The Economy – About Jobs, and Food – Backyard Chickens

The Economy – About Jobs: Robert Reich, a former Secretary of Labor and now a Professor at Berkley,  had this 10/2/09 article in the Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com) made available/posted 10/6/09 at LATOC (lifeaftertheoilcrash.net): “The Truth About Jobs That No One Wants to Tell You”. Here’s some of that truth:

“So why is unemployment and underemployment so high, and why is it likely to remain high for some time? Because, as noted, people who are worried about their jobs, and who are also trying to get out from under a pile of debt, are not going to do a lot of shopping. And businesses that don’t have customers aren’t going to be doing a lot of new investing. And foreign nations also suffering from high unemployment aren’t going to buy a lot of our goods and services.

And without customers, companies won’t hire.  They’ll cut payrolls instead.

Which brings us to the obvious question: Who’s going to buy the stuff we make of the services we provide, and therefore bring jobs back? There’s only one buyer left: The government.”

Food – Backyard Chickens: “Americans turn to backyard chickens for food, security” by  Laura Zuckerman (9/16/09) posted atYAHOO.NEWS via energybulletin.net on 10/1/09, gives us some insight as to what some Americans are doing to meet today’s hard times and some possible harder times in the future. Here’s some of the “doings“:

• “ (Cindy) Thomas is not a farmer and she was not raised on a farm. But the Salmon (Idaho) woman is one of a growing number of Americans who have turned to chickens in the face of a flagging economy, scares about food supply and a strengthening drive to acquire locally produced food.
• In Idaho and Washington state, poultry hatcheries and farm stores say sales of chicks are soaring, with some reporting a rise of 70 percent compared to last tear.
• “We’ve had a hard time filling orders,” said Annette Whitley of Dunlap Hatchery, a facility in southwest Idaho that supplies chickens for eggs and eating – layers and fryers – across the United States.”
• “ Cities are scrambling to keep pace with the outcropping of interest in backyard chickens. Many rules in residential areas restrict rooster-free flocks to manageable numbers – less than a dozen – and concentrate on minimizing noise and odors.”
• “In the underlying ethos is self-sufficiency as a buffer against an uncertain economy, then layer hens, or pullets, are a practical undertaking requiring little space, time and expense, said Jim Hermes, extension poultry specialist with the animal sciences department at Oregon State University.
• “Chickens are a good fit for suburban living,” he said.
• “I don’t know what the  economy is going to do but I do know where I’m going to get my food,” said Karen Mcllroy, who maintains 65 hens near Tacoma, Wash. “And I know if I lost my job I would still be able to eat.”

PH Reminder: On a similar tack, get your seeds (open pollinated/heirloom) for next years garden as soon as they become available and seriously consider getting extra to have two gardens worth on hand at all times. We have the feeling that seeds may be hard to come by if things keep going in this direction.

Until nest time; keep your eyes on the horizon as the weathers changing fast.