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Biologically speaking, the wheat berry, also known as the “kernel,” is the seed from which a wheat plant grows. They are a powerful survival food that, if stored properly, can last for years in your stockpile.

Wheat seeds or wheat berries are true whole grains that will keep you healthy. They are agreat source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, healthy fats, protein, phytochemicals, minerals and vitamins A, B, C, E and K.

Wheat berries are thick, short grains that look similar to brown rice. Industrious preppers grind them into whole wheat flour for baking not purchasing them in bulk in the form of flour.

When boiled, cooked wheat berries have a chewy, subtly nutty and earthy flavor. They’re sturdy enough to handle bold salad dressings and still delicate enough to taste delicious with some cinnamon, honey and milk.

If you like sprouts in salads and sandwiches, just add a little water to wheat berries and you can grow your own wheat sprouts.

Here’s a list of good containers for packaging and storing wheat berries to keep them in your stockpile for years. (Related:4 Best food storage containers for your stockpile.) #10 Cans

The can creates a time capsule that protects the wheat berries from oxygen, moisture, rodents and light. The size of these small cans is perfect for individuals or smaller families to ensure only a small amount of product is open at a time. If you properly store your wheat berries in #10 cans, you can expect them to survive on your shelf for up to 30 years and possibly more.

Protect cans from moisture to prevent rust. Do not store in direct contact with concrete floors or walls. Except for sugar, all dry foods stored in #10 cans should be packed with an oxygen absorber to prevent insect infestation and preserve the quality of food. Mylar Bags

Mylar bags provide a good moisture and oxygen barrier to protect the wheat during storage. However, they are more fragile than #10 cans and should be handled carefully.

If wheat berries are properly stored in mylar bags that are airtight and do not have pockets of air left inside them a tricky process that may take several tries to perfect then the food inside is effectively frozen in time and can last for a long time.

Extend the shelf life of wheat berries and protect them from insects by placing a 300 cc oxygen absorber in a one-gallon Mylar bag. You can expect a 25-year shelf life for wheat berries stored in a Mylar bag in a cool, dry, dark location protected from rodents.

Mylar bags do have a problem in that they do not stack well in storage spaces because they leave a lot of empty space when placed in containers. Mylar bag-lined plastic bucket

The best way to save space using a Mylar bag is to use the large five-gallon bags inside a rodent-resistant container, such as a food-grade plastic bucket.

Use your Mylar bag to line a five-gallon food-grade bucket before filling it and adding your oxygen absorbers. Fill the bag up to about one inch below the rim of your bucket. Rest your level, or another length of wood, across the top of your bucket, as close to the center as possible.

For 5-gallon bags you should use five to seven 300cc oxygen absorbers or one 2,000cc oxygen absorber. You should adjust this number up a little bit if you are storing less dense foods like pasta or lentils because the bags will contain more air even when full in comparison to very dense foods, such as rice or wheat berries.

The plastic bucket gives shape to the Mylar bag and protects it from rodents. The Mylar bag provides a better moisture and oxygen barrier than the bucket does alone. Then secure the lid on the plastic bucket. Be sure to label both the Mylar bag and the plastic bucket with a permanent marker and include the date and description of the contents. Food-grade plastic bucket with an air-tight lid

If you want to place all your wheat berries in one large container, a food-grade plastic bucket with gasket seals is a good candidate for storing your grain. They are an inexpensive option to store large amounts of dry food products and are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

Never use a plastic bucket that has stored non-food items, or is not made of food-grade plastic, for your food storage. Re-purposed plastic buckets may come with some lingering odors. While not harmful, it is possible for the food to absorb the odor.

You can store individually packaged items, such as bags of baking powder, baking soda, pasta, powdered sugar, salt and a variety of other items in their original packaging inside the plastic buckets.

The bucket provides an extra layer of protection from critters, protects packaging from absorbing moisture in the storage room and helps to maintain freshness. It does not prevent insects originally inside the packages from multiplying. However, it will contain the infestation and not allow it to spread to other stored foods.

Store the buckets in a cool, dry, dark location and you can expect at least a 20-year shelf life, probably longer. Plastic buckets should not be stored directly on concrete. Stacking buckets over three high may break the seal and compromise the wheat berries.

Check out FoodStorage.news for more on how to store survival food for years.

Watch the following video to learn more about how to store wheat berries long-term prepper style.

This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories:

Food storage tips: Stockpile foods using gallon buckets with lids.

Survival basics: The six enemies of food storage.

Food storage tips: Why you need to stockpile wheat before SHTF (Plus a recipe for “prepper’s bread”).

Sources include:

SurviveDoomsday.com

TheProvidentPrepper.com

TotalPrepare.ca

Brighteon.com
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Jury shown CCTV and bodycam footage of brothers allegedly assaulting police at Manchester Airport

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Jury shown CCTV and bodycam footage of brothers allegedly assaulting police at Manchester Airport

CCTV and police bodycam footage allegedly showing three police officers being assaulted at Manchester Airport has been played to jurors.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, are said to have struck out after police were called to the airport on 23 July last year, following Amaaz allegedly headbutting a customer at a Starbucks in Terminal 2.

Minutes later, three police officers approached the defendants at the paystation in the terminal’s car park.

A jury at Liverpool Crown Court today watched CCTV footage from opposite angles, which captured what the prosecution says was a “high level of violence” being used by the siblings.

The prosecution says Amaaz resisted as officers tried to move him to arrest him, and Amaad then intervened.

Junior counsel Adam Birkby suggested Amaaz threw 10 punches, including one to the face of PC Lydia Ward, which knocked her to the floor.

His brother Amaad is then said to have aimed six punches at firearms officer PC Zachary Marsden.

Amaaz also allegedly kicked PC Marsden and struck firearms officer PC Ellie Cook twice with his elbow.

He is said to have punched PC Marsden from behind and had a hold of him, before PC Cook discharged her Taser.

Human Rights lawyer Aamer Anwar (centre) arrives with Mohammed Fahir Amaaz (left) and Muhammed Amaad (right) at Liverpool Crown Court, where
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Mohammed Fahir Amaaz (left) and Muhammed Amaad (right) arrive at the court with their lawyer. Pic: PA

The bodycam and CCTV footage, submitted as evidence by the prosecution, allegedly shows the officers’ arrival in the Terminal 2 car park and their attempts to arrest the siblings, as well as their exchanges with them.

PC Ward can be heard saying “Oi, you b*****d” in footage from her bodycam, the prosecution evidence appears to show.

She then appears to fall to the floor and screams.

PC Cook, who is pointing her Taser at one of the defendants, then allegedly says: “Stay on the floor, stay on the floor whatever you do.”

“Get back, get back,” PC Ward appears to say.

The bodycam footage, shown to the jury by the prosecution, shows PC Marsden, who is also pointing his Taser, appear to approach the defendant who is lying on the ground and kick out at him.

Mr Birkby said: “Mr Amaaz, while prone, lifts his head towards the officers. PC Marsden kicks Mr Amaaz around the head area.

“PC Marsden stamps his foot towards the crown of Mr Amaaz’s head area but doesn’t appear to connect with Mr Amaaz.”

Amaaz denies three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to the three police officers and one count of assault to Abdulkareem Ismaeil, the customer at Starbucks.

Amaad denies one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm to PC Marsden.

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Stephen Doohan: Paramedic who secretly gave pregnant woman abortion drug jailed for more than 10 years

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Stephen Doohan: Paramedic who secretly gave pregnant woman abortion drug jailed for more than 10 years

A paramedic who secretly gave a pregnant woman an abortion drug during sex has been jailed for more than 10 years. 

Stephen Doohan, 33, was married when he met the woman on holiday in Spain in 2021 and began a long-distance relationship.

The High Court in Glasgow heard how the victim travelled to Edinburgh in March 2023 to visit Doohan after learning she was pregnant.

During consensual sex, Doohan twice secretly administered the tablets which led to the woman suffering a miscarriage.

In May, Doohan pleaded guilty to sexual assault and causing the woman to have an abortion. He returned to the dock on Monday where he was jailed for 10 years and six months.

Lord Colbeck said Doohan caused “long-term psychological injury” to his victim.

The judge said: “You put her through considerable pain over a number of days and left her facing a lifetime of pain and loss.”

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The court heard how the woman found tablets hidden under the mattress after she became suspicious over Doohan’s behaviour in bed.

Lord Colbeck said: “The complainer then carried out an internet search for abortion tablets and confronted you over your actions.”

After the woman fell ill, Doohan convinced her to lie to medics at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh amid fears he would be arrested if she told the truth.

The victim later attended another hospital with her sister and was told she was having a miscarriage.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said Doohan sent the woman gifts including perfume, socks, facial cleansing oil, money to get her hair done and bought tickets for them to attend a football match.

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The woman complained to the Scottish Ambulance Service in May 2023, sparking an investigation.

The court heard that on 14 March 2023, the day the woman told Doohan she was pregnant, the paramedic used a work intranet to search for abortion drugs.

Lord Colbeck said: “You planned out what you did to your victim using resources available to you as a paramedic.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Doohan was also added to the sex offenders’ register and banned from contacting his victim.

Fiona Kirkby, procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, said: “Stephen Doohan’s calculated and heinous actions caused the loss of the victim’s pregnancy, robbing her of plans she had for the future.

“He has now been held accountable for this fundamental breach of trust.

“While offences like this are thankfully rare, I hope this prosecution sends a clear message to all those who seek to inflict sexual harm towards women.

“Our thoughts remain with the victim, who must be commended for reporting her experience and seeking justice.

“We recognise that reporting sexual offending can be difficult but would urge anyone affected to come forward and seek support when they feel ready to do so.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service branded it an “appalling case”.

A spokesperson added: “We recognise the courage it must have taken for the victim to come forward and speak out.

“As soon as we learned of these very serious allegations and charges, we immediately took action, providing ongoing support to her whilst liaising with Police Scotland throughout the investigation.

“We know nothing will change what has happened to the victim and all we can hope is this sentence provides some comfort to them.”

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UK farmers have ‘nothing more to give’ as they fear govt will compromise welfare in US-UK trade deal

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UK farmers have 'nothing more to give' as they fear govt will compromise welfare in US-UK trade deal

UK farmers have “nothing more to give” as they fear the government will use agriculture to further reduce US tariffs in a trade deal with the White House.

The UK is trying to reduce steel tariffs to zero, from a current reduced rate of 25%, but Downing Street refused to confirm if it was confident ahead of Donald Trump’s deadline of 9 July.

Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said UK agriculture had already been used to reduce Trump-imposed tariffs on cars but any other concessions would have serious repercussions for farmers, food security and the UK’s high animal welfare standards.

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He told Sky News: “It just feels like we, as the agricultural sector, had to shoulder the responsibility to reduce the tariffs on cars from 25%.

“We can’t do it anymore, we have nothing more to give.

“It’s clear the steel quotas and tariffs aren’t sorted yet, so we just want to be very clear with the government: if they’re sitting around the negotiating table – which we understand they are – they can’t expect agriculture to give any more.”

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Tom Bradshaw, the head of the NFU, speaking to Sky News
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Tom Bradshaw, the head of the NFU, said farmers cannot give any more

‘Massively undermine our standards’

Since 30 June, the US has been able to import 13,000 tonnes of hormone-free British beef without tariffs under a deal made earlier this year, which farmers feel was to reduce the car import levy Mr Trump imposed.

The UK was also given tariff-free access to 1.4bn litres of US ethanol, which farmers say will put the UK’s bioethanol and associated sectors under pressure.

Allowing lower US food standards would “massively undermine our standards” and would mean fewer sales to the European Union where food standards are also high, Mr Bradshaw said.

It would leave British farmers competing on a playing field that is “anything but fair”, he said, because US food can be produced – and sold – much cheaper due to low welfare which could see a big reduction in investment in UK farms, food security and the environment.

Read more:
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Can the UK avoid steel tariffs?

‘The US will push hard for more access’

He said the US narrative has always suggested they want access to British agriculture products “as a start and they’ll negotiate for more”.

“The narrative from the White House on 8 May, when a US-UK trade deal was announced, was all about further access to our agriculture products – it was very different to what our government was saying,” he added.

“So far, the UK has stood firm and upheld our higher welfare standards, but the US will push very hard to have further access.

“No country in the world has proved they can reduce the 10% tariffs further.”

US poultry welfare is lower than the UK, with much more intensive farming that means the meat has to be washed with antimicrobials. Pic: AP
Image:
US poultry welfare is lower than the UK, with much more intensive farming that means the meat has to be washed with antimicrobials. Pic: AP

US ‘will target poultry and pork’

The Essex farmer said he expects the US to push “very hard” to get the UK to lower its standards on poultry and pork, specifically.

US poultry is often washed with antimicrobials, including chlorine, in an attempt to wash off high levels of bacteria caused by poor hygiene, antibiotic use and low animal welfare conditions not allowed in UK farming.

US pig rearing methods are also quite different, with intensive farming and the use of feed additive ractopamine legal, with both banned in the UK.

A government spokesperson told Sky News: “We regularly speak to businesses across the UK to understand the impact of tariffs and will only ever act in the national interest.

“Our Plan for Change has delivered a deal which will open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market for the first time ever and all agricultural imports coming to the UK will have to meet our high SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) standards.”

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