How Supply Chain Changes Will Affect YOU!

 

Do the shelves of your grocery stores look as if they’ve been looted?

Our grocery shelves are bare, stores don’t know when the trucks are coming with fresh stock, and according to one store employee, shelf stockers may find themselves laid-off because there’s just no stock to put on the shelves! 

At least 25% of reported Canadian truckers are vaccinated, and up to 40% of American truckers are as well. But many disagree with the mandate to get immunized or pull over. While there is a “Freedom Convoy” on the way to Ottawa to protest, many feel it's a waste of time. They believe the government will dig their heels in and force truckers to get the jab or be sidelined. Truckers are not allowed across the border without proof of immunization, and this mandate has slowed delivery of goods, food-stuff and all kinds of supplies. Shelves are bare, and when a delivery truck does pull in, word gets out and a rush is on to get supplies before it’s all gone. There is no more waiting until pay-day to get your food.

Get it now or go without.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says there are reports of truckers intending to leave the industry. The industry is expecting a loss of 12,000 to 16,000 cross-border commercial drivers due to this month’s mandate. That’s a lot of groceries held up by a lack of drivers.

The pandemic has affected 72% of businesses in one way or another. Over the past two years, organizations with smart leadership have been able to pivot, learn and adapt in order to stay alive. Many industry leaders took a hard look at their systems, invested in digital tools, new approaches and replaced legacy systems that were no longer were adaptable. This self-reflection and investment will (hopefully) allow them to move from a reactionary position to one of foresight and better responsiveness. 

One of those new approaches is called “supply chain as a service”, or SCaaS. In essence, a company would sign with a service partner to support all their supply chain needs such as item procurement, manufacturing, quality control, warehousing, and logistics enabled by cloud software. This approach is similar to tech giants who provide all the services their clients might need, preventing them from having to look elsewhere for splinter components of their needs. In the SCaaS model, current logistics companies could study the needs of their clients and grow in directions that would provide more services, thereby solidifying their potential for adaptability and future growth. This is good for the economy because it would ease much of the procurement, pricing and logistics nightmares stores battled with before the pandemic. Even smaller chains. It’s good for the end consumer too, because it eases (in theory) much of the supply issues.

The days of the “just in time” system are over. The companies and organizations that will survive these changing times are the ones that will adopt elastic responses. Basically, organizations who plan ahead and have different response plans to different scenarios. No more “just in time” inventory, but plans A, B and C that are adapted for different demands from consumers. This will minimize risk, improve customer service and ultimately build a more loyal customer base. From the customer’s perspective, an elastic response should lessen shortages and respond more quickly to changing demands.

But all of this will not come into play next week. It may take the duration of 2022 for any of these scenarios to be enacted. In the meantime, it is up to the individual consumer, you and I, to find the best way forward for ourselves. For our families. It is up to us to do as the supply chain industry has done - study what we currently consume, examine how we can provide it for ourselves and adopt more elastic systems moving forward. Take on increased responsibility for personal resilience by doing more for ourselves, while consuming less of what we don’t really need. Leaning more heavily on the limping supply chain won’t get us any further ahead. Being more responsible for ourselves, thinking creatively, adapting to the empty shelves and growing what food we can is good for our mental health and morale. It worked for our grandparents and it will work for us.

If you enjoyed what you’ve just read, think how smart you’ll look when you tell your friends about it. So share this with everyone you know! Thanks so much for sharing your time with me today. 

Plunged Into Darkness

 

There you are, scrolling through Netflix, unable to decide what to watch when suddenly, your world goes black! No light from the television or computer, nothing. With the light from your cell phone guiding you, you make your way over to the window and look outside. All the buildings around you are dark too. Oh crap, this can’t be good.

Power failure. Okay, the electricity will come back on in a minute, right?

A minute later, you lift your phone to scroll through Facebook, only to realize the battery has less than fifty percent battery left.

You reach for the charging cord and stop…no power. Crap.

A short walk will help kill the time, yeah! But you’re on the tenth floor of your building. Crap, no elevator either. You don’t want to walk down the stairs lit only by emergency lighting, just to have to walk back up later. So you decide to go to bed early, maybe the power will be back on when you wake up.

But when you wake up, shivering a few hours later, there’s still no power and no heat. The wind is coming out of the north, blowing against your balcony door and your apartment is getting cold.

What do you do?

So many people have dismissed this scenario without considering it. Many people found themselves wishing they hadn’t. 

Breakfast on a barbeque?

Take the big power failure of 2003. Not everyone was prepared for 12 hours without electricity. Some were at a loss for how they would feed their family. Restaurants were without power too, so there was no help there. I was lucky. We lived on the ground floor of our apartment building and had a barbeque. Bacon had already thawed, so we had breakfast for lunch, and many of our closest neighbours popped by to see how we were cooking. The smell of bacon drew them in more than their curiosity, I’m sure. They were all surprised to see my cast iron fry pans. A few even asked if I’d cook for them after I was done, if they supplied the food!

We weren’t really inconvenienced at all because we had a “Plan B”. If the power were to go out, we’d simply cook on the barbeque. We already had the cast iron pans, because I love cooking on them, but they stood up to the flames better than any Teflon coated pan could have.

Things really got fun when an irritated neighbour with no sense of humour called the fire department on me, claiming my barbeque was up against the building. It wasn’t. I knew the regs. When the fire department showed up, they verified that the grill was more than far enough away from the building and expressed a little envy over the burgers that I was, by then, grilling.

Except for that one neighbour, I was the hit of the building. Our side, at least.

But I was lucky to live on the ground floor, and prepared. Not everyone was.

Do you know how you would cook in a power failure that lasted more than four hours? Do you have a backup plan? If you live in an apartment building, do you know what the rules are in your building for barbeques or camp stoves? If you have a house, even a rental, what would be your backup plan? If you have a family, you can’t just throw your hands in the air. They’re relying on YOU to know what to do. 

Time for Plan B

A 4-hour power failure is a good wake-up call. Consider plan B for cooking, communication, water and flushing the toilet. Brainstorm on paper. Get your family involved in your brainstorming. Discuss alternatives to your everyday lives. What will you do if there is a large scale power failure that results in your family getting sent home from work or school? (Assuming we ever get to go back to life as we knew it, but that’s another post for another time) Do you have a back-up, charged battery for your cell phone, or some other way to reach out for help if the need arose? Do you have a solar power bank you can draw on, or perhaps a generator?

Even apartment dwellers can usually find space to store water. While I try and discourage single-use plastic water bottles, a case of 12 or 24 stashed under a bed is better than no saved water at all. If your circumstances are such that you have 4 in your family, and you have room to store a case of bottled water under each bed - do it. It’s better to have it when you need it, than to take the moral high ground and make your children go thirsty needlessly. 

What’s under your bed?

When you have the water taken care of, assume 4 gallons (for drinking) per person and pet per day, then turn your attention to food. Make a list of what your family likes, figure 3 days of food and take steps to set that aside. Under beds are frequently overlooked as storage spaces, as is the bottom of closets. Storage tubs that fit under beds can be purchased at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, Canadian Tire or any local hardware store that you prefer. You can store 3 days of shelf-stable food in one of those, put it on top of the case of water that you’ve already stashed away, and you’re two steps closer to providing for your family in case of an emergency. Oh, and if your emergency food stash includes canned goods, don’t forget a can opener!

I live out in the woods now, and the weather is a concern most especially in the winter. We don’t get as much snow as we used to when we moved here, but we do get more erratic storms. Today, for instance 8” of snow was predicted. I spent almost my entire day shovelling the driveway (twice!) and I can tell you we got much closer to a foot of snowfall. Combine that with wicked wind gusts and there was a lot of potential for a power failure. Not surprising with all the trees that grow close to the power lines.

Transformers - not the fun kind

Last year, our local power company sent out crews to take down any and all trees growing within a certain distance of power lines. Makes sense, even if I do hate the mess they left behind. However, no one foresaw a local transformer blowing up one evening. Some of us were without power for far, far longer than we liked, because the power company had to order a new transformer up from Southern Ontario. The kicker of all this is that power companies don’t keep spares around. Why? Cost and availability.

Transformers, depending on the type, could cost anywhere from $7,300.00 to $325,000.00 for the high voltage ones. There are a mere 11 companies in the United States that make different types of transformers for a variety of applications, but not all high voltage. In low-demand conditions, an order for a high-voltage transformer takes 12-24 months from order to delivery for a domestically manufactured unit. But the number of companies that produce high-voltage units are declining. Their profit margins are ruled by more in-demand products, parts and services. High-voltage, powerful transformers are expensive, so smaller power companies, like ours, can’t afford to have one or two sitting around “just in case”.

So all of this is to warn you that the power might not come back on “shortly”. It might be days. It’s up to you to be forward-thinking, creative and plan ahead for you and your family. Brainstorming and planning now could save you a world of hurt in the future.

How A Hobby Can Feed Us

 

Life as we know it has changed.

Now, I don’t mean to sound alarmist and pessimistic with that statement, but it’s true.

Our ‘normal’ has changed. Only time will tell if it reverts back to what it was before.

But whining about it does no one any good. What we have to do is remain calm and adapt.

How do we adapt if we have no idea how long this new global emergency will take to play out?

Look to the past.

Many people’s ‘normal’ was upended during WW2. They had to learn how to bake with less flour as factories were mandated to make less of their ‘normal’ product and help make MRE’s for the soldiers. People had to learn to mend, patch, darn and make clothing from sources they might not have previously thought of otherwise. Like floursack cloth. 

Much of our food is not made in our own countries. Here in Canada, quite a lot of it is imported, including fruit and vegetables. Our food supply chains are going to be impacted as borders are closed to all but freight, as panic shopping reveals empty meat, bread, pasta and produce sections. This has already happened. How do we adapt?

Learn to make, and enjoy more meatless meals. Learn to make our own bread, buns, rolls and the like. Those who already know how to make their own pasta are one step ahead of the rest of us. Grow our own lettuce and potatoes. But consider this for a moment…

If people are self-isolating by the thousands now, who will start the seeds and man the greenhouses? Who will care for the seedlings until they are big enough to ship out to landscape centers and grocery stores in the spring, where gardeners have been known to cart home flats and flats of the little seedlings?

I’ll give you a minute to ponder that…

Yes, even a gardener’s hobby has been touched by Covid-19. There have been fewer seedlings to run our palms over, to study the growing tips and roots, to spend time choosing the very best there is. So how do we adapt to this?

We grow our own.

We sit down and honestly look at why we garden. Perhaps the hobbyist who has always grown roses should consider planting things that can be used in a salad, thereby improving their diet, their immune system and their overall health. This simple change will also result in fewer things needed at the now-overtaxed grocery store.

Now is the time to honestly assess if our occasional treat of sweet corn is worth the big plot of garden that would be better used for a staple like potatoes. Perhaps you’re sick and tired of mowing the lawn and would love more tomatoes in your diet. Learn what you need to do to convert the lawn to a food garden. (Even if your neighbours object now, they won’t when you share some of your bounty of sweet, juicy tomatoes with them at harvest)

So, my advice for you today...your “homework” if you will, is to sit and honestly assess what you want out of a garden. How can you modify your current situation and adapt to an ever-changing food landscape? Feel free to share your thoughts or concerns in the comment section. We’re all in this together and I don’t think we’re going to see the other side of it for a few years yet.

Your Worms Want Coffee

 

I hope I’m not the only one who finds compost fascinating. After all, any process that can take organic waste and break it down into nutrients is an awe-inspiring thing! Tonight I found out that even my morning coffee is nutritious twice!

From The Rodale Book of Composting;
“The nutrient content of coffee residues varies according to the type of residue. Grounds have up to 2% nitrogen, 0.33 % phosphoric acid and varying amounts of potassium. Drip coffee grounds contain more nutrients than boiled grounds, though the potassium content is still below 1%. Other substances found include sugars, carbohydrates, some vitamins, trace elements and caffeine.
Coffee processing plants sell coffee chaff, a dark material containing over 2% nitrogen and potassium. Chaff is useful either as a mulch or as a compost. Apply your coffee grounds immediately, or mix them with other organic matter. They hold moisture extremely well. Left standing, they will quickly sour, inviting acetobacters (vinegar-producing microbes) and fruit flies.”

How cool is that! My coffee not only gives me a jolt of ambition but is healthy and helpful for my compost and plants too!

Used as fertilizer, the grounds add organic matter to your soil. This helps aerate the soil, feeds any worms and other tiny critters present (and attracts them if you don’t have them already), helps repel ants, improves drainage and increases water retention. I can tell you that adding used, cool coffee grounds definitely attracts worms. I’ve been adding grounds to our garden beds, formerly a mostly sandy mix of who-knows-what, and every year, I’m amazed to see worms happily twisting through the soil.

You want earthworms — their casings are full of micronutrients your plants need to thrive and resist stress. A plant that can resist stress is better equipped to repel harmful insects and short periods of drought.

There are dozens of other ways to make your morning cup help out in the garden, but that’s another post for another time. Do you garden? Let me know in the comments section!

A Gardeners New Normal~Seedlings and Covid-19

Life as we know it has changed.
Now, I don’t mean to sound alarmist and pessimistic with that statement, but it’s true.
Our ‘normal’ has changed. Only time will tell if it reverts back to what there was before.
But whining about it does no one any good. What we have to do is remain calm and adapt.

How do we adapt if we have no idea how long this new global emergency will take to play out?

Look to the past.

Many people’s ‘normal’ was upended during WW2. They had to learn how to bake with less flour as factories were mandated to make less of their ‘normal’ product and help make MRE’s for the soldiers. People had to learn to mend, patch, darn and make clothing from sources they might not have previously thought of otherwise. Like flour sackcloth. Now, I don’t think the supply of clothing is going to be a big concern, but someone brought another issue to my attention yesterday.


Much of our food is not made in our own countries. Here in Canada, quite a lot of it is imported, including fruit and vegetables. Our food supply chains are going to be impacted as borders close to all but freight, as panic shopping reveals empty meat, bread, pasta and produce sections. This has already happened. How do we adapt?

Learn to make, and enjoy more meatless meals. Learn to make our own bread, buns, rolls and the like. Those who already know how to make their own pasta are one step ahead of the rest of us. Grow our own lettuce and potatoes. But consider this for a moment…

If people are self-isolating by the thousands now, who will start the seeds and man the greenhouses? Who will care for the seedlings until they are big enough to ship out to landscape centers and grocery stores in the spring, where gardeners have been known to cart home flats and flats of the little seedlings?

As the count of confirmed Coronavirus cases rise, as more and more people fall ill (and hopefully eventually recover), as more people self-isolate and work from home or do not go to work at all...how many seedlings do you think will be a priority as spring approaches?

I’ll give you a minute to ponder that…

Yes, even a gardener’s hobby will be touched by Covid-19. There will be fewer seedlings to run our palms over, to study the growing tips and roots, to spend time choosing the very best there is. So how do we adapt to this?

We grow our own.


We sit down and honestly look at why we garden. Perhaps the hobbyist who has always grown roses should consider planting things that can be used in a salad, thereby improving their diet, their immune system and their overall health. This simple change will also result in fewer things needed at the now-overtaxed grocery store.

Now is the time to honestly assess if our occasional treat of sweet corn is worth the big plot of garden that would be better used for a staple like potatoes. Perhaps you’re sick and tired of mowing the lawn and would love more tomatoes in your diet. Learn what you need to do to convert the lawn to a food garden. (Even if your neighbours object now, they won’t when you share some of your bounty of sweet, juicy tomatoes with them at harvest)

So, my advice for you today...your “homework” if you will, is to sit and honestly asses what you want out of a garden. How can you modify your current situation and adapt to an ever-changing food landscape? Feel free to share your thoughts or concerns in the comment section. We’re all in this together!

Why Do I Need To Prepare?

(I thought I'd update and re-post a popular installment today that maybe some folks haven't seen. I'd love to know what you think, leave your thoughts in the comments!)

"Do your best to change the world, Do your best to be ready for changes in the world"

~Chinese proverb~

When was the last time you had a power outage that lasted for more than three hours? Has your neighbourhood ever flooded or come through a landslide? Have you ever been laid off and unsure where grocery money was going to come from? Has wildfire ever threatened your home? Have you ever been suddenly thrust into an unsafe situation?

The world as we know it is different for everyone. The many ways our world can, and is, changing is staggering. Just listen to the news for ten minutes for proof of how much our world has changed in the past two years! A radical change to our world as we know it can be anything to suddenly being without power for days (which happens to more people than you may realize), to a massive flood (been there, done that), to an unforeseen job loss, nearby chemical spill (which yours truly has lived through) ... you get the idea. Even in a minor power outage, we cannot pump gas, pay for anything electronically, and eating out if there's no power at home is likely not an option either. You will not be able to cool your home by either A/C or fan in a power outage, you won't want to be looking in the fridge every 15 min, and what about flushing the toilet? Let's not forget food shortages brought on by a massive snowstorm or being cut off without transportation after a flood or snowstorm (been there, done that too). So, the number of ways our world can change radically is staggering. But we don't have to wring our hands and moan, we can do something. Quite a lot in fact.

I am well known for having backup plans on top of backup plans. Once, it was only for childcare, but as the kids grew, having a Plan B, and Plan C, and so on, spread throughout my life. In these challenging times, we can plan for many life surprises, and not only end up in control of our lives but also change our mindset. Think about it, if you can plan for a sudden layoff, your attitude changes. Let's say one day, you and 150 of your co-workers are informed your factory is closing next month. This has happened to so many people, I can't count that high. So, how do you plan for this BEFORE it actually happens to you? Times are hard financially and you're only living two paychecks ahead of panic, so investing $200 in stocks isn't going to happen anytime soon. But let's set aside the investing, money security for a minute. Let's think about something more basic. Food.

If you're laid off and you have some food put by, your attitude towards this crisis will be different than the outlook of someone who has not planned for just such an occasion. It will still be a huge upset, but you won't have to wonder how you'll feed the spouse, two kids, and the family dog. I've been there, and I can tell you that visiting a pawn shop to trade in jewelry so I can feed the kids isn't fun. So, when you go grocery shopping, make a list. If your grocery list calls for three cans of kernel corn, buy four cans. If you were going to get two pounds of ground beef, and you can afford it, get three. I know you might not be able to do this all the time, very few people can. Every time you go shopping, look realistically at your list. One week get a couple extra cans of vegetables, the next shopping trip, get a bit of extra meat. The next shopping trip, consider getting a home first-aid kit or improving on one you may already have.

The next thing you need to do is keep track of these extras. I used to work in retail, and we had a system of rotation that is summarized by FIFO. "First In, First Out". If it's easier for your family, get a permanent black magic marker and write on the can or box the date you bought it. Meat can be wrapped and sealed in a freezer bag. Be sure and write the date purchased on the bag before the meat goes in. If someone in your house bakes, consider buying an extra bag of flour. (TIP: if you can, freeze it for a few days before putting it in a storage container. That way you won't be unpleasantly surprised by small, black, wriggling things. We found this out the hard way)

Using this method of buying a few extras as we could, we've been able to set aside large tubs of coffee, drink crystals, peanut butter, meats of all kinds, yeast for baked goods, pasta, a variety of sauces, and the list goes on. I remember when I had to visit the pawnshop before the grocery store. I remember all too well that feeling of fear, depression and hopelessness. I also remember living in Northern Ontario and being snowed in with my spouse-at-the-time being gone already for a few days. I didn't drive, but I had a toddler to feed. Again, having food stores made all the difference in my attitude and outlook.

TL:DR:
The wisdom of food storage cannot be overstated. Everyone, regardless of income level, tax bracket, location or age should consider doing what they can to put some food by. The more, the better. Give careful thought to storage, record keeping and how all that can be achieved cheaply.

What challenges do you think your area might face that you can plan for? Let me know in the comments below!

Who Is Eliot Coleman, And Why Should You Know Who He Is?

Who is Eliot Coleman, and why should you know who he is?

He is an American farmer, author, agricultural researcher and educator, and proponent of organic farming. Back around 1969, he taught himself how to farm organically in the sometimes harsh Maine climate and developed the cold climate farming techniques that he's known for. In 1989 he wrote his first book, The New Organic Gardener. It would be one of many that would change the minds and methods of gardeners everywhere, including myself.

Eliot advocates for feeding the soil, thereby manipulating weed growth, disease, plant health and our eventual health as a result. You might say he was organic cool before it was cool. Eliot taught me what sustainable agriculture was, and the hook was set. I've been an enthusiastic student of his ever since, even when I couldn't garden in the traditional sense. In his quest to understand the land better, he has often turned to published works on agriculture in an effort to continually improve his farming methods. A method of learning I've adopted from time to time. Over time, Eliot has become a mover and shaker in the organic world, as well as the market farming community. He is a mighty voice and a well-respected advocate for healthy soil.

So what difference does this make to you, a humble blog-reader?

No matter if you have a backyard garden or a collection of pots where you grow some salad greens on your balcony, Eliot Coleman's wisdom can teach us all about how simple soil can make us healthier people. Over the next few weeks, I'll be studying as much of his written works as possible, discussing them here and trying to understand how I can utilize his wisdom here on our less-than-an-acre property.

Along the way, I'll be writing to Eliot here on this blog, as if he and I were on such terms where correspondence back and forth might be possible. (Yes, I know it isn't) Much like the foundation for 'Letters To A Young Poet' in which ten letters were written to a young man about to enter the German military. His name was Franz Kappus, he was 19 years old, and he wrote to R. M Rilke looking for guidance and a critique of some of his poems.


Or more for my purposes here, 'Letters To A Young Farmer'. This book was written by some of the most influential farmers, writers and leaders of our time. They share their wisdom and insight in an anthology of 36 essays and letters. Barbara Kingsolver speaks to the tribe of farmers—some born to it, many self-selected—with love, admiration, and regret. Bill McKibben connects the early human quest for beer to the modern challenge of farming in a rapidly changing climate. Michael Pollan bridges the chasm between agriculture and nature. Dan Barber, Temple Grandin, Wendell Berry, Rick Bayless, Marion Nestle and more offer advice and inspiration. And in the spirit of this endeavour, I'll be writing the next series of blog posts to not just Eliot but to all these other learned and wise proponents of the land and farming.


So as we settle in for an interesting conversation with Eliot, Barbara, Michael, Marion, Wendell and the rest, tell me...do you garden?