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AGRI-FOOD
THOUGHTS
by
Ned
W. Schmidt, CFA, CEBS
Schmidt Management Company
October 16, 2007
Imagine
owning a company where consumers have no choice but to buy the firm's
product. Consumers have no choice but to buy food. The choice is not
between a new cell phone or food. Consumers buy their food first, and then
consider other products. Despite the nonsense put out by economists at the
Federal Reserve and other centers of misinformation, food and energy are
the most important components of the consumers' spending basket. And, the
wallets of about two billion consumers are being filled by economic growth
in China and India. They are spending that money on improving and
increasing their consumption of food. That spending is benefiting all in
the Agri-Food value chain.

As the
chart shows, consumption of all the major grains has increased. In total,
global annual consumption of just these four grains increased by 80
million tonnes in five years. Remember, this higher demand must be
satisfied by Agri-Food production that is constrained on the supply side.
Agri-Food production is not like a factory. We can not just turn a dial
and increase production. The ability of the globe to produce Agri-Foods is
constrained by the total amount of productive farm land. In the past five
years the United States, for example, lost 10 million acres of farm land.
Europe has moved to eliminate any farm land set aside, and will be
planting essentially all available farm land in the next year. Higher
demand up against constrained supply means higher prices and higher
profits. Agri-Food industry participants are benefiting and will benefit
from a structural investment cycle of more than a decade in duration. Is
your portfolio ready for the Agri-Food cycle?

© 2007 Ned W. Schmidt
Editorial
Archives
AGRI-FOOD
THOUGHTS
are from Ned W. Schmidt,CFA,CEBS, publisher of Agri-Food
Value View, a monthly exploration of the Agri-Food grand cycle
being created by China, India, and Eco-energy. To review a recent
issue write to agrifoodvalueview@earthlink.net.
Ned will be exploring the Agri-Food cycle at The Wealth Expo in NYC,
19-21 October. For
information go to www.wealthexpo.net
Please remember that no method is perfect nor is the one
running the model.
All estimated returns are for the model portfolio and
do not reflect those earned on actual portfolios.
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