Now the Conservation Reserve Program is about to shrink by millions of acres as part of the Bush administration's plans for stimulating corn production for ethanol to reduce dependence on foreign oil. The $2-billion-per-year federal program pays owners not to cultivate land that is prone to erosion, marginal for farming or significant for wildlife habitat. Since its inception in 1985, the voluntary program has protected 2 million acres of wetlands, planted 1.7 million acres of grass and...

Indiana farmers will plant more acres to corn than soybeans this year, but the push for more corn for ethanol isn't the only reason, Conley said. Last year, 53 percent of Indiana's acreage was planted to soybeans and with most farmers in a corn/soybean rotation, more acres were naturally going to shift to corn in 2007, Conley said. Beans planted before May 1 have higher yield potential, but growers should be aware that crop insurance doesn't cover very early plantings, said Shawn conley,...

Now, crop farmers can use GPS to develop their own controlled traffic farming systems -without changes in field terrain often associated with tram lines, ridges or strips. In the late 1990s, small grain farmers adopted the concept of &#8220tram lines to describe controlled traffic patterns across their fields. Tram lines can reduce compaction, allow precision application of inputs, and create areas where farmers can drive despite wet field conditions. GPS controlled traffic patterns also...

Roughly speaking, in the 2002 Farm Bill, which expires with the 2007 crop year, farmers are compensated based on corn prices, which were then far below their ethanol-fueled heights. On the stock markets, the instant beneficiaries from the corn report were major livestock concerns like pork behemoth Smithfield Foods (SFD) and poultry producers Tyson Foods (TSN) and Pilgrim's Pride (PPC) (see BusinessWeek.com, 1/10/07, "Commodities: Who Profits from Corn's Pop") On the stock markets, the...

There's corn flakes, corn chips, corn nuts, and hundreds of other processed foods that don't even have the word corn in them. It's also true that there's a difference between edible sweet corn and the feed corn that's used for ethanol production. In fact, many agricultural economists believe rising demand for feed corn has squeezed the supply - and boosted the price - of not just sweet corn but also wheat, soybeans and several other crops. But because farmers try to grow the most...

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the corn, turning, for about 5 minutes, until the corn is tender. Cajun salmon with sweet corn salsa. Cook the salmon on a high heat, skin side first, for 3 minutes each side. Stand a cob on one end and slice downwards with a knife as close as possible to the cob to remove the kernels. To make the salsa, brush the corn with oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the spice mixture. Serve the salsa over the salmon and top with the feta.