For the first time, Ukraine has managed to hit the Moscow oil refinery, the most protected facility in the country - multiple strikes. pic.twitter.com/0CE3rYACwJ

— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) May 17, 2026

Joe Rogan: “These motherf*ckers are talking about drafting people. Palantir thinks we should re-introduce conscription. I don’t understand why anybody would wanna support that after this Iran war where everybody’s like why the f*ck are we in Iran? pic.twitter.com/WBJPjT3vc6

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) May 17, 2026

A wartime surge in energy prices is slamming consumers while boosting investors, widening a divide in the U.S. economy https://t.co/Y4RaoZAAKH

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) May 17, 2026

RD2WINAGNBEAR86 said:

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boognish_bear said:

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It does not feel like it has been ticking fast

Donald Trump: "For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!" pic.twitter.com/uX7a4zaDpz

— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) May 17, 2026

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Obama was crucified for not following through with his threat not to cross the red line regarding Syria and chemical weapons.

With Trump, it is a daily thing. Yawn.

https://nypost.com/2026/01/13/opinion/dont-make-the-mistake-obama-did-mr-president-enforce-your-iran-red-line/

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Maybe he will admit 500k Iranian students in US colleges, that will show them not to mess with him...

fubar said:

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It is false.

Planting season in North Dakota, for example, is very different than it is in Texas for many crops. "Last frost" in most of ND hasn't yet happened.

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"Last frost"=word games

Many crops go in up to six weeks prior to the last frost date.

Fertilizers are applied months beyond the initial "plant".

Top Row Crops & Primary Locations

Corn: The largest crop by acreage and total production in the US. It is heavily concentrated in the Midwest "Corn Belt".Top producing states: Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Corn is planted after the last freeze. Specifically, it is best to wait until about 1 to 2 weeks after your area's final spring frost date, once the soil temperature consistently reaches ~ 50-60 degrees.

Soybeans: The second most widely planted row crop. The production zone highly overlaps with corn.Top producing states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Because soybeans can take up to 14 days to emerge, a common rule of thumb is to plant no earlier than 14 days before the average historical last freeze date in the area.

Wheat: Cultivated primarily in the drier, central regions of the country.Top producing states: Kansas, North Dakota, Montana, Texas, and Washington. Winter wheat requires freezing or near freezing temperatures. Spring wheat is planted before the last spring freeze. Because it is a highly cold-tolerant grain, it can be seeded as soon as the soil is workable, typically in early to mid-spring, while nighttime temperatures are still dropping below freezing. Only about 2% of the wheat planted in Texas is spring wheat. It's typically planted as an alternative to winter wheat in areas that do not get cold enough for winter wheat.

Cotton: Grown in the southern and western states.Top producing states: Texas, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Cotton is a warm weather crop and doesn't tolerate freezing temps.

BREAKING: US officials say President Trump is expected to convene his top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options in Iran.

President Trump also just spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in Iran.

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) May 17, 2026

LIB,MR BEARS said:

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Top Row Crops & Primary Locations

Corn: The largest crop by acreage and total production in the US. It is heavily concentrated in the Midwest "Corn Belt".Top producing states: Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Corn is planted after the last freeze. Specifically, it is best to wait until about 1 to 2 weeks after your area's final spring frost date, once the soil temperature consistently reaches ~ 50-60 degrees.

Soybeans: The second most widely planted row crop. The production zone highly overlaps with corn.Top producing states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Because soybeans can take up to 14 days to emerge, a common rule of thumb is to plant no earlier than 14 days before the average historical last freeze date in the area.

Wheat: Cultivated primarily in the drier, central regions of the country.Top producing states: Kansas, North Dakota, Montana, Texas, and Washington. Winter wheat requires freezing or near freezing temperatures. Spring wheat is planted before the last spring freeze. Because it is a highly cold-tolerant grain, it can be seeded as soon as the soil is workable, typically in early to mid-spring, while nighttime temperatures are still dropping below freezing. Only about 2% of the wheat planted in Texas is spring wheat. It's typically planted as an alternative to winter wheat in areas that do not get cold enough for winter wheat.

Cotton: Grown in the southern and western states.Top producing states: Texas, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Cotton is a warm weather crop and doesn't tolerate freezing temps.

---

https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/optimum-and-last-planting-date-minimum-stands-crops-loss-frost-or-hail-small-grains

Short version:
Wheat in North Dakota:
Optimum planting dates are 2nd week of April to 1st week of May depending on what 4 regions the land is in



Various grain crops in North Dakota:

https://www.westernfrontierins.com/crop/planting-dates/

Short version (article has easy tables):

Earliest planting dates are from early to mid April for all but sunflowers (5/1)

Last planting dates are from 5/10 to 6/5 for all but sunflowers (6/25)

Sam Lowry said:

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I for one am incredibly relieved that Axios made the mistake of saying farmers were "entering" planting season instead of saying they were in the early to middle weeks of planting season. Just think of all the shortages that will be averted and all the livelihoods that will be saved as a result.

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Except that for most midwestern farmers, planting season has passed already.

EatMoreSalmon said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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I for one am incredibly relieved that Axios made the mistake of saying farmers were "entering" planting season instead of saying they were in the early to middle weeks of planting season. Just think of all the shortages that will be averted and all the livelihoods that will be saved as a result.

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Except that for most midwestern farmers, planting season has passed already.

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Pretty sure May is the peak, which would be at least a month later than Texas. And in any case you're going to need fertilizer until the plants are mature.

“The cost to ship a standard 20ft container (TEU) on that route increased from $980 before the outbreak of the war to $4,131 in the week to May 15…

The highest cost during the pandemic was $3,960 per TEU in 2021.”
🔥 https://t.co/O8mdi1RFaa

— Diane Swonk (@DianeSwonk) May 17, 2026

fubar said:

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cowboycwr said:

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fubar said:

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It is false.

Planting season in North Dakota, for example, is very different than it is in Texas for many crops. "Last frost" in most of ND hasn't yet happened.

---

So for one state planting season might still be current.

But that was not what the tweet said. It said the Midwest. Which is more than one state and for most of the Midwest the planting season is either over or ending right about now.

So the tweet was "mostly" false or at least misleading or lazy writing or lazy fact checking or whatever.

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I didn't respond to a tweet. I responded to what you said, which was false.

Planting season is just now starting for many farmers.

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And what I said was a response to a tweet.

And what I said was not false but 100% factual.

A tweet that claimed as planting season in the Midwest started. Which is false because in the vast majority of the Midwest planting season is ending about this time or already ended.

So again your one state outlier does not disprove my statement in response to the tweet.

Do try to keep up.

Realitybites said:

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The last frost date in Iowa is the last week of April/first week of May.

That's on average a couple of weeks later than Missouri.

The more northern states are a few weeks later than that.

So yeah, it is planting season for most of the midwest.

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Which is the opposite of what the tweet said. It said "as we start planting season"

Not as we are weeks into planting season or already done in much of the Midwest.

Sam Lowry said:

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I for one am incredibly relieved that Axios made the mistake of saying farmers were "entering" planting season instead of saying they were in the early to middle weeks of planting season. Just think of all the shortages that will be averted and all the livelihoods that will be saved as a result.

---

You clearly miss the point.

The tweet/article was trying to spread fear about farming due to the war. An issue that does not exist.

cowboycwr said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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I for one am incredibly relieved that Axios made the mistake of saying farmers were "entering" planting season instead of saying they were in the early to middle weeks of planting season. Just think of all the shortages that will be averted and all the livelihoods that will be saved as a result.

---

You clearly miss the point.

The tweet/article was trying to spread fear about farming due to the war. An issue that does not exist.

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You are valiantly striving to miss the point that it does exist.

Sam has made long practice of posting without points or practical purpose.

Sam Lowry said:

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cowboycwr said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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I for one am incredibly relieved that Axios made the mistake of saying farmers were "entering" planting season instead of saying they were in the early to middle weeks of planting season. Just think of all the shortages that will be averted and all the livelihoods that will be saved as a result.

---

You clearly miss the point.

The tweet/article was trying to spread fear about farming due to the war. An issue that does not exist.

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You are valiantly striving to miss the point that it does exist.

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Lol. No it doesn't. This was nothing more than a fear article. Like the current hantavirus stuff. It has killed less people than die falling off ladders every day. But the media acts like it is the next unstoppable virus.

Just as they have done for 30 years with different viruses. SARS, bird flu, Ebola, and all the other "outbreaks" they covered.

If it was a real problem someone other than axios would be talking about it as well.

Oldbear83 said:

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Sam has made long practice of posting without points or practical purpose.

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The point is that there isn't enough fertilizer. You can bike-shed the details as long as you want, but the fact remains.

cowboycwr said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

cowboycwr said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

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I for one am incredibly relieved that Axios made the mistake of saying farmers were "entering" planting season instead of saying they were in the early to middle weeks of planting season. Just think of all the shortages that will be averted and all the livelihoods that will be saved as a result.

---

You clearly miss the point.

The tweet/article was trying to spread fear about farming due to the war. An issue that does not exist.

---

You are valiantly striving to miss the point that it does exist.

---

Lol. No it doesn't. This was nothing more than a fear article. Like the current hantavirus stuff. It has killed less people than die falling off ladders every day. But the media acts like it is the next unstoppable virus.

Just as they have done for 30 years with different viruses. SARS, bird flu, Ebola, and all the other "outbreaks" they covered.

If it was a real problem someone other than axios would be talking about it as well.

---

Maybe you should listen to someone other than Axios.

When Breitbart covers it, it will be real. If Newsmax covers it, they will say it is a problem.

Sam Lowry said:

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EatMoreSalmon said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

I for one am incredibly relieved that Axios made the mistake of saying farmers were "entering" planting season instead of saying they were in the early to middle weeks of planting season. Just think of all the shortages that will be averted and all the livelihoods that will be saved as a result.

---

Except that for most midwestern farmers, planting season has passed already.

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Pretty sure May is the peak, which would be at least a month later than Texas. And in any case you're going to need fertilizer until the plants are mature.

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Read the links above and you would be sure it is earlier.

LIB,MR BEARS said:

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cowboycwr said:

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boognish_bear said:

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Farmers across the Midwest are entering planting season under mounting financial pressure, as the Iran conflict drives up diesel and fertilizer prices — deepening an agricultural downturn that some say is the worst since the crisis of the 1980s. https://t.co/QQjkb7Kpdp

— Axios (@axios) May 16, 2026

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Umm planting should be done by this time for many crops…… or at maximum be in the last day

There should not be a single farmer just now "entering planting season"

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Heck, wheat is already coming in, in central Texas.

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Good, but pretty irrelevant.




Map of US Corn Production:



Map of US Soybean Production:



Map of US Barley Production:



Map of US Oat Production:

Japanese Company Simplifies Ketchup Packaging Amid Ink Shortage Tied To Middle East Conflict

"Kagome is revamping the packaging of several ketchup products after supply disruptions made white printing ink harder to source, according to Japan Today. The shortage stems from raw material constraints tied to the conflict in the Middle East.

Under the redesign, bottles of Kagome Tomato Ketchup will no longer feature the brand's usual full white-and-red label. Instead, part of the bottle will be left clear, creating a more minimal look. Kagome said switching to a different ink is not a practical option because of technical printing limitations.

The change reflects broader supply strain across Japan's food industry. Earlier this week, Calbee Inc. said it would temporarily sell 14 potato chip varieties in monochrome packaging as shortages of naphtha a petroleum-based material used in production continue to disrupt operations.

Calbee's affected products include popular flavors such as Lightly Salted, Consomme Punch, and Seaweed Salt. The company also said it will raise prices on 25 snack items starting Sept. 1, including potato chips and Jagarico. Chip prices are set to increase by 5% to 10%, while Jagarico products will rise by 3% to 10%.

The back-to-back announcements highlight how geopolitical tensions are rippling into everyday consumer goods, affecting everything from packaging materials to retail prices. For shoppers, the most visible impact may be simpler packaging now and higher grocery bills later."

People aren't even beginning to process the far reaching implications of this stupid and unnecessary war.

- el UF

{ sipping WAR coffee }

{ eating WAR donut }

D!

Looks like we're gonna be back the WAR bidneths purt' soon.............

Go Bears!!

The ongoing oil price shock is projected to reduce U.S. payroll growth by roughly 10,000 jobs per month through the end of the year, per Goldman Sachs.

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) May 18, 2026