Doomsday ‘Preppers’ Warn of Hard Times Ahead As Preparedness Goes Mainstream

[727Sky]

Doomsday ‘Preppers’ Warn of Hard Times Ahead As Preparedness Goes Mainstream
By Allan Stein
April 1, 2022 Updated: April 1, 2022
biggersmaller
Print
Food scarcity. Food vouchers. Food riots and flash mobs.
All of that’s coming—and soon, says Texas-based food scientist and “Health Ranger” podcaster Mike Adams, who sees dire events unfolding in America in the short term.
His advice: people need to get prepared now.
“The thing to really watch for is the food inflation,” Adams said.
“My position is we’re going to see food riots in America before the end of this year. We’re going to see flash mobs in grocery stores—especially for meat products.
“Grocery stores are going to respond with increased security and checkpoints. At some point, we’re probably going to see an attempt at price controls and rationing. 

“And not on everything—certain types of things. It’s almost certain that the rationing they will attempt to enforce with a vaccine passport app that becomes a food rationing app,” Adams told The Epoch Times.
Adams is not alone in his predictions of hard times coming to America—and the world.
With food production buckling under the weight of runaway inflation, skyrocketing fuel costs, and fertilizer shortages, much of what’s in store is already “built-in.”

Unfertile Ground

In North America two years ago, it cost around $200 an acre to fertilize a 1,000-acre commercial farm, Adams said. Right now, with spring planting, farmers can expect to pay $1,200 to $2,000 an acre.
And consumers will pay for it in higher prices for basic necessities. 

“Many farmers are deciding not to plant. In addition, the diesel fuel prices and diesel fuel scarcity is going into their equation whether they should plant,” Adams said.
The upshot, he said, is that fewer farmers are planting, which means less food to go around.
As a food scientist Adams is a big proponent of clean, organically grown food free of heavy metals, which he makes available through the online sale of “Ranger Buckets.” The demand for his products has seen extremely high since the COVID-19 lockdown began in 2020. 
Adams said it takes on average six to eight weeks to produce 2,000 buckets, which typically sell out within 30 minutes to three hours.
[/url] “Health Ranger” Mike Adams says surviving hard times depends on how well one prepares for them. (Courtesy of Mike Adams)
Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the demand for survival food in the United States has been on the increase among a number of national suppliers. 

“The supply chain in the United States continues to crumble. More Americans are realizing it takes four trips to different home improvement stores for parts to make home repairs, instead of all their needs being in one store,” said Lori Hunt at Practical Preppers in South Carolina. 
“That is making folks realize this extends to everything: food, books, solar equipment—and considering Ukraine is a source for critical raw materials in the solar industry, this is going to get much worse in the coming months,” she told The Epoch Times. 
“Many of our customers are moving toward energy independence, and this is making a greater demand and diminishing supply situation. We are urging our customers to be prepared for a 2–4 month wait to amass all parts needed for their systems. Many installers around the United States are telling us they are experiencing the same.”
Byron Walker, Founder and CEO of Survival Frog in Denver, told the Epoch Times, “We have struggled with supply chain issues and things only appear to be getting worse.”
Allied Marketing Research (AMR) reported that the global incident and emergency market, valued at $75.5 billion in 2017, is projected to reach $423 billion by 2025.
“Factors such as rise in need for safety and security solutions, owing to increase in natural calamities and terrorist attacks, implementation of regulatory policies for public safety, and the necessity for emergency preparedness drive the growth of the global incident and emergency management market,” AMR said on its website.

“In addition, the surge in smart cities is expected to drive the adoption of intelligent evacuation systems and surveillance systems, thereby fueling the incident and emergency management market growth.”

Price Hikes ‘Here to Stay’

In recent weeks YouTube survival “preppers” such as City Prepping and Alaska Prepper have been sounding the alarm that hard times are just ahead. 
Matt the “Magic Prepper,” in North Dakota, said being prepared continues to go mainstream as a “financial and scarcity genre” in view of current global events.
“With food production issues, supply chain problems, a slow economic recovery from the pandemic, and the cascading effects of an overseas conflict, it seems rather clear that shortages, disruptions, and price hikes are here to stay,” Matt told The Epoch Times. 
He said the situation in Ukraine has revived interest in preparedness in case of a nuclear, biological, or chemical attack. 

“With the conflict creating volatile rhetoric from multiple global superpowers, we find ourselves closer to such an event than any point in recent history,” Matt said. “I operate under the assumption that there is and will likely always be more time to prepare.”
Still, the state of being prepared is “exponentially limited” by the length of time it takes to get prepared, and other factors, he said. 
“Every dollar spent today is worth less in value toward preparations than a dollar you would have spent three years ago. Therefore, by waiting to begin, you’ll inherently be able to prepare less and less. 
[url=https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2022/04/01/Magic-Prepper-03-31-22-1200x900.jpg] YouTube’s Matt the “Magic Prepper” in North Dakota says it’s not too late to begin preparing for difficult economic times ahead. (Courtesy of Matt the “Magic Prepper”)
“This is most obviously apparent when you relate it to items such as ammunition. Stocking up on it now provides you with anywhere from 50 percent [to] 75 percent less ammunition for the same amount spent on it three years ago.
“Even if we find ourselves in the midst of a full-on economic collapse or hot conflict, training and learning skills will likely still be accessible,” he said.

Preparedness also requires the ability to network and communication, having supplies in sufficient quantity, a “hardened” location, and knowledge on how to survive an economic collapse. 
“I have suggested to keep moving forward regardless of the events unfolding currently. If things finally fall apart to the point of relying on our preparedness efforts, we will have prepared as best as we could up to that point.
“I am making phone calls, appointments, and plans every day to try and enhance my own personal preparedness,” Matt said. 
Given the economic protectionism of halting food exports from countries like Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, the world supply of grain is going to be severely limited, Adams said.
This, he said, will result in the “most extreme food shortages we’ve seen in our lifetime.”

Better Now Than Never

“It will begin about August and continue until the end of the year. A lot of this depends on [President Joe] Biden’s economic decisions on whether he allows U.S. oil companies to finish pipelines and do more drilling. If he does not we are going to see even more shortages throughout 2023.”
Out of chaos, however, Adams foresees a reawakening of freedom and self-reliance in the way we grow and produce food.
“I think this is a red pill moment for the people of the world that they need to be more self-reliant. We need decentralization of food production. I’m a big proponent of decentralization—food grown locally.”
The bad news is that only about 5 percent of people in the United State are prepared. But “the more people prepare, the less they panic when shortages appear,” Adams said.

https://lists.youmaker.com/links/TB82Ef7...MeN1hg8sUW

[Infolurker]

They are not wrong.

Buy stuff you need now while you can get it. It isn't going to get any cheaper next year. That is a fact.

[kdog]

I'm doing my part. Survival of the aware what is going on and the fittest.

[Infolurker]

They are not wrong.

Buy stuff you need now while you can get it. It isn't going to get any cheaper next year. That is a fact.

Mylar is your friend.

Rice, Grits, cornmeal, oats, flour, Pasta (straight Spaghetti or fettuccine noodles work best).

Stock up, seal and oxi absorber that stuff up now while you can.

[EndtheMadnessNow]

All the doomsday preppers finally seeing their investments pay off.

Peace of mind is bliss.


Going to be an interesting summer, although probably not too bad because you know elections coming up. But, potentially a dark winter.

[rickymouse]

That reminds me, I still need to get a couple of toilet seats for stock and two flush valves for the toilets.  I should also get a spare voltage regulator for the tractor and an extra set of points and a coil. 

I already have a decent food pantry, we can't really expand it much more because we cannot rotate much more.  I have enough food in stock to supply the wife and I and the two daughters and their kids and the granddaughters family for about three months with a little left over if my brother needs some.  That supply includes the fact that we will be able to buy limited amounts of foods, if that is not available, maybe two months at most if nobody wastes much.  That is for sixteen people, it takes a lot of food to feed sixteen people for a month.  It also means we will have smaller meals too. 

We still need to get more powdered milk and crystal eggs, maybe we will have to get a few chickens for eggs too.....but that means we have to stock chicken foods if we do that.

I need to get some fertilizer for the gardens, I hope it isn't too expensive now.  Should have stocked up on that a year ago.  One twenty five pound bag usually lasts us about three years.

[Ninurta]

We still need to get more powdered milk and crystal eggs, maybe we will have to get a few chickens for eggs too.....but that means we have to stock chicken foods if we do that.

Get Game Chickens, the "fighting rooster" kind. They do most of their own foraging, keeping feed needs to a minimum. The downside is trying to keep them in a coop and having to hunt nests for eggs. I know this because that is what we raised when I was back on the farm. Could not keep them in a coop and allow them to forage at the same time, and when they were let out to forage, they started roosting in trees in the woods. The hens would hide their nests in the weeds, and we had to hunt them down to get eggs. The hens helped with the hunt, however, since they would cackle every time they laid an egg to let the other hens know there was a nest there in case they had an egg to lay, too.

They defend themselves, too. I have seen a momma game hen whoop the shit out of a hawk trying to get her chicks, and then whoop the hawk some more for shitting.

They are not to be trifled with - the exact kind of chicken for a self-reliant sort of guy.

.

[Ninurta]

I'm not a prepper. I have friends who are, but I'm not. Imo die, and they'll make it.

I have one who recently sent me photos of his setup. It was unbelievable. He already produces 95% of his own electricity via solar. He has a setup that kicks out about 10,000 watts, if I read it right. He sent photos of the solar panels and control panels for the switching station he has.

He sent photos of his "stash", and my hand to God, it looked like an underground warehouse stocked floor to ceiling with food, on into the distance. I have no doubt he'll make it. All he has to do is button down and ride it out. I dunno if he has an actual bunker or not, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. He has divested from Cryptocurrency, as it was too unreliable,

Another prepper friend certainly has the resources to be prepared, and the inclination, so I would not be surprised if he is also stocked to the gills. I don't know if he is - it's not something you pry about.

Me? I've only got about a month's worth of grub and guns... and ammo. A couple thousand rounds for one gun, somewhat less for the rest. Push comes to shove, I can hunt and gather, since I know what can be et here and what will kill you if you eat it. The land I have ain't worth a shit for gardening, so, no real garden. It'll have to come out of the surrounding woods. Maybe some trade, since I plan on growing some stuff that can be traded - luxury items, you might say.

What I HAVE cultivated is a peaceful patch of land, home to myriad critters. I can just raise a window and pop a squirrel or rabbit or deer, since they find my patch to be a safe space. I see them playing in the yard frequently, and don't bother them here, because the time may come when I need to bother them, and I want them to still be here, not spooked off.

My ma and her spouse, both in their 80's now, have a fairly large patch about 20 miles from here. I can walk 20 miles in a day. so it's not out of reach. Their patch IS good for farming, so that is another resource i can fall back on. As it turns out, that place is pretty near where I ran in my youth and survived on, so I'm familiar with it, and pretty sure I can find needed resources there.

What it may come down to is local production and barter, like it was 200 years ago. Don't trust megafarmers, trust your neighbors. The megafarmers might not be able to get the goods to you, the supply chain being what it is, but your neighbors will always be there.

In the US, I recommend corn over wheat or rice for farming. Higher return, less labor intensive. Beans. They can't be beat in the plant world for protein. Research what the Indians ate, because one day, that might be your own food source, too.

.

[Michigan Swamp Buck]

It sucks and I've seen this coming my whole life. I believe, based on my knowledge of paper making, that milkweed down might just make a good base for toilet paper. Tobacco, hops and other cash crops I do well with here with what I've been able to achieve. Wine and distilled spirits? Not a problem.

Yeah, I came from Detroit, but country boy can survive.

[ancientlight]

If things will be so dire that there's constant mobs and riots for food , then life won't be worth it anymore.
Honestly , then we'd be safe nowhere. Not doing that . Nope.

[727Sky]

If things will be so dire that there's constant mobs and riots for food , then life won't be worth it anymore.
Honestly , then we'd be safe nowhere. Not doing that . Nope.

If good people lay down to die then only bad people will remain.

[Snarl]

If things will be so dire that there's constant mobs and riots for food , then life won't be worth it anymore.
Honestly , then we'd be safe nowhere. Not doing that . Nope.

That'll only last for a month or two if there's a total breakdown.  Most people will have just starved by then.

You wanna live?  It won't take much.  Get yourself a really good tent.  Get yourself a really good sleeping bag.  Get yourself some fishing gear.  Bag up everything you need to live away from your home for a week.

Got that?  Pick it all up and tote it as far as you can.  Keep doing that every day until you're double what you did your first day.  That's good enough.

Look on maps around the place where you live.  Find running water.  Figure out how you're gonna get your kit there.  Can't walk there from your house?  Find a place and stash it all there before SHTF.

Next lesson: making snares that work.

If you're going the opposite direction described above ... handcuffs are cheap right now.

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

That'll only last for a month or two if there's a total breakdown.  Most people will have just starved by then.

You wanna live?  It won't take much.  Get yourself a really good tent.  Get yourself a really good sleeping bag.  Get yourself some fishing gear.  Bag up everything you need to live away from your home for a week.

Got that?  Pick it all up and tote it as far as you can.  Keep doing that every day until you're double what you did your first day.  That's good enough.

Look on maps around the place where you live.  Find running water.  Figure out how you're gonna get your kit there.  Can't walk there from your house?  Find a place and stash it all there before SHTF.

Next lesson: making snares that work.

If you're going the opposite direction described above ... handcuffs are cheap right now.

You want to live? 

There are two things that will be in great supply, after TSHTF. They are both edible. I think your sensibilities will come in line when you get hungry enough.

Rats
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151...hilippines.

Cockroaches
https://edibug.wordpress.com/list-of-edi...r%20boiled.

[ABNARTY]

PITA POV Rant Warning!!!! 


The whole "prepper" think always confused me. 

1. Why wouldn't you want supplies around of stuff you need? Do you like going to the store everyday?

2. Knowing how to do stuff is a default setting or should be. How can you be an adult with any dignity when you require someone to do everything for you? 

3. Knowing your neighbors used to be the norm. Looking out for one another in the neighborhood was they way it worked. 

4. If you look at modern human history (around 200,000 years or so), humans have always been preppers. That's how humans survive. We are not terrific at much else except tool use. 

In my lifetime, I remember everyone having a garden. Some were better at it than others but everyone traded. Lot's of people went hunting and fishing. Heck, mushroom time was a big deal. Lot's of people canned. The canned goods were even exchanged as gifts sometimes. Everyone on my street knew each other. Not that everybody was sane or pleasant, but they all knew who was who. The kids could go up to the houses and ask for help in an emergency. An individual could feel some sense of self competence even from a young age.  

The psychological gap between a normal, everyday situation and a crisis was small. The conversation of the day did not make out every bump in the road as an apocalypse. Grandma and Grandpa who lived through the depression were always telling stories so you knew what the possibilities were. The concept was not unfamiliar. 

Today, I do most of those things above but I'm made to feel like a nutter. A weirdo. I'm Alex Jones' cousin for wanting a freezer full of meat. An entire industry has grown up around prepping. Instead of just doing what your ancestors have done for a thousand generations, now you can purchase your way out of incompetence while remaining fully incompetent. I say that because it's all in the head and heart. Your survival depends on how you think and feel, not how many pallets of freeze dried mango's you have in your basement. 

Today if the internet goes out or there is not a Starbucks nearby, it's the end times. The flu can shut down civilization. The weak wear their confusion and inability as a badge of honor. That mindset is very unhealthy and unsustainable. It is even bad for folks who are more independent because the hordes will be all over them.

[Ninurta]

It sucks and I've seen this coming my whole life. I believe, based on my knowledge of paper making, that milkweed down might just make a good base for toilet paper. Tobacco, hops and other cash crops I do well with here with what I've been able to achieve. Wine and distilled spirits? Not a problem.

Yeah, I came from Detroit, but country boy can survive.

As I recall, you're in a similar situation to me, and you aren't in Detroit any more, you're out in the sticks. I was born in Cleveland, but we moved out to the boonies in my early teens. I took to it pretty well, and became a naturalized hillbilly. It helped that this was where my folks were from, and I had scads of kin out here already.

You've just become a naturalized country boy.

.

[Ninurta]

That'll only last for a month or two if there's a total breakdown.  Most people will have just starved by then.

You wanna live?  It won't take much.  Get yourself a really good tent.  Get yourself a really good sleeping bag.  Get yourself some fishing gear.  Bag up everything you need to live away from your home for a week.

Got that?  Pick it all up and tote it as far as you can.  Keep doing that every day until you're double what you did your first day.  That's good enough.

Look on maps around the place where you live.  Find running water.  Figure out how you're gonna get your kit there.  Can't walk there from your house?  Find a place and stash it all there before SHTF.

Next lesson: making snares that work.

If you're going the opposite direction described above ... handcuffs are cheap right now.

You want to live? 

There are two things that will be in great supply, after TSHTF. They are both edible. I think your sensibilities will come in line when you get hungry enough.

Rats
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151...hilippines.

Cockroaches
https://edibug.wordpress.com/list-of-edi...r%20boiled.

Yum!

Most Americans have a psychological aversion to eating rats, but when I really think about it, they're not all that different from squirrels, and I've eaten squirrels all my life. As a matter of fact, I've called squirrels "Tree Rats" for years.

In a lot of places, especially in the US South, kudzu was introduced as a means of soil retention, and it kinda took over, choking out a lot of native growth. Kudzu can be eaten, and it can be found in great abundance in some places.

.

[guohua]

Just drop that Rat, Bat, Fish in a Wok with some nice fat Cricket and Grubs, use a little olive oil and pepper with sea salt then at the end some chopped mushrooms. 

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

Just drop that Rat, Bat, Fish in a Wok with some nice fat Cricket and Grubs, use a little olive oil and pepper with sea salt then at the end some chopped mushrooms. 

If things get as bad as they can get, there will be people fighting over that dish, and anything else you can cook up in a pot.

[Snarl]

Just drop that Rat, Bat, Fish in a Wok with some nice fat Cricket and Grubs, use a little olive oil and pepper with sea salt then at the end some chopped mushrooms. 

When it's skewered the only name it goes by is, "Meat on a stick."

And when you're hungry   will satisfy.

[hounddoghowlie]

Just drop that Rat, Bat, Fish in a Wok with some nice fat Cricket and Grubs, use a little olive oil and pepper with sea salt then at the end some chopped mushrooms. 

Rata,