Drought, high fuel and feed prices, a surge in international sales and the cost of dairy operations boosting milk prices to record levels and hitting consumers in the pocketbook. Lower farm milk prices last year resulted in a slowing of the growth of total milk production in the U. Corn prices have been driven up by the use of ethanol. Brown says the top factor is international demand for dairy products like nonfat dry milk and whey products. Experts say another factor are rising feed...

Ethanol demand has pushed corn prices way up, and that's having political as well as economic impacts. Corn is such a basic food source for livestock and poultry that any price change is felt immediately. Most people in agriculture follow a variation of Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment: they never criticize a fellow farmer. But now soaring corn prices have caused some livestock and poultry producers to call for an end to ethanol subsidies. Suddenly, corn was a precious commodity and the...

New on DVD "Norbit" - Eddie Murphy, the man of many comebacks, missed out on his Academy Award for "Dreamgirls" but had a good year, anyway, earning rare critical praise for his role in that musical while returning to commercial form in the critically maligned but audience friendly "Norbit. New on DVD "Norbit" - Eddie Murphy, the man of many comebacks, missed out on his Academy Award for "Dreamgirls" but had a good year, anyway, earning rare critical praise for his role in that musical...

As corn use in ethanol production increases, corn prices will be more influenced by oil prices. This variability may be further exacerbated by corn production risks and low levels of stocks which may further contribute to corn price variability. More corn is projected to be used in ethanol production over the next several years. As the crude oil price increases, the price of gasoline will increase leading to higher ethanol and breakeven corn prices. Moreover, options contracts indicate...

No summer food celebration would be complete without one of the greatest tastes of the season - sweet corn. That means getting yourself out to the nearest farmers' market or roadside stand for the sweetest corn ever. As far as cooking goes, you can't go wrong by following the old adage about corn: "Start the water boiling, pick it and cook it. If you prepare grilled corn according to the editors' method, you can use a visual clue to judge when the corn is tender. What's important is that...