They argue that such control lets meatpackers time their purchases, allowing them to save money but also depress prices. Advocates say meatpackers can manipulate the prices they pay for cattle with "captive supplies," or stock they own or control through contracts and marketing agreements. The legislation is a priority for High Plains ranchers who own smaller operations and are hoping to stem competition from larger companies. Supporters of the ban have long pushed for the law to prevent...

A new GM cotton variety that uses a gene from cowpea could overcome the problem, as the gene is expressed throughout the crops' growth. While governments and environmental groups argue over the safety and morality of GM crops, many farmers in Asia are quietly working with scientists to overcome minor problems they are experiencing with this burgeoning technology. Agricultural scientists reassured Zu that increased insecticide spraying in the early stages of the mirid bug life-cycle could...

Along the way, they and we learn some shocking and bemusing things about farming, food and how public agricultural policy affects the families who make what America eats and those of us who eat it. But there's a gap, he said, between people's interest in food and the realities of their diets: "Ian and I noticed that people were talking about local produce and organic arugula and all that, but few people were asking questions about the big industrial foods: corn and soybeans. The result is...

The grains industry could produce an additional $157 million worth of canola and wheat each year if genetically modified (GM) canola is commercialised in Australia. Those reports show that the great bulk of GM canola is sold at similar prices to conventional canola in most major canola markets throughout the world said Dr Norton. t/ha, with an increase in canola production estimated at 295,000 tonnes annually Wheat production would increase by 64,000 tonnes on the additional canola area...

PAUL At an antique farm equipment beet harvesting demonstration in Paul Saturday, those who gathered got to see first hand the evolution of technology. The first demonstration was a two-mule plow, which slightly lifted the beets from the soil and required workers to follow behind to pluck and top the beets. A drastic improvement could be seen as Fisk used a 1951 model McCormick tractor and sugar beet harvester on another row of beets. During the demonstration, a patch of beet field was...