Legendary investor Jim Rogers discusses investment ideas and expectations for the future with CNBC on January 14, 2010. (Video follows excerpts and commentary)
“The fundamentals [for investing in agriculture] have gotten better. The inventories are now at the lowest they’ve been in decades. Not in years – the first time I told you about it the inventories were the lowest in years, now it’s the lowest in decades. Things are getting worse. Many farmers cannot get loans to buy fertilizer now, even though we have big shortages developing.
No, some time in the next few years we’re going to have very serious shortages of food everywhere in the world and prices are going to go through the roof.”
In addition to the problems that farmers are having acquiring lending for general operations and expansion, it is also possible that the world may experience food shortages in the near future due to inclement weather which has reportedly led to massive crop failures. Additionally, for those living in countries with governments and central banks that are printing extreme amounts of physical currency, which is pretty much everyone, prices for essential goods like food will likely begin rising some time in 2010 and this rise could continue for years to come.
Hat tip All Things Jim Rogers
Jim Rogers on CNBC January 14, 2010
Being the “prepper ” that I am , I have purchased Non-Hybred ,  Non- GMO (Geneticly Modified ) seeds . These are seeds that can be used over and over again . All you do is take some of your corn or peas for instance set them aside until thay dry completely bag them up and re-plant them next year !  Hybred and GMO cannot . Thay are a one time use only . Get Heirloom or organic seeds . E-Bay has Thousands of packets for sale of all types of Veggies . Good luck !
@Airborne71 — I, as well, purchased non-GMO, heirloom seeds. However, your statement that GMO or hybridized seeds cannot be reused is [somewhat] false. It is true that many hybrid cultivars are sterile, and that some GM crop varieties are “zombies”, meaning that while it produces seeds, the following generation will not. It is also illegal to save GM seeds, as it is considered stealing intellectual property *cough* Monsanto *cough*.
That being said, many hybrid lines and GM crops are able to produce viable seeds for at least a few, if not an indefinite number, of generations.
Regardless, heirloom varieties are far superior. It may also be advisable, given the chance, to cross heirloom varieties with wild-type native individuals of the same species. This produces offspring with a higher tolerance to disease and adverse environmental conditions. Likewise, knowing how to graft hardier root-stocks onto prolific scions is also an important bit of knowledge.
To all — More important than any of this, however, is knowing HOW to use the seeds. There is NO room for error when the SHTF. Just having them will not save you. You must start practicing now, knowing when to plant, harvest, how to fertilize with natural amendments, how to save seed, and how to store food following the growth season. Grab a gardening book and keep it with the seeds. Make sure it explains the complete process, from organizing the garden and planting the seed, to harvesting the crop and getting it in your belly. Also be sure it covers all types of crops you wish to grow, as each require specific cultivation practices and nutrient requirments.
It is also imperative to be responsible stewards to the land. Always plant many types of plants (preferable intercropped), and be sure to give the soil a bit of fallow (rest from being cultivated), using a cover crop of legumes or nitrogen accumulators . Clover or sunnhemp work well in the south, hairy vetch and rye in the north (though rye is not a nitrogen fixer, it produces a large amount of organic biomass that is important for cultivating the soil).
ALWAYS compost leftover material and waste (even human waste if you know how to do so safely). Everything you take out of the soil, with the exception of the carbon fixed by photosynthesis, MUST be put back, or the soil will be depleted. This is why much of the conventionally grown land today is barren without pumping it full of fertilizers and minerals.
There is so much to know about being responsible, successful stewards of the land that many don’t know. Teach yourself and teach others! When the oil culture collapses, the only way to survive is to return to the land, in local agrarian communities. Those who do not offer knowledge or help to such communities will not be welcome. In this case, knowledge is of indefinite power.
To Scott:  Great post! I appreciate the information. Where do you purchase YOUR seeds?
There are many places to buy seeds, and like Airborne said, anything packaged in the last year (preferably 6 months) from heirloom, non-hybrid varieties will work great.
ÂÂ
I bought a pack off ebay a while ago from a small, family farm. eBay offers many different types for cheap, but you always run the risk of getting old or low-germinating seeds. Google will be your best friend in this case. One company that offers pre-built safety packs is the Sustainable Seed Co. (http://www.sustainableseedco.com/) .
Thanks for the info Scott , Two good sellers of seeds on E-Bay are Seed mart and Merls garden center . I would rather taker my chanches with organic or Heirloom seeds than GMO or Hybred .
Try “thetomatoseedlady” on ebay, she offers awesome service and excellent prices. She has lots of many varieties and kinds of all types of vegatable, all are either heirloom or open pollinaters. Her seeds are great, I just started a few of the tomato plants in my grow area, they are looking beautiful.
and buy a rototiller, rear tine with forward, reverse and both forward and backward tine rotation. , it will save your back and you may even be able to make money with it when the less prepared are scrambling to start a garden.
Might I also recommend the following article on how to store your seeds:
Securing Long Term Survival With Seeds
http://readynutrition.com/resources/securing-long-term-survival-with-seeds_30122009/
Besides seeds, start storing rice, beans, cornmeal etc. dry foods when stored properly can last for 15 years. Everyone is going to need 12-24 month base of food until they get their gardens/canning down pat.
Comments…
I have a web site where I give investment advise on penny stocks and stocks under five dollars. I have many years of experience with these type of stocks. If theirs anyone thats interested in these type of stocks  you can check out my web site by just clicking my name. I would like to comment about very serious food shortages all over the world. Their is a stock that I think can benifit from the coming food shortages.  The company Bunge Limited symbol {BG} engages in the agriculture and food businesses in approximately 30 countries. It buys, sells, stores, and transports oilseeds and grains; processes oilseeds to make protein meal for animal feed, and edible oil products for commercial customers and consumers; produces sugar and ethanol from sugarcane; mills wheat and corn to make ingredients used by food companies; and sells fertilizer in North and South America. The company was founded in 1818 and is headquartered in White Plains, New York’ this stock has a market cap of just 11 billion dollars but the company does 45 billion dollars in annual sales. I think bunge is still a very undervalued stock that could go a lot higher. I also believe that the company could become an attractive takover target because of its low valuation.
..