At the same time, there appear to be market reasons for a move to corn-based chemicals, especially as a hedge against uncertainties in the oil market. Cargill, the closely held Minneapolis food ingredients giant, has visions of making billions of pounds of so-called renewable chemicals annually from corn and soybeans. Now the giant facility -- whose overhead pipes snake between 50-foot-tall tanks and metal buildings over a square mile -- is also cranking out what could be the next big...

For early settlers like Abraham Carlock, who were accustomed to the heavy timber of the upland south or the eastern woodlands, the prairie presented a bewildering spectacle. Today, the Grand Prairie is a monoculture landscape of genetically modified corn and soybean fields, subdivisions, office parks, interstate highways and all the creations of our restless age. Central Illinois offered these newcomers mile upon mile of perennial flowers and grasses reaching, at times, the height of a man...

But once the soil dries enough to get crops into the fields, higher prices for just about everything from corn to milk are expected to make 2007 a good year for the state's agriculture producers, offsetting higher production costs. Winter wheat and alfalfa were set back due to a warm spell followed by below normal temperatures in March, but Fischer expects those crops to rebound. Fischer said it would take several days of continuous dry weather - warm temperatures and lots of sun over the...

Tuesday, May 01, 2007 BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Columbian staff writer Molded plastic seats, big yellow handholds, half the morning's newspaper scattered on the floor and a humming diesel engine - the machinery's all the same when Brenden Naccarato of Vancouver swings off the bus he rides to Portland each day. Tuesday, May 01, 2007 BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Columbian staff writer Molded plastic seats, big yellow handholds, half the morning's newspaper scattered on the floor and a humming diesel engine...

First came cellulose sponges that incorporate chemicals to retard the growth of bacteria, then plastic cutting boards, brushes, and other housewares impregnated with pesticides. In many cases, bacteriocins attack potentially fatal food-poisoning germs, such as Listeria monocytogenes or the Clostridium responsible for botulism. Over the past few decades, Muriana and his colleagues around the world have identified upward of 80 bacteriocins, most of them produced by fermentation microbes....

All 42-hundred single-brand Taco Bells were converted to a canola oil and all 14-hundred multibrand locations switched to a soybean oil. The company switched to a new soybean oil believed to be less likely to cause heart disease. The Louisville-based chain announced today that all 55-hundred of its U-S restaurants have stopped frying chicken in artery-clogging trans fats. The message banner proclaims that its chicken has zero grams of trans fat per serving. You can send a story to multiple...

Most wheat-growing areas in Australia, hurt by drought last year, received as much as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain the past three days, improving soil moisture for planting, which begins next month, according to private forecaster Meteorlogix LLC in Woven, Massachusetts. Wheat Falls After Rains in Australia, Europe Cut Drought Threat By Jeff Wilson. Most wheat-growing areas in Australia, hurt by drought last year, received as much as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain the past three...

ca -- Monday, April 30, 2007, 3:01PM Today in the New York Times, an article written by David Barboza and Alexei Barrionuevo revealed that melamine,an additive which is believed resposible for the deaths and sickness of cats and dogs, is routinely added to pet food as a filler in China. ca -- Monday, April 30, 2007, 3:01PM Today in the New York Times, an article written by David Barboza and Alexei Barrionuevo revealed that melamine,an additive which is believed resposible for the deaths...

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