Farmers Fight to Legalize Pot's Cousin

(NEWSER) - Don’t look now, but marijuana is essentially legal in California, the Washington Post reports. Medical marijuana facilities litter the state, some offering only the flimsiest pretext of medical care. Stride into the Medical Kush Beach Club in Venice Beach, for example, and two scantily clad women will lead you to a physician who will, for $150, dispense a “physician’s recommendation." Then you can enjoy the smoking lounge upstairs. More»

Ideal growing weather wipes out flood fears

(NEWSER) - America's farmers are on track to deliver the second-biggest corn harvest ever despite June floods, according to the Department of Agriculture. Shortages were predicted after severe flooding swamped fields, but the Midwest has had ideal corn-growing weather since, the New York Times reports. A healthy soybean crop is also expected. More»

21st century-style 'sharecropping' takes root nationwide

(NEWSER) - Consumers wanting food straight from the source are buying up shares of farms in growing numbers, the New York Times reports. For a set annual fee, shareholders buy access to the land and a guaranteed share of the harvest income. The number of community-supported farms in America has mushroomed from 100 in the early '90s to almost 1,500 today. More»

Record-breaking grain harvests worldwide expected to bring prices back down

(NEWSER) - Farmers worldwide will reap record-breaking harvests of wheat and rice this year, the US projects, and the news is expected to ease some of the worldwide concern about food prices. The USDA says good weather will bring bumper crops that will replenish depleted stocks, Reuters reports. Analysts warned, however, that prices will remain high for some time and that the world's poor will still need food aid. More»

Raids medical-marijuana supplier Tainted Inc.

(NEWSER) - Feds yesterday kicked in the doors of a factory producing marijuana-laced candy, snacks, and drinks for the medical marijuana market, the AP reports. Three were arrested, but the company’s founder is still on the lam. Authorities fear Tainted Inc. is one of many large-scale marijuana-lacing operations capitalizing on legalized medical dispensaries in California and other states. More»