Due to increased fuel and corn costs, which respectively transport and feed milking cows, the prices of milk, cheese and butter have started to climb. UF animal sciences professor Charles Staples, who researches dairy cows, said corn can make up about 20 to 30 percent of their diet. Now that the federal government wants to research ethanol as a possible replacement for gasoline, corn is in high demand, he said. is used for livestock consumption, followed by human consumption and foreign...

While dairy farmers said they needed the greater-yielding corn to maintain a competitive edge, organic growers said they feared for the health of Maine s residents. Bt corn which is used only for cow feed, not for human consumption is genetically engineered to produce pesticidal proteins from the naturally occurring soil-borne Bt bacteria that kill certain insects. Members of the BPC said they recognized that Bt corn may require special management because of concerns the pollen may drift...

Before considering any type of harvest, check with both your insurance agent and local FSA office so you don t disqualify yourself from any supplemental payments. It s really important to get the moisture content right for either harvest option and getting it dry enough for hay may be especially difficult. If you have a lot more ruined corn than you have cattle to consume it, build a fence around the entire field as you would when grazing stalks in winter. While wind, hail, floods and...

Also important: that corn yields continue to improve, ensuring there is enough corn to satisfy the booming ethanol industry and other users of the grain. The researchers' mission in the cornfield, between Grimes and Dallas Center, is to help determine the small number of corn varieties that will make up Pioneer's lineup of high-test hybrids sold for next year's corn crop. At stake is a multimillion-dollar product development process that determines whether Johnston-based Pioneer, a unit of...

Fortunately for him, he has enough storage already for his production, so he won't be looking at new bins or other means of getting corn under roof or in a safe place. The largest soy diesel plant in the world, scheduled to open this fall at Claypool, will only have storage for a 14-day supply to run the operation on site. In fact, he's already contracted corn for delivery to one of the plants. The workshop is an annual event, held during the third week of July each and every summer. What...

Shakespeare said she spoke in Coralville this spring at a luncheon for women in business and free samples of Hawkeye Gold were distributed to the crowd. Her newest creation, a chocolate-covered popcorn called Hawkeye Gold, has been making a splash locally. Shakespeare said her products are carried in 20 of the top 75 grocery store chains in the country, but she wants to focus more on the market in Iowa. Shakespeare said when she is at gourmet food conferences outside the state, people are...

Also important: that corn yields continue to improve, ensuring there is enough corn to satisfy the booming ethanol industry and other users of the grain. The researchers' mission in the cornfield, between Grimes and Dallas Center, is to help determine the small number of corn varieties that will make up Pioneer's lineup of high-test hybrids sold for next year's corn crop. At stake is a multimillion-dollar product development process that determines whether Johnston-based Pioneer, a unit of...

If the corn is not cut to a level where motorists can see traffic coming from either direction, drivers may have to inch into an intersection to see clearly. We can go to the land owner or the person who is farming the land and ask them to cut that corn down. A field of tall, green corn is a welcome sight for a farmer, but it can cause problems for motorists, especially at intersections. As for legal responsibility, Norman believed a county could be liable for any accidents caused by corn...

Each summer State Police and the National Guard help local police departments survey rural areas from the sky to spot locations where illegal growers try to hide their criminal crops. Farmers and people living near corn fields are asked to report any suspicious activity to police. Some growers have been known t set booby traps to protect their crop. We know how people try to conceal it along tree lines and other places. You can send a story to multiple email addresses by separating the...