There are only a handful of organic producers in Woodbury County, but Marqusee said they're receiving premium prices for such goods as strawberries, asparagus and corn. Marqusee said the niche market that farmers should consider is raising organic crops, vegetables and fruits. Better, Marqusee said, would be to keep the food locally for consumption, offered in farmer's markets or on Fiona's menu. Some in attendance pointed to the conservative nature of farmers and resistance to change from...

The food company is the among the largest "private-label" manufacturers, which make their profits by producing goods that are sold under the labels of various retailers and grocers. That's putting pressure on traditional manufacturers of branded-food products to put a cap on prices, spend more on marketing and work harder to differentiate their offerings. While private labels have penetrated almost every consumer group in the United States, the market share in the food industry at about 16...

Behind me here, there's a bean field that's pretty much dead and won't be producing much this year, and, like a slap in the face, the corn took a hit too. That's left farmers hoping for rain while watching their crops die - something theyre used to. Few words describe farming better than unpredictable. Only the Northwest part of the state is escaping the dry weather. Farmers like Ruppe can do nothing but watch their income shrivel to the ground. Rain starts in the spring, stops in June,...

Find Job Add Job Special Reader Alert! National RPS Vote Expected This Week - Take Action Now! article tools Email Story Printer Friendly Version Reader Comments Article Tool Sponsor: recommend this story Digg.com NewsVine.com Del-icio-us.com Previous Article Next Article View All 2007-07-20 FPL Energy to Use Citrus Peels for Ethanol Plant. Find Job Add Job Special Reader Alert! National RPS Vote Expected This Week - Take Action Now! article tools Email Story Printer Friendly Version...

In the meantime, the California citrus industry is proposing some form of protection for its 120,000 acres of trees, most of them producing seedless oranges and mandarins. But one of the positive benefits of the controversy and news coverage of bee civilization is a broader awareness of the strategic position bees occupy in food production worldwide. When its numbers are adequate enough to allow side trips to citrus orchards it brings unwanted pollen from seeded varieties to the seedless crops.

Throughout Franklin County, crops of soybeans, alfalfa and grass hays have withered away this summer, lacking adequate rainfall to sustain their growth and provide more than one harvest for farmers. Farmers can't wait too much longer to reap the silage and begin filling their silos because if the corn is too dry, it won't provide a decent feed material. Rows of corn that should be a vivid green and soaring eight to 12 feet in the air are instead barely waist high, their tiny ears sporting...