The USDA has awarded $5.5 million to fund research that will help alleviate childhood hunger in the U.S. Craig Gundersen of the University of Illinois (U of I) and James Ziliak of the University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research will work together to coordinate a research program on childhood hunger....More

The Renewable Fuels Association applauded the swift action of the House of Representatives in passing a compromised tax legislation that included extensions of key tax credit for the production and use of domestic ethanol. The bill will now be sent to President Obama for his signature. RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen issued the following statement:...More

When it comes to a rapid adoption of transgenic corn hybrids across the Midwest, Ohio growers appear to be bucking the trend and holding more tightly onto their non-GMO hybrids. Though far more transgenic hybrids are available to growers than non-GMO hybrids, Ohio growers are snatching up non-GMO seed and planting more non-GMO acres than their Midwest counterparts, including Indiana, Illinois and Iowa....More

The American Soybean Association (ASA) applauds Senate passage of the "Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010," and urges prompt House passage of the legislation. The Senate bill makes the biodiesel tax incentive retroactive for 2010, and extends it through 2011....More

Today's tough economy gives experienced farmers an opportunity to teach younger farmers planning and decision-making skills they might not learn in good times, says Angel Gloy, a Purdue University agricultural economist says. Those looking to pass their operation on to next-generation farmers can show them how to plan strategically and make decisions under poor market conditions, she says....More

As Congress debates tax policy, agricultural producers still must do tax planning before the end of the year based on the information known at this time. "It is best to start with year-to-date income and expenses and estimate them for the remainder of the year," says Ron Haugen, North Dakota State University Extension Service farm economist....More

 The Big Ditch is getting bigger. “It’s a very impressive project,” says Dean Campbell, the Coulterville, IL, farmer who chairs the Soy Transportation Coalition, of the Panama Canal capacity-doubling project. “What I’m seeing is a big ‘plus’ for American freight, especially Gulf freight when the Panama Canal expansion is done.” Campbell saw Panama’s expansion firsthand last March. The Panamanians manage it very well, he reports....More