Originally Posted by
Hobartlemagne
Ok- Ive done my homework now.
In the year 2000, the US harvested 3mil acres of rice, but it also harvested 53mil acres of wheat.*
We can certainly feed ourselves without domestic rice if necessary.
*
http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/cropmajor.html
It isn't OUR wheat or our OUR rice. It is the PRODUCERS rice and wheat and corn, etc. Free Nations do not own production, their citizens and businesses do. Who is the WE in the "WE can certainly feed OURSELVES"?
So if the world price for wheat is $5.00 per pound, then the price to YOU is also $5.00 per pound even if your neighbor is a wheat producer.
Welcome to capitalism and the global market.