The government said that if farmers followed through with their stated intentions, soybean acreage would drop 11 percent and cotton acreage would fall 20 percent. Corn should be planted by mid-May for good yields and soybeans can be planted as late as June, which could be a fallback plan for farmers if corn doesn't get planted in time. The rush to plant corn comes at the cost of other crops, particularly soybeans and cotton. Corn is a key ingredient in many foods, from corn syrup found in...

EC urged to review anti-dumping duty on Thai sweet corn The European Union's decision to impose an anti-dumping duty on Thai sweet corn will put 200,000 farmers and more than 20,000 food industry workers out of work, the Thai Food Processors' Association said. EC urged to review anti-dumping duty on Thai sweet corn The European Union's decision to impose an anti-dumping duty on Thai sweet corn will put 200,000 farmers and more than 20,000 food industry workers out of work, the Thai Food...

Some concerns over tight corn seed supply and increasing input costs for fertilizer and fuel are holding back the corn acreage increase from rising higher. Corn acreage in Tennessee is expected to increase to its highest level in more than 20 years. The 42 percent increase in corn acreage, much of which is also being driven by the expected demand from growth in alternative fuels, is the largest year-over-year increase since 1986. Favorable price forecasts are one driver behind the increase...

But true corn aficionados yearn for old-fashioned corn flavor and tender sweet kernels, qualities now found only in home- or locally grown corn. It was an abrupt and disappointing change when commercial sweet-corn farmers adopted a new type of sweet corn about 15 years ago. Shrewd marketing labeled the new variety of canned and frozen corn "Crisp!", as if that were a desirable characteristic. With about 75 percent more sugars and tougher kernels, "shrunken" or sh2-type sweet corn tolerates...

Based on a survey of 86,000 farmers earlier this month, the Agriculture Department projected corn (maize) plantings of 90. Corn prices on the cash market have doubled since last fall due to explosive growth in the ethanol industry, driving up costs for cattle, dairy, hog and poultry producers. USDA forecasts only a modest rise in food prices this year, but said, "With high corn prices increasing feed costs, beef and poultry price increases should begin to accelerate in 2007. farmers plan...