Favorable price forecasts are one driver behind the increase and shift from cotton to corn. 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. 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. Corn acreage in Tennessee is expected to increase to its...

The price of ethanol generally follows the price of gasoline, which in turn is tied to the price of oil, economists say. However, increased corn acreage will help moderate grain prices, and that keeps livestock farms and ethanol distilleries financially healthy, Hart said. Friday's numbers were welcome news to livestock producers, although they'll be watching nervously to see if farmers grow as much as they've told the Department of Agriculture they will. Barring bad weather, that's good...

By Helen Murphy, Christopher Swann and Mark Drajem Bloomberg News Published: April 2, 2007 E-Mail Article Listen to Article Printer-Friendly 3-Column Format Translate Share Article Add to Clippings Text Size BOGOT : Three years ago, the textile plant that Freddy Romero Ramirez runs in Bogot exported 234,575 meters of fabric for suit linings, enough for about 156,000 suits. By Helen Murphy, Christopher Swann and Mark Drajem Bloomberg News Published: April 2, 2007 E-Mail Article Listen to...

That will be welcome news for Australia's cotton growing industry which is battling low returns caused by the impact of drought forcing production cuts. Why has this happened? The doubling in the corn prices over the past year and increasing yields means farmers get more from the grain than from other crops: the surge of demand from the ethanol industry has amplified this situation. It seems some speculators misread the market and were caught off guard when it became apparent the size of...

So when my daughter, Emily, announced during March break she really needed a new long-sleeved Lacoste shirt for spring the new clothes she got for back-to-school last fall will be just right if the Don River floods in the next few weeks there was only one answer. If you're talking shirts, preppy is synonymous with Lacoste, and acquiring a new polo shirt with its classic green crocodile logo means spending upwards of $115. That's a lot of weekly allowance payments for a teen growing faster...