Whether his travels take our commodities guru, Kevin Kerr, to the Middle East or the Midwest of the U.S., the stories are very similar. Most people are concerned about the rising costs of agricultural commodities. And they should be. The commodity boom is real.

Last night, I had dinner with Gary, an Iowa commodities broker. As we sat down to steaks, Gary told me two large hog businesses had gone under this week in Sioux City. “I saw the banker down at the farm counting livestock heads,” he said. “The banker in this town never leaves his office. It’s the first time he’s ever had to get s**t on his shoes.”