An agreement between the city and the school district allows the FFA to plant crops, test soils, make a small profit and use it for field trips, conferences and conventions. Trees have budded, yellow grasses slowly are turning green, and a group of blue-jacketed students are preparing to walk the grounds with test tubes and soil kits. It grows when students thump the ground with soil probes, testing fertility, gauging nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium levels in the earth. About 4.39...

A 1 2-cup serving provides nearly 20 percent of your daily protein, has fewer than 100 calories, more calcium than a cup of milk and is an excellent source of iron and copper. Not only is tofu a great low-fat alternative to meat, soy protein is heart healthy. For recipes that call for a meat-like texture, go with fresh (water-packed) extra-firm or firm varieties, which lend themselves to sauteing, pan-frying, grilling, baking and broiling. But how to use it as a meat replacement without...

Nebraska s winter wheat crop condition fell a bit last week, which isn t unusual for this time of the year. That's two points ahead of the five-year-average, with emergence at 41%, four points ahead of average. And while rainfall last week kept some producers out of the fields, it didn't fall in abundance everywhere. Corn fields look to be in generally great shape early on. Feature Programs & Commentary. And Nebraska soybean planting is now ahead of average. That's according to the weekly...

The Department of Energy has doubled its 2005 commitment to funding research into biofuels any non-petroleum fuel source, including corn, soybean, switchgrass, municipal waste and (ick) used cooking oil. Municipal waste, wood pulp and leftover grain and corn husks are all quite attractive; they can produce something called cellulosic ethanol, which contains more energy than corn. That's why researchers are prospecting for more alternatives, preferably ones that don't rely on food crops or...

It says that by the end of 2006, ethanol made from corn and biodiesel made from soybeans boosted the states gross domestic product by $8. He has been so adamant about the financial benefits of ethanol that he's earned the nickname "Mr. The report said that production of the fuels also driven $1. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Ethanol spurs boom in Iowa's economy. DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) - Harlan Meier is a retired farmer who has served on the Iowa...