Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World

Food shortages -- they're not just for Third World countries anymore. Now, angry customers scrounge through stores in places like New York and California:

Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.

Makes the idea of supporting local farmers seem a little less silly, doesn't it?