One of the them is a grain bin program that pays for a portion of a grain storage system for producers who market their crops to Christensen Farms for three years. Those increased costs of production have made marketing even more important than it has been in the past when government payments made up a large percentage of farm income. Here's why: - Grocery shoppers, ethanol producers and livestock farmers all benefit from a big corn crop because it will keep a lid on prices for food, fuel...

Just five crops (corn, cotton, rice, soybeans, and wheat) receive 93 percent of payments for commodities, which have averaged about $20 billion a year. The subsidies also distort global agricultural markets, putting the US at odds with its trading partners and hurting poor farmers abroad. This artificial "gigantification," though, has encouraged dependency, pushed out small farmers, and raised land prices such that new farmers are finding it hard to get started. Originally, federal...

They said the leading mills and spinners purchased quality cotton on slightly higher price in order to consolidate their long positions during the five trading sessions. The ginners, especially from Sindh offered fine lots on their asking rates above 2,760 per maund to the buyers, sensing the growing demand for fine stocks during the past week. The yarn makers bought lint of all qualities while the private sector commercial exporters bought fine stocks on slightly higher rates. The...

Johnson and Carter said the plant will use cotton seeds, canola and soybeans to make biodiesel, and those crops are plentiful in this part of the state. Mike Fennessy, PDA attorney, said ultimately many investors will probably end up purchasing bonds which will be part of the $20 million bond issue. The bond process is designed whereby the bond purchasers will receive compensation even if the bonds should fall into default, said Fennessy. The plant will be built in a large plat of land...

By Field Maloney Posted Friday, March 17, 2006, at 1:34 PM ET A scene from Whole Foods groceryIt's hard to find fault with Whole Foods, the haute-crunchy supermarket chain that has made a fortune by transforming grocery shopping into a bright and shiny, progressive experience. By Field Maloney Posted Friday, March 17, 2006, at 1:34 PM ET A scene from Whole Foods groceryIt's hard to find fault with Whole Foods, the haute-crunchy supermarket chain that has made a fortune by transforming...

By Khalid Mustafa ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), which meets on Thursday (today) with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the chair, is all set to permit the import of cotton from India through land, particularly via Wagha border, and from Uzbekistan, also through western border entry points, to cater to the needs of textile industry. By Khalid Mustafa ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), which meets on Thursday (today) with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in...

soybean acreage is expected to slide 11 percent and cotton production 20 percent this year alone, the Agriculture Department said. The thing that should make people cautious is the irrational exuberance, that somehow ethanol is going to be the silver bullet that gets us out of our energy woes. The 58-year-old Adams, who works 950 acres in central Illinois, didn t immediately join the farmer cooperatives pooling together to build a 100-million-gallon-a-year ethanol plant. President Bush...

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Mike Johanns, Senator Clinton is asking the Secretary to provide answers on how the USDA is planning to address the increasingly threatening "colony collapse disorder," which has decimated bee colonies throughout the United States. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Mike Johanns, Senator Clinton is asking the Secretary to provide answers on how the USDA is planning to address the increasingly threatening "colony collapse disorder," which...

The sector is finding some support after post-election militant attacks in Nigeria threatened to disrupt supply, but overall the market is pausing before this breakdown continues. I continue to see a somewhat range bound market, but when you look at the fundamentals and the technicals I am slowly turning from bearish to bullish. RBOB gasoline diverged from the rest of the sector as it spiked after what could only be described as a relief rally following the first build in inventories in...