The official fall season arrives this Thursday at 9:04 p.m. when the autumn equinox arrives in the Northeast. Some experts say people should be preparing for some specific food shortages this fall and winter.

The World Health Organization has warned people around the world, including the United States, that people should prepare for a food shortage later in 2022 and in 2023. Many experts have said it's unlikely to happen in the U.S., but one farming expert in Upstate New York says "prepare, because a shortage is coming."

Ben Simons of Boonville is a farmer and farming expert and the former director of the Oneida County Farm Bureau, who claims that a grain shortage could be coming to the United States. He predicted in the spring that some agricultural product shortages in local grocery stores were inevitable and especially with products that consumers over the years have taken for granted.

"When you do your grocery shopping, pick up an extra can of corn each time you go," Simons said. He suggested that people begin to stock up their pantry and plan to can vegetables later this summer.

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Simons said the evidence is glaring and it's well beyond the war in Ukraine. He said farmers have been unable to obtain the fertilizers they need this year and as a result, many crop producers have been forced to allow less fertile fields to go dormant this year. Simons said the farmers couldn't risk a major loss this year so they opted not to plant. "A big loss like this could completely put them out of business," he said.

Prices are based on supply and demand, Simons said, and as a result prices will continue to go up. Additionally, he said, some products that we take for granted to be on the shelves will not be there this fall.

Foods that experts say could be a part of a shortage later this year include eggs and dairy,  flour, grains and corn, fruits and vegetables including soybeans, canned goods, and imported foods.

Simons says it's a good idea to stock up now if you want that Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner to seem somewhat normal.

"I don't mean to scare anyone," said Simons. "It's not like we're going to starve, but there will be items you're used to always seeing in your grocery store that won't be there."

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