farming

The cost of cocoa beans has surged to a record $10,000 per metric ton. That's expected to make chocolate more expensive for millions of confectionary fans around the world. But why have prices more than doubled in the past few months alone? And what could halt the surge? We speak with Bloomberg Opinion columnist and Odd Lots favorite Javier Blas. He describes how a combination of chronic underinvestment in cocoa supply has run head first into financial markets to squeeze prices higher.

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Walmart is looking to buy TV manufacturer Vizio, according to The Wall Street Journal, even though it sells its own brand of TVs. That’s because these days, a TV’s worth is tied to its streaming platform, and acquiring Vizio’s SmartCast could help the big-box retailer grow into another kind of company. Plus, split surveys on small business optimism, a map of all the country’s zoning laws, and the falling number of small farmers.

The market for gustatory pain is surprisingly competitive. Zachary Crockett feels the burn.

• SOURCES:
  • Ed Currie, founder and president of the PuckerButt Pepper Company.
  • Stephanie Walker, associate professor and Extension Vegetable Specialist at New Mexico State University

• RESOURCES:
  • "Pepper X Dethrones Carolina Reaper as World’s Hottest Chili Pepper," by Sanj Atwal (Guinness World Records, 2023).
  • "The Shocking, Stupendous Rise of Superhot Chillies: ‘The Stomach Cramps Can Last for 14 Hours,’" by Tim Dowling (The Guardian, 2023).
  • "14-Year-Old Dies After Trying The Paqui ‘One Chip Challenge,’" by Bruce Y. Lee (Forbes, 2023).
  • "Beyond Neuronal Heat Sensing: Diversity of TRPV1 Heat-Capsaicin Receptor-Channel Functions," by Yaroslav M. Shuba (Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 2021).
  • "Training Your Tongue to Love Spicy Food Benefits More Than Your Taste Buds," by Maddie Oatman (Mother Jones, 2019).
  • "Fire-Eaters," by Lauren Collins (The New Yorker, 2013).
  • "The Arms Race to Grow World's Hottest Pepper Goes Nuclear," by Spencer Jakab (The Wall Street Journal, 2013).

• EXRAS:
  • "Why Do People Love Horror Movies?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).
  • Hot Ones, YouTube talk show.

The Daily Show presents a trailer for a heartwarming Christmas movie about an unlikely love connection between two people at a school board meeting. And sparks fly this holiday season when a mandatory ballot recount brings together the unlikely duo of a poll worker and a self-appointed election monitor. Plus, Santa's been borrowing money for toys for 70 years and now it's time to pay up. With kids asking for more expensive gifts, Santa (Kal Penn) and his elf (Ronny Chieng) need to find a way to pay back the bank in time to save Christmas. And, Ronny Chieng explores climate change’s impact on the holidays.

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Much to the chagrin of hopeful first-time buyers, property prices remain stubbornly high across the West. Our correspondent explains why housing is defying the laws of financial gravity. A new diamond deal in Botswana risks jeopardizing the country’s sparkling record. And why a failed crop of peaches will not cripple America’s Peach State.

Please take a moment to fill out our listener survey: www.economist.com/podcastsurvey 

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This Week The Guys Discuss:

0:00; Public Service Announcement

12:45; Something They Said That Made You Never Talk To Them Again

33:54; Intro

34:57; Quiz Of The Week

44:46; Story Time

54:06; Jon Jones vs Cyril Gane

01:01:22; Show Recommendations

01:30:16; Dilemma

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Jane and Fi chat £58 sheep, giving birth in the living room and the challenges of modern farming with Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen.

If you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: janeandfi@times.radio

Assistant Producer: Kate Lee

Times Radio Producer: Rosie Cutler

Podcast Executive Producer: Ben Mitchell

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Does Trevor miss wearing his hoodies?

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