farmers produce more food than any other country in the world and are tops in corn, soybeans, milk and cattle, according to a United Nations agriculture census. At the same time, it's becoming more costly for young people to go into farming, and many of them see that they can make a better living by leaving the rural areas. Within the next decade those older farmers will be looking for someone to take over their operations and selling millions of acres of land. Computerized gadgets that...

Although the current drought threatened this year s crop of the delicious treat, local farmers weren t about to let a little dry weather get in their way. For many, the crisp, delicious taste of sweet corn is synonymous with summertime. Debbie Biehl, who grows corn in her garden in Stanleyville, said without an irrigation system in place, her corn is spotty and not ready to be stocked, let alone ate. Farmers not using irrigation methods for their corn, however, aren t having the same...

Demand for alternative fuels made from corn and other crops is propelling much of the inflation in the agriculture industry. Growing demand for ethanol has driven North Carolina corn prices up to at least a 30-year high, but rising costs have pushed farm profits down, agriculture analysts say. Three alternative fuel plants have been proposed in Hampton Roads, which, if built, could further increase demand for the corn. Demand for corn has indirectly pushed the price of soybeans and cotton,...

They'll produce "more than enough corn to satisfy the needs for food, feed and fuel. But corn the every grain for every purpose can't fill the nation's insatiable appetite for food, feed and fuel. Chambliss, ranking minority member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, has introduced legislation to boost fuel derived from pine trees and other "cellulosic" sources. Even with a bushel of corn flirting with $4, corn ethanol remains the renewable-fuel choice. Milk, eggs, beef, pork and...

But there is a bright side for farmers. While the untimely rains at harvest time have wreaked havoc on the Kansas wheat crop, the moisture has helped spring-planted crops like corn, soybeans and sorghum thrive. Insurance companies are writing off acreage as total losses. After seven years of drought, the wet winter and even wetter spring had nourished a crop that once promised a bin-busting harvest. But that was before the Easter weekend freeze, before the disease pressure, before the...