A Good Idea by the Trump Administration

[MisterBeale]

Late last week, the Trump administration stepped in, announcing a $19 billion program to help the struggling agriculture sector and distribute food to families in need. The aid package includes the government purchase of $3 billion in dairy, produce and meat products that will go to food banks and those in need. (About $16 billion is going to direct payments to farmers and ranchers.)

But the effort must overcome the challenges that led to the disconnect in the first place: Fresh produce and dairy must be transported from farms to food banks in refrigerated trucks. Refrigerator and freezer storage space must be available on the receiving end to accommodate a surge of frozen meat. Food that originally was slated for restaurant supply must be repackaged for home use. And all of this must occur while maintaining social distancing and without increasing the demand for labor because food banks, while running low on supplies, are running even lower on volunteers.

I tried to summarize the main points in my OP, but it's a long article and we're not supposed to post long articles here. Apparently I can copy and paste, though, which surprises me. If anyone raises a point that the article addresses, I'll quote more details.

Do yourself a favor, STOP reading the CIA sponsored WaPo.

The CIA Owns the US and European Media

The last thing the Washington Post can afford to do is disabuse readers of the "Russian Threat" when its owner is a CIA contractor.

www.foreignpolicyjournal.com

Why the <i>Washington Post</i>'s New Ties to the CIA Are So Ominous

The <em>Post</em> is supposed to expose CIA secrets. But Amazon is under contract to keep them. Amazon has a new $600 million "cloud" computing deal with the CIA. The situation is unprecedented.

www.huffpost.com

The CIA and the Press: When the Washington Post Ran the CIA's Propaganda Network - CounterPunch.org

Almost from its founding in 1947, the CIA had journalists on its payroll, a fact acknowledged in ringing tones by the Agency in its announcement in 1976 when G.H.W. Bush took over from William Colby that “Effective immediately, the CIA will not enter into any paid or contract relationship with...

www.counterpunch.org

The CIA and the Washington Post

Doing Business

www.counterpunch.org

Amazon, WikiLeaks, the Washington Post and the CIA

What does Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos have in store for the Washington Post? No one can say for sure, but we can say that when Amazon didn't like what WikiLeaks was publishing it shut down access to the site.

fair.org

The Washington Post - Wikispooks

wikispooks.com

WaPo is a State propaganda outlet for pushing the official narrative. If you read the independent press, it is becoming clear, the official narrative is a lie.


Now, more than ever.

THAT must be why 9/10ths of the conservatards here refuse to so much as believe anything WaPo says. Because they are so pro government administration.

They aren't pro-government, they are pro-establishment, pro-bureacracy, pro-DEEP STATE.

They are anti-people.

 

[OldLady]

I'm having trouble understanding why milk consumption is going down. The kids aren't drinking it at school and the restaurants aren't serving cheese, I get that part. But it isn't as if these kids and restaurant goers have disappeared, either. They are just consuming it at home, aren't they? So why can't the grocery stores order MORE? I don't get that part. Around here, the dairy aisle (and eggs and sometimes bread) is bare some days. Why is it so hard to take that food that isn't being bought by the restaurants and sell it to the grocery stores?

I think my questions are being answered by the distribution problem again. They were crying for truck drivers BEFORE this crisis hit. Now they're up shit crick without a paddle. Maybe.

I TOLD you, because restaurant are no longer using dairy products.

I think you greatly underestimate how many folks in this nation used to eat out.

So those folks are no longer eating at all now that they're home? Is that what you're trying to tell me? That kids are no longer drinking milk because it isn't being handed to them in school? Aren't their parents trying to buy extra gallons for home use but they can't always get it?

 

[MisterBeale]

I'm having trouble understanding why milk consumption is going down. The kids aren't drinking it at school and the restaurants aren't serving cheese, I get that part. But it isn't as if these kids and restaurant goers have disappeared, either. They are just consuming it at home, aren't they? So why can't the grocery stores order MORE? I don't get that part. Around here, the dairy aisle (and eggs and sometimes bread) is bare some days. Why is it so hard to take that food that isn't being bought by the restaurants and sell it to the grocery stores?

I think my questions are being answered by the distribution problem again. They were crying for truck drivers BEFORE this crisis hit. Now they're up shit crick without a paddle. Maybe.

I TOLD you, because restaurant are no longer using dairy products.

I think you greatly underestimate how many folks in this nation used to eat out.

So those folks are no longer eating at all now that they're home? Is that what you're trying to tell me? That kids are no longer drinking milk because it isn't being handed to them in school? Aren't their parents trying to buy extra gallons for home use but they can't always get it?

I wouldn't presume to try to speak for the entire nation or their eating habits.

 

[OldLady]

They're going to have to move this thread to conspiracy theories if one more of you paranoid nutters jumps into this thread. The only person missing is MindWars.

The sane libs here won't come in because it says something positive about Trump. lol

Reminding me why I seldom open a thread.

 

[OldLady]

I'm having trouble understanding why milk consumption is going down. The kids aren't drinking it at school and the restaurants aren't serving cheese, I get that part. But it isn't as if these kids and restaurant goers have disappeared, either. They are just consuming it at home, aren't they? So why can't the grocery stores order MORE? I don't get that part. Around here, the dairy aisle (and eggs and sometimes bread) is bare some days. Why is it so hard to take that food that isn't being bought by the restaurants and sell it to the grocery stores?

I think my questions are being answered by the distribution problem again. They were crying for truck drivers BEFORE this crisis hit. Now they're up shit crick without a paddle. Maybe.

I TOLD you, because restaurant are no longer using dairy products.

I think you greatly underestimate how many folks in this nation used to eat out.

So those folks are no longer eating at all now that they're home? Is that what you're trying to tell me? That kids are no longer drinking milk because it isn't being handed to them in school? Aren't their parents trying to buy extra gallons for home use but they can't always get it?

I wouldn't presume to try to speak for the entire nation or their eating habits.

Translation: Good question, OL. I can't answer it either.

 

[MisterBeale]

I'm having trouble understanding why milk consumption is going down. The kids aren't drinking it at school and the restaurants aren't serving cheese, I get that part. But it isn't as if these kids and restaurant goers have disappeared, either. They are just consuming it at home, aren't they? So why can't the grocery stores order MORE? I don't get that part. Around here, the dairy aisle (and eggs and sometimes bread) is bare some days. Why is it so hard to take that food that isn't being bought by the restaurants and sell it to the grocery stores?

I think my questions are being answered by the distribution problem again. They were crying for truck drivers BEFORE this crisis hit. Now they're up shit crick without a paddle. Maybe.

I TOLD you, because restaurant are no longer using dairy products.

I think you greatly underestimate how many folks in this nation used to eat out.

So those folks are no longer eating at all now that they're home? Is that what you're trying to tell me? That kids are no longer drinking milk because it isn't being handed to them in school? Aren't their parents trying to buy extra gallons for home use but they can't always get it?

I wouldn't presume to try to speak for the entire nation or their eating habits.

Translation: Good question, OL. I can't answer it either.

I'm not sure it matters. The fact is, folks are on hard times, and government control is not working, they just want power and control. It is doing more damage than this sickness. The governor in my state extended this lock-down till May 15th, the exact opposite to what experts are recommending!

Let folks go where they want, and eat and drink what they want, THAT is the point.

Yet the government wants to control everything.

We know that doesn't work out too well for anybody but the top 5%

'Damage done by lockdown could outweigh that of coronavirus', warns professor

Professor Carl Heneghan said 'the damaging effect now of lockdown is going to outweigh the damaging effect of coronavirus'.

news.yahoo.com

 

[MisterBeale]

They're going to have to move this thread to conspiracy theories if one more of you paranoid nutters jumps into this thread. The only person missing is MindWars.

The sane libs here won't come in because it says something positive about Trump. lol

Reminding me why I seldom open a thread.

Oh yeah, because the lies we are living in right now is SO sane.

 

[OldLady]

the exact opposite to what experts are recommending!

Let folks go where they want, and eat and drink what they want, THAT is the point.

That is NOT what experts are recommending. Anywhere.

 

[Natural Citizen]

I'm having trouble understanding why milk consumption is going down.

It's been in steady decline the last few years. It's just that you're just now noticing.

Milk sales were down by more than a billion dollars in 2018, while the market for plant milk alternatives keeps growing


Additionally....

The Nation’s Biggest Dairy Is Failing Despite Relentless Government Intervention

In early November, Dean Foods, the nation's largest dairy producer, filed for bankruptcy protection. The company, which has secured nearly…

reason.com

In early November, Dean Foods, the nation's largest dairy producer, filed for bankruptcy protection. The company, which has secured nearly a billion dollars in debtor financing to keep it afloat temporarily, is looking to sell off some or all of its assets as it attempts to reorganize and survive.

The filing isn't exactly a surprise. As I explained in a column earlier this year, Dean Foods was a sinking ship.

Many factors caused the company to fail. For one, Americans are drinking less cow milk. "Overall, dairy consumption (including fluid milk, cheese, and butter) has plummeted over the past four decades," I wrote. "Per capita, Americans are drinking nearly 100 lbs. less fluid milk than they did in 1975." In place of cow's milk, Americans are turning in small but growing numbers to cow's milk alternatives, including almond, soy, coconut, and oat milk.

 

[OldLady]

More of the article:

The difficulties of getting food to people who are food-insecure is a direct function of broader supply-chain problems, Cohen says.

“Over the last 30 to 40 years, the distance from field to plate has grown, putting extreme reliance on a national and global food-supply chain,” she said. “As these food-supply chains shut down or become stressed, the food prices will rise, leading to increased food-insecurity rates. There is going to continue to be an astronomical increase of those who need to access emergency food.”

[The industry says we have enough food. Here’s why some store shelves are empty anyway.]

The distribution breakdowns have affected most sectors of American agriculture: dairy, produce, beef and pork.

After an initial spike in demand in early March as retail shoppers panic-purchased milk at the grocery store, dairy farmers saw a precipitous drop in demand. With schools and restaurants closed, the dairy industry lost its major customers: Half of the nation’s cheese and 60 percent of butter goes to restaurants, and 7 percent of fluid milk is used in the school nutrition program.

Milk prices dropped 20 percent, to their lowest point in a dozen years.

“Imagine you are running a plant and that you were supplying milk for Starbucks or cheese for all the burger joints,” said Jaime Castaneda, senior vice president of policy strategy for the National Milk Producers Federation. “Imagine that was your job, the business you created. You’re sitting there and all of a sudden you hear that all your orders have been canceled.”

Many of the processing plants have closed. Others have asked farmers to reduce production by 20 percent or to dump it down the drain so milk prices don’t tank.

 

[MisterBeale]

the exact opposite to what experts are recommending!

Let folks go where they want, and eat and drink what they want, THAT is the point.

That is NOT what experts are recommending. Anywhere.

. . . well, not in so many words.

"But sooner rather than later."

 

[buttercup]

I'm having trouble understanding why milk consumption is going down.

It's been in steady decline the last few years. It's just that you're just now noticing.

Milk sales were down by more than a billion dollars in 2018, while the market for plant milk alternatives keeps growing

It has been steadily going down for years. Personally, I hope that Dairy dies the death it WOULD die, if the government didn't keep subsidizing them.

I abhor the dairy industry, and as this video accurately states, from a vegan perspective they're even worse than the meat industry.

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

They want people to have to depend on government for sustenance. They've locked down

"They" arent working in unison. In Michigan, I blame "That woman" 100%. Trump spends his time trying to fix problems created by leftist POLITICIANS like Cuomo and Whitmer

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

The sane libs here

thanks. I needed the laugh.

 

[buttercup]

I'm having trouble understanding why milk consumption is going down.

See post #52 for the answer to that question. Also, something that video didn't mention is that dairy has been linked to an increased risk for certain types of cancer, namely prostate cancer and breast cancer.

 

[OldLady]

I'm having trouble understanding why milk consumption is going down.

See post #52 for the answer to that question. Also, something that video didn't mention is that dairy has been linked to an increased risk for certain types of cancer, namely prostate cancer and breast cancer.

The cows have too many hormones and antibiotics pumped into them. I'm lactose intolerant now, so as much as I'd love to drink a cold glass of milk with my chocolate chip cookies or a eat a pint of Hagen Daas, it's not worth the pain. The soy and nut milks aren't bad as a substitute. People's eating habits change over time. What this thread is about is why there are dairy farmers dumping milk when grocery shelves are bare. The short answer is "restaurants." But what we need to do is move it from one place to the other. I found another article (also in WaPo with a paywall, unfortunately) that said restaurant packaging in bulk is not labeled for individual retail sale. So they have to switch packaging, which takes time. And other stuff.

Maybe the first thing we should reopen is restaurants. What havoc this has caused.

 

[MisterBeale]

As Food Banks Struggle to Cope with Demand, Desperate Farmers Dump Unsellable Produce

The coronavirus pandemic is shaking America’s food supply and production system. And after only a few weeks, it appears much of it is failing the stress test., coronavirus, COVID-19, farmers, Food Banks, Poverty, United States,

www.mintpressnews.com