The Agriculture Department says North Dakota farmers plan to seed 2.6 million acres of corn, up 54 percent from last year and the largest crop since record-keeping began in 1929. The price of nitrogen, which promotes plant growth and is necessary for big yields, has risen about 40 percent since late last year. Nitrogen is particularly important for corn, which is in high demand because of the booming ethanol industry. nitrogen consumption rose about 4 times in the same period, according to...

We are launching a partnership to enhance the role of ethanol fuel in our countries' energy mixes while moving to make biodiesel fuel more widely available. The spread of sugar cane, soy and other oleaginous crops for biofuels will ensure that needy farming families have the financial means to feed themselves. Thirty years of research and innovation have made my country self-sufficient in oil by replacing 40 per cent of our gasoline consumption with ethanol. We have taken an important...

farmers this year will sow the most acres of corn since World War II after record ethanol production boosted grain prices to a 10-year high. Find www.app.com stories from the past week as well as calendar events, classifieds, advertisements, Yellow Page listings, local Web sites and more all in one search. The maker of anti-theft gear for retailers said its revenue in the fourth quarter totaled $216 million, compared with the average estimate of $171 million by analysts in a Bloomberg...

The council has estimated that a total of 21 million new acres of corn will be needed in 2007 and 2008, given the rapidly growing demand for corn from the ethanol industry. The rapid increase in input costs has already shown up in wholesale prices for poultry and will undoubtedly be passed on to consumers, sooner rather than later. That industry has 114 plants in operation, seven being expanded, and 80 under construction, nearly all of which run exclusively on corn. But much of the...

He expected to sell more of the potassium-based nutrient than usual this year, as farmers nationwide prepare to plant the most corn of any year since World War II. Kellogg spokeswoman Kris Charles declined to comment on the effect lower corn prices might have on the company's outlook. And, if oil prices drop, demand for ethanol might fall, pulling down corn prices. Higher export prices and a demand for the corn-derived alternative fuel ethanol have spurred the boom, the USDA said. While...