KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.
LOCUSTS (DEMONIC) TORTURES SINNERS 5 MONTHS
REVELATION 9:1-6
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke (DEMONIC) locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
FAMINE
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
FAMINE
REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
A
massive drought in the U.S. corn belt, the worst some say in nearly a
quarter century, has triggered a buying frenzy in global grain markets
and bolstered Canadian fertilizer producers.Prices for key
agricultural commodities such as corn, soybean and wheat have soared in
the past few weeks as investors realize yields in the corn belt are
going to be far lower than they expected in the spring.Grain
prices are approaching the peak levels reached in mid-2008, a period
when many other commodities were also hitting record highs just before
the economic meltdown. While many commodities are well below those
levels today, grains have climbed all the way back.Corn prices
lead the sector's rally, having jumped about 35% in the last month and
the key futures contract has reached US$7.86 a bushel. Soybean prices
Wednesday hit an all-time high of US$16.79 a bushel.The increased
pricing is a direct response to a drought in the U.S. Midwest, with the
hot and dry conditions limiting yields, thereby lowering supplies and
boosting prices. The U.S. is the world's biggest corn exporter and the
one that is most watched by traders, so weather patterns in that country
can have an outsized effect on world prices."This recent price
escalation is unlike anything we have seen in recent years," National
Bank Financial analyst Robert Winslow wrote in a note.A few
months ago, when the weather was good, all the talk in grain markets was
about the early planting season in the U.S. At the time, it appeared
yields were going to be better than normal, leading many customers to
hold off their purchases and draw down inventories in anticipation of
lower prices.Grain buyers are now facing potential shortages
because many farmers are struggling to grow anything. Some farmers have
even plowed under their current corn crop and replanted in hopes of
better harvesting conditions in the fall."With these prices, if
you get a good crop you can make a lot of money," said Bruce Waterman,
chief financial officer of Agrium Inc.
All eyes in the sector are now on the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will release an update on U.S. corn yields on Wednesday. The report should reveal the extent of the damage caused by the dry weather. The current USDA forecast is for a yield of 166 bushels per acre, but that is expected to fall closer to 150 bushels.The surge in grain prices has had a predictably strong impact on the prices of Canadian fertilizer equities such as those of Agrium and Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc., which are up 13% and 16%, respectively, in the past month. Higher crop prices should lead to higher fertilizer prices, because farmers can afford to pay more for their inputs.Mr. Winslow wrote there is still more room for grain prices to rise, but that dynamic could change quickly. Demand destruction and a big uptick in South American production are two factors that could hit the market. He also noted that soybean yields are currently not as threatened as corn yields, because soybeans pollinate later in the season and could benefit from some long-overdue rainfall.
pkoven@nationalpost.com
Drought aid announced by U.S. Agriculture Dept.
LOCUSTS (DEMONIC) TORTURES SINNERS 5 MONTHS
REVELATION 9:1-6
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke (DEMONIC) locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
FAMINE
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
FAMINE
REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
Corn dry, grains high
Midwest drought promises lower yields, drives fertilizer firms' stocks higher By Peter Koven, Financial Post
All eyes in the sector are now on the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will release an update on U.S. corn yields on Wednesday. The report should reveal the extent of the damage caused by the dry weather. The current USDA forecast is for a yield of 166 bushels per acre, but that is expected to fall closer to 150 bushels.The surge in grain prices has had a predictably strong impact on the prices of Canadian fertilizer equities such as those of Agrium and Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc., which are up 13% and 16%, respectively, in the past month. Higher crop prices should lead to higher fertilizer prices, because farmers can afford to pay more for their inputs.Mr. Winslow wrote there is still more room for grain prices to rise, but that dynamic could change quickly. Demand destruction and a big uptick in South American production are two factors that could hit the market. He also noted that soybean yields are currently not as threatened as corn yields, because soybeans pollinate later in the season and could benefit from some long-overdue rainfall.
pkoven@nationalpost.com
Drought aid announced by U.S. Agriculture Dept.
1,000 counties to automatically qualify
The Associated Press
Posted: Jul 11, 2012 10:59 AM ET
Last Updated: Jul 11, 2012 1:51 PM ET
A corn crop withers in the sun on Thursday in western Kentucky. (Allie Douglass/The Paducah Sun/Associated Press)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is streamlining the process for
farmers to apply for government disaster help as crops in many states
burn up in the widest drought in nearly 25 years.Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says more than 1,000 counties
nationwide will automatically qualify for disaster assistance if they're
in a severe drought for at least eight weeks or were in extreme drought
this growing season.The department also is lowering the interest rate on emergency loans to 2.25 per cent from 3.75 percent.As much as $39 million US is available under the program.In addition, the government will help farmers use part of the land
set aside in a conservation program for hay or grazing since the drought
is expected to reduce the amount of corn available for feed.Almost a third of the U.S. corn crop is already showing signs of
damage, and on Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture released yet
another report predicting that farmers will get only a fraction of the
corn anticipated last spring when they planted 96.4 million acres, the
most since 1937.It's too soon to say how that will affect food prices. The cost of
meat is most likely to be affected because corn is used to feed cattle,
and its price is usually passed along in the cost of hamburger and
steak.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says farmers planted 96.4 million acres of corn this spring, up five per cent from last year. It's the largest number of planted acres since 97 million in 1937. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press) But meat prices were already rising and were expected to stay high after last year's drought in Texas forced many ranchers to reduce their herds.Corn also is widely used as an ingredient — in corn flakes to ketchup, bread and soda pop — but it accounts for a small fraction of their costs compared to such things as transportation and marketing. A rule of thumb is that food prices typically climb about one per cent for every 50 per cent increase in average corn prices, said Richard Volpe, a USDA food markets research economist.
The government has already predicted food prices will increase this year by as much as 3.5 per cent. It won't be clear until the fall, when all the damage is known, how much the crop loss will add to that, Volpe said.
The drought stretches from parts of Ohio to California. The historic drought that gripped Texas and other parts of the Southwest last year was more severe, but this year is notable for the ground covered."To see something on this continental scale where we're seeing such a large portion of the country in drought you have to go back to 1988," said Brad Rippey, a USDA agricultural meteorologist. That year, farmers saw corn yields, or the amount produced per acre, drop by nearly a third.The USDA said Wednesday it now expects farmers to get 146 bushels per acre this year, rather than the 166 bushels per acre it predicted at the beginning of the year. They will harvest an estimated 12.97 billion bushels of grain, a 12 per cent reduction from an estimate in June of 14.79 billion bushels.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says farmers planted 96.4 million acres of corn this spring, up five per cent from last year. It's the largest number of planted acres since 97 million in 1937. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press) But meat prices were already rising and were expected to stay high after last year's drought in Texas forced many ranchers to reduce their herds.Corn also is widely used as an ingredient — in corn flakes to ketchup, bread and soda pop — but it accounts for a small fraction of their costs compared to such things as transportation and marketing. A rule of thumb is that food prices typically climb about one per cent for every 50 per cent increase in average corn prices, said Richard Volpe, a USDA food markets research economist.
The government has already predicted food prices will increase this year by as much as 3.5 per cent. It won't be clear until the fall, when all the damage is known, how much the crop loss will add to that, Volpe said.
The drought stretches from parts of Ohio to California. The historic drought that gripped Texas and other parts of the Southwest last year was more severe, but this year is notable for the ground covered."To see something on this continental scale where we're seeing such a large portion of the country in drought you have to go back to 1988," said Brad Rippey, a USDA agricultural meteorologist. That year, farmers saw corn yields, or the amount produced per acre, drop by nearly a third.The USDA said Wednesday it now expects farmers to get 146 bushels per acre this year, rather than the 166 bushels per acre it predicted at the beginning of the year. They will harvest an estimated 12.97 billion bushels of grain, a 12 per cent reduction from an estimate in June of 14.79 billion bushels.
'A lot of the landscape is just dying.'—Don Duvall, Illinois farmerBut even with that loss, farmers may still do better than they would have 10 years ago because plant breeders have developed corn varieties better able to withstand drought.The average yield in 2002 was about 129 bushels per acre. Even farmers who lose much or all of their corn this year are unlikely to go under. Most take out crop insurance to cover weather-related losses.Matt Johnson's popcorn fields in Redkey, Ind., have been burning up by the day, and he expects his insurance adjuster to tell him to mow them over if no rain comes by next month."It's pretty sad," said Johnson. "Everything's just so short, so small. We haven't mowed our yard since sometime in May. We didn't even get an inch of rain in June and haven't gotten an inch yet in July."In the end, it may be farmers' spirits that take the hardest hit."It's a farmers' nature to want to grow a good crop, and that's a very depressing state to be in when that doesn't happen," said Don Duvall, who farms near the Illinois-Indiana state line in Carmi, Ill."Not only has it hit the corn crop, but there are well-established trees that are dying," he added. "Leaves are falling like it's autumn, and a lot of the landscape is just dying.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is open toward taking further action to support the struggling U.S. economy. But minutes of the Fed's June meeting show policymakers are at odds over whether the economy needs more help now.A
few said the economy may already require additional support. But
several others noted that further action "could be warranted" if the
recovery lost momentum, if risks became more pronounced or inflation
seemed likely to run below the committee's target.Investors appeared to be disappointed by the division within the Fed.Stock
prices sank after the Fed expressed concerns about the economy. The Dow
Jones industrial average had been down nearly 40 points before the
minutes were released at 2 p.m. Eastern time. At around 2:30 p.m., the
Dow was down 112 points, on track for its fifth straight day of losses.Fed
officials signaled at the June 19-20 meeting their concern that the
struggling U.S. economy could worsen if Congress fails to avert tax
hikes and across-the-board spending cuts that kick in at the end of the
year. And they expressed worries that Europe's debt crisis will weigh on
U.S. growth.
More stimulus "won't become a reality unless the recovery loses even more momentum or a more severe flare up in the euro-zone crisis raises the already elevated downside risks," said Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics.Members said the economy will likely continue to grow moderately. But the Fed lowered its growth forecast at the June meeting, noting that the U.S. job market had weakened and consumer spending slowed. It also said it didn't expect the unemployment rate to fall much further this year from its current 8.2 percent.Since the Fed met last month, the job market's weakness has persisted. The government said Friday that hiring in June was weak for a third straight month. The economy added just 80,000 jobs last month.Some members noted that defense contractors are already laying plans for layoffs if lawmakers don't address the package of tax hikes and spending cuts by the end of the year. Members warned that tighter government spending could slow the economy well into next year.At the meeting, the Fed extended a program that shifts its bond portfolio to try to lower long-term interest rates. Policymakers left open the possibility of providing further help, such as launching a new program of bond purchases.
More stimulus "won't become a reality unless the recovery loses even more momentum or a more severe flare up in the euro-zone crisis raises the already elevated downside risks," said Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics.Members said the economy will likely continue to grow moderately. But the Fed lowered its growth forecast at the June meeting, noting that the U.S. job market had weakened and consumer spending slowed. It also said it didn't expect the unemployment rate to fall much further this year from its current 8.2 percent.Since the Fed met last month, the job market's weakness has persisted. The government said Friday that hiring in June was weak for a third straight month. The economy added just 80,000 jobs last month.Some members noted that defense contractors are already laying plans for layoffs if lawmakers don't address the package of tax hikes and spending cuts by the end of the year. Members warned that tighter government spending could slow the economy well into next year.At the meeting, the Fed extended a program that shifts its bond portfolio to try to lower long-term interest rates. Policymakers left open the possibility of providing further help, such as launching a new program of bond purchases.
Chairman
Ben Bernanke may offer further guidance on the Fed's plans next week
when he delivers the central bank's updated economic assessment to
Congress. After the June meeting, Bernanke told reporters he was open to
another round of bond purchases if the job market didn't improve.Employers
added an average of just 75,000 jobs a month in the April-June quarter —
only about a third of the 225,000 jobs a month created in the first
three months of the year.Many
economists predict the Fed will hold off for one more meeting and give
the job market a little longer to show improvement. If it doesn't show
gains, the Fed could announce some new action at its Sept. 12-13
meeting.Since the recession, the Fed has bought more than $2
trillion in Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities, expanding its
portfolio to more than $2.8 trillion.After
its last meeting, the Fed downgraded its economic outlook. It now
expects growth of just 1.9 percent to 2.4 percent in 2012, half a
percentage point lower than its April forecast.