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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: corn

corn stories: 33 news summaries

1 - 20 of 33 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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 Fiber-Rich Corn Offers 
 Digestive, Uh, Benefit 

Kernels act as 'snowplows' in intestine

Aug 24, 09 5:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Corn is an American staple—it helped the earliest settlers survive and has provided us with bread and meal ever since. Recently, though, corn has been portrayed in a more unfavorable light, whether as the source of high-fructose corn syrup or the recipient of ethanol subsidies. From a nutritional perspective,... More »

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nutrition • corn • whole grains • corn syrup • digestion • fiber

 EPA Eyes Crackdown on 
 Not-So-Green Biofuels 

Turns out, it's greener to burn plants than to make ethanol

May 10, 09 4:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Plants consume carbon dioxide, so growing corn to produce ethanol should be at worst a zero-sum game, emissions-wise, right? Wrong, says the EPA. There's another factor involved: Turning food crops into fuel drives up their prices, which raises demand for farmland worldwide. In places like Brazil, that means chopping down... More »

MORE ABOUT:
ethanol • corn • biofuel • deforestation • EPA • Jay-ZTV

 New Super-Corn 
 Packs Multi-Vitamins 


Transgenic crop has increased amounts of beta carotene, folate and vitamin C

Apr 28, 09 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have genetically engineered a strain of corn that dramatically boosts the naturally occurring amounts of three critical vitamins, the Los Angeles Times reports. The enhanced strain of African white corn produces six times the vitamin C, double the amount of folate, and 169 times the beta carotene, a vitamin... More »

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health • science • corn • folates • vitamin A • beta carotene

 Science Supersizes  
 Thanksgiving 

Our fare is not the same as the pilgrims'

Nov 27, 08 2:45 PM CST
(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 »

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agriculture • genetically modified crops • corn • DNA • turkey • crops • Thanksgiving • potatoes

US Farmers See Leaner Times in Stormy Market

Many predict downturn for agriculture after years of record profits

Oct 22, 08 1:20 PM CDT
(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... More »

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farming • ethanol • corn • farmland • soybeans • financial crisis • Archer-Daniels-Midland

 Farms Fuel Boom in US Exports

Strengthening dollar could trim growth of sales abroad

Aug 18, 08 9:21 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
international trade • corn • trade deficit • manufacturing • commodities • US exports • job • soybeans • industry

 Midwest Awaits
 Bumper Corn Crop

Ideal growing weather wipes out flood fears

Aug 13, 08 8:19 AM CDT
(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 »

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agriculture • farming • corn • crops • harvest • farmer • farm • Department of Agriculture • corn belt • soybeans

My Car Runs on ... Cuervo?

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

Aug 7, 08 8:14 PM CDT
(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,... More »

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ethanol • Mexico • corn • biofuel • tequila • agave • mescal

 EPA Refuses to
 Lower Ethanol Quota

Agency denies request by Texas governor

Aug 7, 08 2:50 PM CDT
(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.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
ethanol • alternative energy • corn • biofuel • gas prices • cars • subsidy

Corn-Hungry Texas Calls for  Cuts in Biofuel Mandates

Ethanol future in balance as governor pleads for livestock corn

Jul 23, 08 2:32 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
ethanol • livestock • corn • biofuel • Environmental Protection Agency • gas prices • oil companies

Corn Prices Leave
Catfish Farmers Gasping

Southern farmers abandon fish biz as feed prices triple

Jul 18, 08 2:14 AM CDT
(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,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
farming • corn • fish • Mississippi • farm • commodities • aquaculture • soybeans

 Farmers Aim
 to Plow Over
 Conserved Land 

Wetlands, grassland now needed for corn

Jul 11, 08 4:40 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
ethanol • corn • Department of Agriculture • American Meat Institute • Conservation Reserve Program • farmers • National Pork Producers Council • Environmental Defense Fund • National Wildlife Federation

 Floods Cloud Biofuel Future 

Ruined Midwest crops spark worries about fuel supplies

Jul 1, 08 4:09 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
ethanol • corn • biofuel • crops • corn belt • Midwest floods • energy policy

 After the Deluge:
 Tallying Massive Costs 

Food prices may rise for years to come

Jun 30, 08 2:54 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
corn • St. Louis • FEMA • Mississippi River • Army Corps of Engineers • National Weather Service • soybeans • Midwest floods

Ties to Corn Industry Shape Obama's Policy

Views on ethanol please agribusiness, not economists

Jun 23, 08 5:41 AM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • agriculture • ethanol • corn • tariffs • Tom Daschle • protectionist trade measures

 Floods Ruin Midwest Economy 

Food prices repercussions will be felt around the state

Jun 20, 08 2:30 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Midwest • farming • corn • flood • food prices • grain • Midwest floods

Midwest Floods May Seep Into Gas Prices

Decimated corn crop will likely boost refiners' ethanol costs

Jun 18, 08 11:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - Gas prices could be going up even more as Midwest floods put acres of corn underwater, causing its price—and that of ethanol—to spike, the Wall Street Journal reports. Relatively low ethanol prices have helped keep gasoline in check, but ethanol refiners paying more for corn could be forced... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iowa • ethanol • corn • gas prices • Midwest floods

 Grain Prices Surge
 With Midwest Floods 

Water inundating heartland expected to drive food, oil prices still higher

Jun 14, 08 9:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - The floods inundating the Midwest are pushing grain prices to new highs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Corn prices jumped 10% to a record high last week as farmland flooded. The domino effects will hit the ethanol industry, hog farmers, and even owners of catfish ponds who rely on corn... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iowa • Midwest • ethanol • corn • flood • flooding • crops • farmland • grain • farm • commodities

 Investors Sink
 Billions in 'Green Gold' 

But some worry what happens when bottom falls out of farming

Jun 5, 08 8:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - Billions of investment dollars are pouring into agriculture as the global demand for food explodes, turning crops such as wheat, corn, and soybeans into green gold, reports the New York Times. And while the immediate impact of more money being fed into agriculture will likely result in increased food production,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
investing • agriculture • farming • corn • wheat • food prices • soybeans

Slumping Popcorn Sales
Will Pop Ticket Prices

Film fans who balk at $6 popcorn will be coughing up more at the door

May 20, 08 6:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Movie tickets have long been partly subsidized by popcorn sales, but that business model is set to pop as the price of corn soars, Advertising Age reports. As moviegoers pass up the pricey snack, cinemas will need to hike ticket charges to cover the difference. One expert on the movie... More »

MORE ABOUT:
corn • cinema • popcorn • commodities • movie theaters

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