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Investors Sink Billions in 'Green Gold'

But some worry what happens when bottom falls out of farming

(Newser) - Billions of investment dollars are pouring into agriculture as the global demand for food explodes, turning crops such as wheat, corn, and soybeans into green gold, reports the New York Times. And while the immediate impact of more money being fed into agriculture will likely result in increased food production,...

Slumping Popcorn Sales Will Pop Ticket Prices

Film fans who balk at $6 popcorn will be coughing up more at the door

(Newser) - Movie tickets have long been partly subsidized by popcorn sales, but that business model is set to pop as the price of corn soars, Advertising Age reports. As moviegoers pass up the pricey snack, cinemas will need to hike ticket charges to cover the difference. One expert on the movie...

Food Prices May Force Cuts in Farm Subsidies

Normally 'untouchable' price supports at risk in Congress

(Newser) - Soaring food prices are putting pressure on Congress to withdraw some of the billions in  farm subsidies and ethanol incentives that have been considered politically untouchable for decades, the Los Angeles Times reports. With average farm income more than $89,000 this year—30% above the national average—the White...

Ethanol Guzzles 25% of US Corn; Links Food, Fuel Prices

Switch to corn-based fuel links grain and energy prices

(Newser) - When Congress passed its latest energy bill four months ago, the provision to boost ethanol requirements was exceedingly popular. But now, critics are lambasting that measure, and the ethanol movement in general, for linking skyrocketing food and oil prices. “We used to have a grain economy and a fuel...

Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer
 Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer 
Apr 30, 2008 10:02 AM CDT

Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer

Prices skyrocket, ingredients scarce as growing population demands more food

(Newser) - One of the less touted factors behind the global food crisis is a shortage in chemical fertilizer, which has helped boost crop yields dramatically and particularly benefited the developing world. But while growing demand is unlikely to be met for many years, the environmental impact of producing and using chemical...

Corn May Be Recipe for Disaster
Corn May Be Recipe for Disaster
Mar 3, 2008 12:05 PM CST

Corn May Be Recipe for Disaster

Drought would ripple through US economy

(Newser) - The US is becoming so dependent on corn that a drought would have catastrophic effects that would ripple throughout the economy, reports the LA Times. Corn is essential as staple livestock feed, artificial sweetener, and a basic component of ethanol. A "corn shock" could lead to $5 gas and...

Boom Time on Heartland Farms
Boom Time on Heartland Farms
Feb 15, 2008 2:55 AM CST

Boom Time on Heartland Farms

US farmers strike it rich satisfying ethanol, export demands

(Newser) - The US economy may be teetering on a precipice but agriculture is enjoying what one industry analyst is calling a "golden age" after decades of decline, with bountiful harvests of crops and profits. The boom is fueled by the soaring demand from ethanol producers and to fill grain orders...

Black News for Not-So-Green Biofuels

Producing crops for fuel releases more greenhouse gas than it saves: studies

(Newser) - Producing crops for biofuel releases more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than is saved by using the alternative energy, according to the findings of two surprising new studies. Converting US farmland from producing food to ethanol necessitates food production elsewhere, vastly increasing greenhouse gas emissions as forests and grasslands are...

Ethanol Glut Sinking Farmers' Hopes
Ethanol Glut Sinking Farmers' Hopes
Sep 30, 2007 4:46 AM CDT

Ethanol Glut Sinking Farmers' Hopes

'Gold rush' fades as biofuel prices plummet

(Newser) - A glut of ethanol has sent prices plumetting, staggering the hopes of farmers and businesses who once counted on a biofuel gold rush, reports the New York Times. Companies and farm cooperatives built so many ethanol distilleries that production has far outpaced demand, in part because distribution hasn't kept up.

Foes Hungry for US Grains
Foes Hungry for US Grains
Sep 13, 2007 7:41 PM CDT

Foes Hungry for US Grains

Iran, Venezuela hungry for American corn, wheat

(Newser) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has called President Bush Satan, and Iran is that nuclear thorn in Washington's side, but neither country hesitates to import tons of grains straight from America's bread basket—especially during shortages the past few months. "They want to feed their people. They don't want to screw...

Iowa-Minded Candidates Learn to Love Ethanol

Doubts take back seat to politics

(Newser) - To a presidential candidate who has an eye on Iowa—and who among them can afford not to?—ethanol is a political home run. The Hawkeye State hosts 28 refineries, and every one of the ’08 hopefuls has duly supported some form of ethanol subsidies. This despite the fact...

Ethanol More Mean Than Green
Ethanol More Mean Than Green
Jul 31, 2007 2:54 PM CDT

Ethanol More Mean Than Green

How biofuel steals from the hungry and hurts the environment

(Newser) - Far from the solution to America’s energy crisis, corn ethanol is “one if the great political boondoggles of our time,” Rolling Stone says in a scathing broadside. The “dangerous” and “delusional” hype over the corn biofuel raises the price of food for the needy because...

Bags of Corn, Beer Make for Fun in the Midwest

An old backyard pastime is gaining followers, major sponsors

(Newser) - An uncomplicated game called Cornhole is sweeping the Midwest, attracting players  from bars to church picnics. Competing teams toss 1lb bags of dry corn at a 6-inch hole carved into a wooden platform. Said to have originated in Cincinnati as a backyard diversion, Cornhole is now spreading to such cities...

Livestock Pigging Out on Junk Food
Livestock Pigging Out
on Junk Food
May 21, 2007 3:41 PM CDT

Livestock Pigging Out on Junk Food

Farmers are turning to leftover sweets as biofuel drives up the price of corn

(Newser) - The biofuel craze has doubled the price of corn in just a few years, forcing farmers from Pennsylvania to California find alternatives to feed their livestock. What they're coming up with is cookies, candy bars, cheese curls, breakfast cereal and french fries, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Modified Corn Could Be Killing The Bees

"Built-in pesticides" linked to disappearing honeybees

(Newser) - Genetically modified corn is the culprit in the disappearance of honeybees, according to a theory offered by a beekeeping expert, says Salon.  In a German study, the corn itself, which contains built-in pesticides, didn't kill the bees, but it seems to have damaged their intestines, making them vulnerable to...

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