What would happen to the world's food supply if the great food-production areas of North America and Russia/Ukraine were knocked out?
It would almost annihilate the world’s food supply. The rest of the world would suddenly find itself with no food, in absolute famine. Food would be so limited that a field worker would need a full day’s wages just to buy bread for the next day, with runaway inflation from shortage of goods.
Les explains that the black horse indicates famine and rationing of the food supply. He asks what happens if the great production areas of North America—the Great Grain Belt to the north, citrus groves, and vast food-producing areas like California—are knocked out, along with Russia and the Ukraine. It almost annihilates the world’s food supply; the rest of the world suddenly finds itself with no food, so limited that there is absolute famine. The verse means a field worker must work sunup to sundown just to buy enough bread to work the next day. This is runaway inflation caused by shortage of goods and a tremendous decrease in foodstuffs. Famine is accompanied by disease, as seen in Africa and Somalia.