Our fare is not the same as the pilgrims'
Wired Nov 27, 08 2:45 PM CST
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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.
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Many predict downturn for agriculture after years of record profits
Wall Street Journal Oct 22, 08 1:20 PM CDT
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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.
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Strengthening dollar could trim growth of sales abroad
New York Times Aug 18, 08 9:21 AM CDT
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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.
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Ideal growing weather wipes out flood fears
New York Times Aug 13, 08 8:19 AM CDT
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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.
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Mexican scientists push agave-to-ethanol project; resilient plant could far outstrip corn
Renewable Energy World Aug 7, 08 8:14 PM CDT
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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.
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Agency denies request by Texas governor
New York Times Aug 7, 08 2:50 PM CDT
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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.
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Ethanol future in balance as governor pleads for livestock corn
New York Times Jul 23, 08 2:32 AM CDT
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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.
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Southern farmers abandon fish biz as feed prices triple
New York Times Jul 18, 08 2:14 AM CDT
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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.
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Wetlands, grassland now needed for corn
Washington Post Jul 11, 08 4:40 AM CDT
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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.
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Ruined Midwest crops spark worries about fuel supplies
New York Times Jul 1, 08 4:09 AM CDT
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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.
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Food prices may rise for years to come
Reuters Jun 30, 08 2:54 AM CDT
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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.
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Views on ethanol please agribusiness, not economists
New York Times Jun 23, 08 5:41 AM CDT
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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.
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Food prices repercussions will be felt around the state
MSNBC Jun 20, 08 2:30 PM CDT
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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.”
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