FOOD: Grain, Soybeans Surge on Adverse Weather From U.S. to Europe. “In the U.S., corn planting was 63 percent complete as of May 15, down from the 75 percent average in the past five years, as soggy fields hindered fieldwork, mostly east of the Mississippi River and in northern states, government data show. Spring-wheat, soybean and rice sowing also were behind the pace of recent years. The Ohio Valley and North Dakota will see more rain this week, AccuWeather Inc. said. . . . Europe’s crop, making up a fifth of global output, is under threat in the U.K., France and Germany from the driest growing conditions in at least 36 years. France, the world’s second- largest exporter, may produce 12 percent less this year than a year earlier, Agritel, a Paris-based farm adviser, said.”

Related: Mississippi Flooding Harms Agriculture in Several US States.

UPDATE: A reader emails:

With all the talk of how-

-food prices are rising
and
-food scarcity is growing

due to ethanol production, cold & wet weather, and other problems, has it occurred to anyone that we’re just one good volcanic eruption (Tambora, etc., but just a good 1990’s Pinatubo would do, or the recent Iceland volcano unrest) away from a serious food crisis? A serious cooling triggered by an eruption would probably drop the temps from the point of marginal production (see what’s going on now) to below the point that serious production issues would arise.

Yes, we’re uncomfortably close to John Ringo territory. Earlier item here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Mike Wall writes:

The only wise part of the ethanol program is that if corn prices reach “too high” the program can be shut down. This of course would lead to a huge correction in the price of corn, and all other grains as well, as billions of bushels would be released into the world market to get rid of it. I am not saying this is going to happen but the safety valve is there. China also continues to be the elephant in the room as their weather has been poor for several years and there are problems with several crops and water levels in various areas. Combining their increasing prosperity and subsequent demands for higher quality food and meat and declining production Chinese imports could easily be the volcano event rather than a real one.

Well, perhaps we’ll luck out and muddle through. That appears to be our national strategy, anyway.

MORE: Wichita reader Bill Rickords writes:

Watch the price of wheat also….about 60% of our wheat here in Kansas is in “extremely poor” condition due to lack of rain during the time where the heads of grain are filled out. Takes a lot of water for the soft putty like grains to fill out and harden. Heads will be shriveled and not weigh the 60 lbs. per bushel that is wanted. Not much rain this year where it’s needed.

Ugh.