Never forget Donald J. Trump shut down the economy. And it’s “almost” as if his announcement to run for president is perfectly timed to get you to waste another two years in false hope for a human savior. Right when you realized that the entire system was lost to corruption and you were about to do amazing things to change the world around you, galvanized to take charge of all that you can, a shiny trinket of distraction is dangled in your eye. Instead of being the man you could be learning and teaching and training your family, church, or team, and growing your local group in the depth of understanding and trust for each other, honing skills and adding critical knowledge and infrastructure, they want you well distracted by politics.

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According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), there’s still very little relief in the supply pipeline for components needed to complete manufacturing and farming equipment. Consequently, there are “nearly complete” pieces of farm and construction equipment sitting on manufacturing lots waiting for components. For some, they may be as basic as a 7-pin connector for wiring harnesses. Others parts, some ordered more than a year ago, still haven’t shown up on “shipped” reports.

Some companies, like farm equipment manufacturer Unverferth has gone so far as to create “rework teams” whose jobs are to add missing components to machines that have been languishing in storage. Others have procurement staff scouring sources for acceptable component replacements.

Dealers are still battling shortages in tires, steel components and computer chips for existing customers’ equipment.

According to AEM, the situation was supposed to have improved by now, but hasn’t. They add that while it’s bad for farm equipment, it’s even worse for construction equipment. More than 95% of their members say they’re experiencing “major” supply chain issues.

If that’s not enough, suppliers and manufacturers are getting slammed with major price increases. And salaries and bonuses have also had to rise in order to get/keep factory workers.

Consequently, used farm equipment is selling at an all-time high.

A farmer with seldom-used equipment can quickly turn that gear into the cash needed to acquire equipment that’s really needed. The downside is that the “used iron” is also pricey- and getting even more so the longer shortages exist.

Farmers, being very experienced with market realities, are very aware that being forced to pay a premium for used equipment today doesn’t guarantee that same price stability a month from now. If the supply chain eases, demand for used gear will slow- and prices will fall.

So they’re following the advice Amazon’s Jeff Bezos shared last week: if you can hold off purchases, it might be a good time to do just that.

In the meantime, Purdue University’s Ag Economy Barometer reports that “insufficient supplies have impeded” producers’ overall operations. According to that barometer, farmers share another major concern with the outdoor industry: interest rate policies.

Despite farm income having rise over the past five years, farmers are still being hammered by high input (planting) costs and falling commodity prices. They’re accustomed to fluctuations in commodity prices, but the additional strain of acquisition of new gear or parts for existing gear, coupled with rising interest rates, has injected a lot more stress to an already tough profession.

“A year ago,” says Curt Blades of the AEM, “we thought the supply chain issues would have improved by now. That didn’t happen.”

There are similar stories throughout the outdoor industry as well. Last week, one manufacturer told me he was machining parts from aluminum bar stock because extrusion “isn’t an option right now.” As he explained it, “I was told that even if I had my order in right now, it would be a year before I could hope to get parts. So…I’m machining.”

The good news is that Americans are learning to adapt, innovate, and manufacture for themselves again.

Inflation is going to greatly improve your prepping. The days of throwing money at a problem by buying stuff of marginal quality and usefulness are over. The throwaway economy has made us all somewhat parasitic, and a dedicated effort is required to retrain the mind. Solid patient research is the way to go. Read reviews, ask around, pool your money for just one, and do a team evaluation of quality and usability for your purposes before buying more, perhaps. Remember, the library has free books to teach yourself new skills. Knowledge is lightweight, highly portable, flexible, adaptable, reusable, extendable, scalable, and above all, multiplies your side’s survivability and lethality.