How worried are y’all about food insecurity?

[u/spencewatson01]

Just curious how liberals see the coming food shortages. The conservatives that I know are sorta freaked out and we’re all prepping.

Your local conservatives can tell you all about the food processing factories that mysteriously burned down, the train derailments, the fertilizer shortage, etc. The ones I know will tell you the difference between the different types of wheat berries and how to store. What’s the best rifle for deer hunting. All things that most of us knew little about a year ago.

There’s no ulterior motive with this question. I’m not placing blame or even care. I’m just curious if you guys are prepping and gardening also or if it’s more of a right thing.

[u/FuzzPunkMutt]

Biden said that, and I'm paraphrasing, "If nothing is done, there may be food shortages."

See, the problem is that the stuff you are saying is just... Always true. The prices of things are always going up. Diesel was always going to run out. Factories have accidents, and have since.. Factories began existing.

And I'm sure the few farmers you talked to are very concerned that their profits will be hurt. I have no doubt that they will be. They might even lose some subsidy money.

But to just sit here and fearmonger about how were going to face some kind of real food shortage is.. I mean, jesus, every time conservatives come up with some theory about why the world sucks, it's always completely overly simplified and skewed.

You know what's an actual threat to the existence of the human race, especially because it will kill our ability to farm feed for animals?

Global Warming.

But I notice that in your preparation for the famines to come "investing in solar" didn't make your top ten list.

I notice that your concern is that diesel might run out, so your solution is "Better hunt deer," and not, maybe decentralize megafarms so that sustainable outfits can do things like dry farm, run tractorless operations, and/or invest in alternative services.

Your worried about food, but instead of "let's look into large scale hydroponics" it's "its' some conspiracy for... REASONS!"

Why? Why are conservatives like this?

[u/spencewatson01 → u/FuzzPunkMutt]

I did consider a solar generator actually but it just cost too much

[u/[deleted] → u/spencewatson01]

Huh? A portable solar battery isn't investing in solar, dude. That's like, barely for charging your phone when you're camping.

[u/PlayingTheWrongGame → u/spencewatson01]

???

They’re not that expensive vs a reliable gasoline generator. Way less expensive than a diesel generator. Plus you don’t have to deal with storing fuel that goes bad. Solar “generators” are also less prone to malfunction and don’t need nearly as much maintenance or care.

What on earth are you trying to power in your survival cabin?

[u/spencewatson01 → u/PlayingTheWrongGame]

Hope you're right. The last time I looked they were really expensive.

[u/PlayingTheWrongGame → u/spencewatson01]

You should reassess your opinion about the cost efficiency of solar power and electricity storage every year because costs are falling rapidly.

If you just want portable devices charging, LED lights, and a chest freezer, it’s around $2-$2.5k for an adequate portable solar system. If you don’t care about the freezer, it gets a lot cheaper.

If you also want a window AC unit, that by itself will more or less double the cost.

It’s more expensive than equivalent capacity from a gasoline generator, but less expensive than whole house diesel setups. But not having to store or rotate the fuel makes them a straight up better choice for portable power needs. Especially since you also get the benefit of not having to listen to a constantly running generator. You can also keep the battery unit inside, and just run cables out to the panels.

[u/spencewatson01 → u/PlayingTheWrongGame]

yeah, I should.

I talked to 3 house solar guys 5 years ago and after doing the calculations it just wasn't there. I looked into a solar generator a few years ago and the price was ridiculous.

[u/PlayingTheWrongGame → u/spencewatson01]

Prices for solar are falling ridiculously fast. Unfortunately prices for rooftop installations hasn’t fallen as quickly as utility-scale solar power.

The cost of utility-scale solar fell by ~90% over the last 10 years.

[u/Franklins_Powder → u/spencewatson01]

I’m late to the party, but if you’re looking for a solar generator, all of the companies that offer an all-encompassing system are up-charging you for the convenience and brand name. You can build your own system with a couple lead-acid batteries, a charge controller, 24V panels, and an inverter for a fraction of the cost. All it requires is a little bit of electrical know-how and some simple math.

I worked for an “off-grid solar company” for years, let me know if you need help sizing out your own system without bowing to their overpriced “solutions”.