Some of that rush on permit applications concerns the new impact fee schedule, which significantly raises impact fees on new homes and other construction. As the home building industry slumps, one category of construction is going through the roof. Permit applications for non-residential construction this year have already passed all of 2006, suggesting that commercial construction has picked up where the residential boom ended. Tina Gilson, senior non-residential review coordinator, said...

industries, other federal government agencies, state departments of agriculture and Congress. Ultimately, Cathleen stood out for her combination of academic training in science, intellectual firepower, her energy and determination and her substantial record of achievement in the difficult world of foreign trade negotiations. Enright's experience working with American agricultural commodity interests provides both international and domestic policy expertise, noted Nassif. State Department,...

The warning came as research suggested that farmers are generally more unhappy than any other group of self-employed workers. KEEPING up with the Joneses has become a source of misery for cash-strapped farmers who live beside wealthy neighbours, it was claimed yesterday. ADVERTISEMENT Farmers live with the frustration that they cannot give their family a similar standard of living and worry they are locking their children into a way of life they would not choose. Many farmers can no longer...

The states citrus industry, which is a leading producer of orange and other fruit juices, produces citrus peels by the ton, but the rinds currently have little financial value. Much of it is used as animal feed but still is sold at a loss. The state wisely nixed that idea because of concerns over the plants emissions, which had garnered opposition from environmental groups and, it seemed, just about everyone else who didnt live in Glades County. More value for Florida citrus, more jobs, a...

Agriculture 101: Young farmers take tour of local ag operations. Effingham . EffinghamNow Angela Mensing . Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at 12:30 am Angela Mensing/For Effingham NowMatthew Ford, 3-year-old son of Effingham County High School Principal Yancey Ford, checks out Brad Rahn's soybean crop Saturday during the Effingham County Young Farmers tour. Effingham . EffinghamNow Angela Mensing . Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at 12:30 am Angela Mensing/For Effingham NowMatthew Ford, 3-year-old son of...

This shift is part of a voluntary pledge by 11 major food companies--which represent more than two-thirds of children's food TV advertising--to devote at least half their advertising to healthier foods. The ANA says this finding helps bolster the FTC recommendations issued in May 2006, which included pushing for the introduction of 10,000 new healthy food products, representing approximately $250 billion in annual U. Some government officials have said the growing concern of children's...

Omaha - OMAHA -- ACI Worldwide , a leading international provider of software for electronic payment systems, today announced that it signed 18 new license agreements for its fraud detection solution in the last 12 months, bringing the total number of ACI Proactive Risk Manager customers to more than 120 worldwide. Omaha - OMAHA -- ACI Worldwide , a leading international provider of software for electronic payment systems, today announced that it signed 18 new license agreements for its...

Gabriel Rozenberg, Economics Reporter Damage done to Britain s farmland by the floods of the past two months could trigger a surge in supermarket prices of many seasonal crops and play havoc with the Bank of England s attempts to quell inflation, economists believe. Gabriel Rozenberg, Economics Reporter Damage done to Britain s farmland by the floods of the past two months could trigger a surge in supermarket prices of many seasonal crops and play havoc with the Bank of England s attempts...

WASHINGTON -- Thin trading on the spot cheese market makes it ripe for manipulation, and that could affect the price of milk and other dairy products, the investigative arm of Congress said Thursday. Less than 2 percent of all cheddar cheese made in the United States is traded at the CME, among only 30 participants, which range from dairy cooperatives to large companies. Department of Agriculture audit the cheese prices companies report in a separate survey to ensure their accuracy. There...