LUBBOCK, Texas Motorists might save a few cents a gallon filling their tanks with ethanol, but they could soon be paying more for a burger and a milkshake as a result. About a quarter of the 30,000 animals at Lubbock Feeders were bought before corn prices began to soar steadily and the added cost was not factored into the price. Farmers who once grew forage crops like alfalfa, milo or grain sorghum are switching to corn, so there are fewer forage crops to feed dairy cows, said John Cowan,...

Prices for grains were slipping Monday as traders worried that excess rain would boost crop yields and lead to an oversupply in the market. He adds that not only is the technical picture looking increasingly bad for corn prices, but also it seems to be dragging on the wheat futures also. In the meantime, traders will be watching the weather in the Midwest, where the level of rainfall later this week is considered critical to helping determine crop yields this season. Corn contracts were...

Barley harvest is wrapping up and wheat harvest should start this week. Rainfall was scattered and spotty but crops are still dry and need more rain. Nearly all barley fields have turned color and a few fields are being harvested. Winter wheat was in good condition, with 8 percent rated excellent, 71 percent good, 18 percent fair and 3 percent poor. Soybean condition is rated 2 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 23 percent fair, 65 percent good and 5 percent excellent. Farmers have...

The June acreage report should be a major market mover as the USDA will update seeded acreage for this year. Minneapolis wheat will be a follower of the Chicago and Kansas City wheat prices until harvest is over and spring wheat begins to price in growing conditions. The high rating will mean a high quality of wheat will be harvested this summer, which will be bullish for demand post harvest. Prices normally peak into the June through August growing season, as the market will fear dryness...

When President Bush and others pushed for more ethanol made from corn, farmers planted corn in near record numbers this year. The stalks, the leaves and the rest make good compost to put back in the ground for next year's crops. Besides the great price right now, farmers have another reason to grow more corn. If corn brings more money, it also costs more too in dry seasons. What farmers plant in the field could soon help you pay less at the fuel pump. That's triple the corn he grew last...