Therefore there is a high demand for the corn that produces ethanol, which is the same type of corn farmers use to feed the animals. Because of the high demand for corn to be used in ethanol, consumers are seeing higher prices for items at the checkout counter. The high demand for the corn has caused farmers to have to pay more to feed their animals, he said. To make up for the corn ration, they have to charge a little more for the products, such as meat and dairy produced by the animals,...

Department of Agriculture's revised crop estimates reported even more corn acres than initial estimates and the fewest cotton acres since 1975. Though some of northeastern Louisiana parishes have received consistent rainfall since the planting season, other key row crop-producing parishes like Tensas and East Carroll have been dry. Now we just have to avoid any major winds before the harvest. We've got a lot of steps between here and putting it in the warehouses. Most of the yield...

As was expected, farmers primarily sacrificed soybean acreage to increase their corn plantings and the Department of Agriculture's report confirmed this. Corn prices plunged as the increased acreage outlook combined with above-average corn conditions combined to allay fears about supply shortages for the 2007 growing year. The report, the first to detail actual plantings rather than planting intentions, surprised traders as it revealed that farmers had actually planted close to 93 million...

Others also have traditional row crops and other diverse agricultural operations that help balance out one crop's failure. Fruit is also being marketed at farmer's markets and through roadside markets in handle baskets throughout the state. Vision corn -- that is one good corn that is super sweet. Hope Mizzell, state climatologist, said April's late freeze was the worst for growers since 1983. Several packing facilities are packing fruit when a variety offers enough volume to make the...

Many area farmers planted corn this year hoping to reap the benefits from higher corn prices, but now almost all of the state s corn is considered to be in poor or very poor condition, Sparks said. Cotton crops that at one time had been thought to be able to survive beyond the rough spring are not expected to produce high quality bolls even with rain. Pleasant community near Enterprise, knows the problems the drought has caused in hay shortages, produce production and trying to continue to...

We keep hearing criticism that our support is only for those in supply managed commodities and that we do little for those involved in commodities like corn, soybeans and wheat. We have a history of working away at developing or popularizing policy initiatives and then communicating with those who can implement these initiatives. Although it doesn't always draw newspaper headlines, the process has worked fairly well over the organization's 50-plus year history. A particular item that shows...