Farm producers are reminded that the final date to report occurrences of prevented planting to the Farm Service Agency is June 15 for wheat, barley, oats, corn, and sugar beets. Instances of failed acres must be reported to the FSA office before disposition of the crop in order to get acreage history credit for that crop. Evidence of intention to plant the crop - such as seed, fertilizer, and/or chemical receipts - should be provided at the time of application. Prevented planting and...

We had heard the corn bread was something not to miss, so he got an order of that on the side, as well as potato salad. I got two good-sized pieces of chicken, one light and one dark, and they were perfectly seasoned, and fried and drained just right, juicy with no excess oil. My sides were collards and macaroni and cheese, plus corn bread. Our sweet tea and sweet potato pie just added to that ambiance. Instead of a grainy yellow square, it was round and a little puffy and looked fried,...

I saw a farmer on TV the other night showing the effect of the drought on his corn field which he diverted from planting cotton to corn. Where the corn stalks should have been one to two feet high, the few that survived were barely six inches high. My understanding is that these ethanol plants need to be near where the corn production is. I saw another segment where a farmer was talking about how much fuel it was costing him to irrigate his field. We need more refineries, but who can blame...

Increasingly bullish economic data and recent comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke have quashed market hopes for an interest rate cut sometime this year. Now, fears that the Fed won't cut rates or may raise them have pressured the commodities markets, and gold in particular. Crude oil prices shed more than $1, agriculture futures traded lower and most of the industrial metals posted losses. The inverse often holds true when the dollar is in decline, as investors turn to gold as a...

As the meat price accounts for about 8 percent of the CPI, it could easily bring CPI growth over 4 percent if other food prices rise in coming months. Premier Wen Jiabao stressed after visiting several pig farms around the country that measures must be taken to protect the interests of consumers as well as pig farmers. According to statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics, the average production cost of livestock products climbed 11 percent in the first three months of the year.