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December 1, 2008 8:19:43 AM CST


corn

corn news stories

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 Science Supersizes  
 Thanksgiving 

Our fare is not the same as the pilgrims'

(Newser) - Thanksgiving food has undergone massive genetic changes in the centuries since the Pilgrims first prepared the feast, resulting in turkeys more than twice as big and corn six times as sweet. But human taste buds have evolved, too, meaning we don’t necessarily appreciate our new and improved fare any more than our ancestors did, writes Alexis Madrigal for Wired. More »

More about:  DNA agriculture Thanksgiving corn crops turkey genetically modified crops potatoes

US Farmers See Leaner Times in Stormy Market

Many predict downturn for agriculture after years of record profits

(Newser) - Plunging crop prices and soaring costs are hitting US farmers with a one-two punch that’s knocked the fight out of what had been one of the stronger segments of the nation’s economy, reports the Wall Street Journal . Corn prices have dropped some 50% since July, and prices for fertilizer and seed are expected to jump 40% next year. More »

More about:  Financial Crisis ethanol farming corn farmland soybeans

 Farms Fuel Boom in US Exports

Strengthening dollar could trim growth of sales abroad

(Newser) - Worldwide demand for grain and a weak US dollar helped drive exports up 7.1% in the first half of the year, providing a respite from the barrage of negative economic news. But experts warn the commodity-driven rise could be brief, reports the New York Times. Export surges of agricultural products “tend to go away pretty quickly,” said one analyst. More »

More about:  commodities manufacturing corn US exports trade deficit international trade jobs soybeans industry

 Midwest Awaits
 Bumper Corn Crop

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 »

More about:  agriculture farming farmer corn crops farm Department of Agriculture soybeans harvest corn belt

My Car Runs on ... Cuervo?

Mexican scientists push agave-to-ethanol project; resilient plant could far outstrip corn

(Newser) - A small group of Mexican scientists is working to create a massive agave-to-ethanol project that one says could supply the entire US need of 36 billion gallons by 2022, Renewable Energy World reports. The agave, used to make tequila and mescal, is high in sugar, resilient, and needs little cultivation, making it a prime candidate for ethanol production. More »

More about:  Mexico biofuel ethanol corn tequila

 EPA Refuses to
 Lower Ethanol Quota

Agency denies request by Texas governor

(Newser) - The EPA refused to cut a minimum ethanol quota today, despite critics’ charges that the biofuel mandate is driving high food prices, the New York Times reports. The agency approved Congress’ quota that requires the US use 9 billion gallons of ethanol in gasoline blends this year, denying Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s request to shrink it. More »

More about:  gas prices car biofuel ethanol alternative energy corn subsidy

Corn-Hungry Texas Calls for  Cuts in Biofuel Mandates

Ethanol future in balance as governor pleads for livestock corn

(Newser) - The EPA is considering a proposal from the governor of Texas to slash the amount of ethanol that oil companies are required to blend into gasoline to meet quotas, the New York Times reports. Gov. Rick Perry is calling for the EPA to cut the ethanol mandate in half, from 9 billion to 4.5 billion gallons, arguing that billions of bushels of corn should be used to feed livestock instead. More »

Corn Prices Leave
Catfish Farmers Gasping

Southern farmers abandon fish biz as feed prices triple

(Newser) - The soaring price of corn and soybeans is moving up the food chain and drying up the South's catfish farming industry, reports the New York Times . Farmers are draining their ponds as the cost of feeding the fish becomes prohibitive. In the Mississippi Delta, heartland of the relatively new industry, thousands of much-needed jobs are disappearing. More »

More about:  farming fish Mississippi commodities corn farm soybeans aquaculture

 Farmers Aim
 to Plow Over
 Conserved Land 

Wetlands, grassland now needed for corn

(Newser) - Millions of acres set aside as grasslands and wetlands could soon be plowed under if farmers and livestock producers have their way, reports the Washington Post.   As food prices soar, the Department of Agriculture is under pressure to release acreage from the Conservation Reserve Program that pays farmers not to grow crops on some land. The program was intended to hold down production and boost prices, but a major beneficiary has been the environment. More »

 Floods Cloud Biofuel Future 

Ruined Midwest crops spark worries about fuel supplies

(Newser) - The floods that swamped the corn belt last month have raised fresh fears about the future of biofuels, the New York Times reports. The ruined corn crop has sent the price of ethanol soaring, and experts worry that unpredictable weather could lead to future spikes in the price of energy as destabilizing as those caused by turmoil in oil-producing countries. More »

More about:  biofuel ethanol corn crops energy policy Midwest floods corn belt

 After the Deluge:
 Tallying Massive Costs 

Food prices may rise for years to come

(Newser) - Floods that ravaged the Midwest have begun to subside—but  the massive costs of weeks of rising water have only begun to be counted. The floods killed 24 people, left 38,000 homeless and destroyed billions of dollars of crops. The losses are likely to trigger food shortages and push up prices for years to come. More »

Ties to Corn Industry Shape Obama's Policy

Views on ethanol please agribusiness, not economists

(Newser) - Barack Obama trumpets corn-derived ethanol as an alternative energy source and has endorsed tariffs that benefit the industry. But the Times reports that many in the Obama campaign, from Tom Daschle to the candidate's top environmental adviser, have close ties to the corn industry—a kernel of the surprise victory in Iowa. More »

More about:  Barack Obama agriculture ethanol corn Tom Daschle tariffs

 Floods Ruin Midwest Economy 

Food prices repercussions will be felt around the state

(Newser) - The floods ravaging the Midwest are taking a catastrophic toll on the region's farmers, and consumers across the country will feel the pinch in higher food prices, MSNBC reports. Even if waters recede quickly, farmers will lose a sizable chunk of the season—they need about 120 growing days—and it may take some farms years to recover. Summed up an official in Illinois: “Livestock was affected. Farmhouses were affected. Machinery was affected, and the land was affected.” More »

More about:  food prices flood farming Midwest corn Midwest floods grain