A new politics has sprouted up around the farm bill, traditionally a parochial piece of legislation thrashed out in private between the various agricultural interests (wheat growers versus corn growers; meatpackers versus ranchers) without a whole lot of input or attention from mere eaters. A new politics has sprouted up around the farm bill, traditionally a parochial piece of legislation thrashed out in private between the various agricultural interests (wheat growers versus corn growers;...

The Department of Energy has doubled its 2005 commitment to funding research into biofuels any non-petroleum fuel source, including corn, soybean, switchgrass, municipal waste and (ick) used cooking oil. Municipal waste, wood pulp and leftover grain and corn husks are all quite attractive; they can produce something called cellulosic ethanol, which contains more energy than corn. That's why researchers are prospecting for more alternatives, preferably ones that don't rely on food crops or...

The banks' recent earnings reports were dominated by the difficult environment the subprime mortgage fallout created, causing some, like Merrill Lynch, to lose billions when the market turned against them. NEW YORK . - Bear Stearns' expansion of its energy business on Friday follows a trend among investment banks, which are increasingly embracing commodities -- particularly energy trading -- to offset major losses from the troubled credit markets. Search themorningcall.com Web enhanced by...

Corn ethanol production methods require breaking down cornstarch into simple sugars, which are then fermented into ethanol. According to studies performed by Michael Wang at Argonne National Laboratory, one unit of energy output from gasoline requires 1.2 units of energy input when all aspects of gasoline production are taken into account. Tropical maize is also attractive because it could be harvested with the same equipment already in use to harvest traditional corn, unlike other...

Commodities such as wheat, corn and soybeans have fetched historic prices this year and could repeat that feat next year. The reason is a complex connection between the products, supply-and-demand economics and the government's encouragement to find alternative fuel sources. The flour and eggs digging into Schwartz's bottom line are part of an interconnected system where wheat, soybeans and other grains as well as corn feed both humans and animals. In the coming months, Schwartz intends to...