They should continue to see moderate increases in prices for meat and poultry products during 2007 because of the higher feed costs, which are being combined with higher energy costs, said Jeff Helms, communications director for the Alabama Farmers Federation. They should continue to see moderate increases in prices for meat and poultry products during 2007 because of the higher feed costs, which are being combined with higher energy costs, said Jeff Helms, communications director for the...

There's good news for Iowa farmers, as corn prices have gotten up to levels not seen in more than a decade. The corn markets are fickle due to the spring weather and need for large crops. Last week's heavy rain in parts of Iowa has put many farmers behind schedule. Now, each day farmers have to wait to finish planting could mean smaller yields. But many still have plenty to be uneasy about heading into summer. The stakes are high for this year's corn crop. High Corn Prices, Late Planting.

However, the higher corn prices may be negative for some of the livestock producers that will have to bid for corn against ethanol plants and foreign exports. Generally, the growth of the ethanol industry likely will reduce the amount of corn available for exports or livestock feed. In a short crop year, the potential is for very strong corn prices as ethanol plants and other corn-dependent industries bid for limited stocks. The question for the industry is how many more acres will switch...

Behnken cautions that even as corn prices have surged, the cost of farming has gone up as well. The rising price of corn also has sparked discussion about whether the price of some food products will go up. Corn is a staple in many foods -- from corn meal to syrup, so consumers could find some products on grocery shelves are more expensive. Right now, he's riding a wave, an upsurge powered by farmers' growing love affair with corn. As corn acreage expands, land devoted to soybeans, wheat...

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 and feed. When is it too late to plant? Seed corn company agronomists say its late, but not too late, to plant corn. Because of persistent rains, last week the Wohlfords were behind schedule, having planted 700 of the 1,100 acres of corn in the ground that they intended to plant. I was at a local soil conservation meeting a couple of...

farmers prepare for what will almost certainly be the largest concentrated corn harvest in world history, criticism has rained down like fertilizer on an Iowa corn patch. But before we shuffle this common crop into the ash heap of history -- where it will reside next to cigarette smoking and other indecencies -- it might be time to rethink the process by which we embrace and then demonize food and other substances we ingest. But before we shuffle this common crop into the ash heap of...