Greer, whose family has farmed in Nelson County since the 1790s, said last week that he had needed major rains for the 750 acres of corn that he and his son raise. Greer's corn is at -- or approaching -- a critical point: He needs rain to help the plants pollinate, or he'll face sizable losses in yields. Up until last week, crops essentially have been relying on moisture in the ground from last fall and winter to make it through. The importance of water for corn at this time is the...

The record for corn planting was set in 1944, as American farmers responded to a huge demand for the crop in war-torn Europe. Fueled by high demand and high prices for corn, farmers planted an estimated 92. That boom has been fueled by sky high corn prices, a result largely attributed to rising production of corn-based ethanol. That's 19 percent more than in 2006 and well above an earlier government estimate. Huckabay said Friday's report affirms what is obvious to even some casual...

Roesch said the market for grains and seed processing is swelling because of global growth in biofuels and higher demand for protein in emerging markets. Shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland are down 15 percent in the past two months because the market is concerned that a lot of competitors will produce more corn to help customers make ethanol. Roesch said the cheap stock price compensates for the anticipated competition in selling corn, which accounts for 43 percent of earnings. This material...

News Click to Enlarge This turkey is a frequent flyer By Doug Hunt Posted: Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:03 AM EDT Email this story . Print this story YOUNTSVILLE A wild hen turkey does not mind socializing with humans, as Mel and Donnie Kelly have found out. News Click to Enlarge This turkey is a frequent flyer By Doug Hunt Posted: Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:03 AM EDT Email this story . Print this story YOUNTSVILLE A wild hen turkey does not mind socializing with humans, as Mel and Donnie...

June 29 (Bloomberg) -- BlackRock inc.'s Dan Rice, whose natural-resources fund has beaten all but one rival in the past five years, said petroleum prices may rise 14 percent to $80 a barrel in the next 12 months because of tight supply and proposed bans on food-based fuels. BlackRock's Rice Says Oil May Rise to $80 in the Next 12 Months By Sree Vidya Bhaktavatsalam. June 29 (Bloomberg) -- BlackRock inc.'s Dan Rice, whose natural-resources fund has beaten all but one rival in the past five...

In the end, it all means that since 2002, farmers in Minnesota have had much less freedom to plant certain crops-such as peas and sweet corn-without being penalized. Minnesota does pretty well in its own way, producing millions of tons of sweet corn and peas. Under current law, when a farmer dies, his or her spouse and children automatically get penalized if they try raising sweet corn or peas on program land. Frederick Juni, who farms northeast of Sleepy Eye, is just one of the area...

As demand for both food and energy increases, competition for fertile lands could raise food prices enough to drive the poorer third of the globe into malnourishment. Representatives of the dairy, poultry and livestock industries, which rely on corn as a principal animal feed, are seeking an end to subsidies for corn ethanol in the hope of stabilizing corn prices. There are biofuel crops that can be grown with much less energy and chemicals than the food crops we currently use for...

Area beekeeper says he and others getting stung by pesticides in corn, other crops. He believes the primary reason for the colony failure is a systemic pesticide that is contained in corn and some other genetically-modified crops like cotton, cannola and soybeans. Honey production has been declining over then past six or seven years about the same time frame as the introduction of the genetically-modified crops, he said. Bob Brachmann of the town of Mansfield, who has about 300 hives and...

A large corn crop stands to ease tensions in the so-called food-versus-fuel debate, in which some livestock producers, environmentalists and consumers globally fear that an increase in corn-ethanol production is siphoning corn from food users to feed the engines of cars. Truth About Trade & Technology - U. Consumers and ethanol producers might be in for some financial relief in light of new data showing that a bumper crop of corn is on the horizon. A large corn crop stands to ease tensions...