out dependent on weather. Makes sense to me.

    Article didn’t mention frozen supplies.

    I think the Government encouraging ethanal was a good thing to do BUT when more thought was given to it and it is now a PROVEN LOSER on 2-3 major grounds, it makes sense the program should STOP and let the free market control how crops /food/go juice are supplied.

    Poor people in Mexico should not have to suffer higher food prices so that Big Ag can make government subsidized profits. They shouldn’t suffer for Americas Drug Problems either.

    but they do.

  5. dusanmal says:

    As I am eating about a pound of it a day as a base of my diet (properly designed to use metabolism evolved in humans over 99.6% of their existence) – I see and remember prices well. Trends are in support of the further raise. In last several years, where I live typical price of 1 lb of bacon was between 2.99$ and 3.99$ with reasonably frequent sales at 1.99$. Late in 2011 and through the most of 2012 prices inched up. Have not seen sale price lower than 2.99$, typical prices inched up to a range of 3.99$-5.49$. August and September of 2012: sales at 2.99$ still seen, but some sales are now 3.99$. Regular prices 5.49$-7.99$.
    Oh, and I am on the diet dominated by bacon in order to LOWER my cholesterol and triglycerides. Works. Science is well known. No statins needed for me.

  6. ECA says:

    So, for all the goods we can grow..

    WE CANT GROW,
    Sugar cane, restricted market.
    why we make FUNNY SUGAR alternatives..Cane sugar alcohol has more energy..
    HEMP, restricted market..
    Clothing, wood based product alternative, oils, Fuel, medicines…

    • msbpodcast says:

      The USDA and the FDA and definitely not your friends, and they have the military and the police to back them up.

      I have to import my jarred food and sauce bases from Italy, sugar from the Caribbean and eat only locally grown, non-processed eggs, meats, cheeses, and fresh fruits and vegetables, because whenever I ate that crap from the grocery store it made me eat an equivalent volume in antacid (and that’s just wrong!).

      HFCS will never cross my lips again.

      That lets me disregard most of the grocery store shelves and most grocery stores too.

  7. Cap'nKangaroo says:

    “Pork producers spreading alarmist rumors to jack up prices?”

    Producers no, but investors in pork futures, most probably.

  8. Captain Obvious says:

    Obviously it must be a sin to eat bacon since so many religions ban it.

  9. Alfie says:

    There’s a war on for your rinds.

  10. Dallas says:

    Just what the American sheeple need, a bacon shortage panic.
    This explains the secret service protection for Teapublican porker, Chris Christie.

  11. dave m brewer says:

    I can see Adam C now… THE WAR ON PIGS.

  12. John says:

    I ate a couple pounds of bacon just to be sure to get my bacon fix.
    Never can be too careful. You know you can freeze bacon if you need to. Maybe I would stock up just in case.

    • msbpodcast says:

      I am going to try a locally (NYC/Long Island region) produced “duck bacon“.

      I’ll let you know how it tasted. 🙂

      The ingredient list was short and didn’t have words that I couldn’t easily pronounce.

      Now I just hope its not too salty. 🙁

  13. Admfubar says:

    yeah there’s a shortage…
    all that drought has caused it…

    just like the “drought” has made perfect conditions for mosquitoes to breed and and we have the largest west nile wirus outbreak in the us this year..

    i think we should all move to the east nile where it is safer… 😛

  14. Uncle Patso says:

    See
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_North_American_drought

    Especially the map of the extent of the drought. I currently live near a border between D3 (Extreme) and D4 (Exceptional) regions. There is a huge failure of the corn crop in what is called the Corn Belt. The late rains have helped the soy bean crop, but corn depends on early pollination, the time for which fell during the deepest depths of the drought.

    Corn as a raw material is in thousands (if not tens of thousands) of products, both food and non-food items, everything from corn as a vegetable to building materials to motor fuel. HFCS, high fructose corn syrup is the main sweetener in soft drinks, cookies, “juice drinks,” breakfast cereal, cake snacks, etc., etc., etc. Corn is the main ingredient in most animal feeds. Lots of producers are already selling off major parts of their herds, anticipating serious increases in the cost of feed. The agricultural extension service and other USDA services are already instituting and publicizing emergency measures to provide herds with pasturage and stored feed. Crop insurance providers are gearing up for what could be their busiest season ever, hiring large numbers of adjusters and clerical help.

    Pretty much everything will cost more as a result of this drought, not only food, but that may be where the greatest increases will be felt.

    So “Pork producers spreading alarmist rumors to jack up prices?” — No. Just realistic predictions.

  15. sargasso_c says:

    The animals are raised to spend their entire lives in wooden crates.


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