Ag Politics, Brazil Expands Ag Financing
Jun 08, 2010
Anybody just sitting around
watching the oil cam?
Well, if you are, you might want to start watching those investments instead. Stocks fell to a seven-month low yesterday. The Nikkei showed some life overnight, rising 0.18%, but markets are down in Europe and the Dow futures here in the U.S. are slightly higher.
Ag Politics
Today’s a big day for agricultural politics. Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas (D) and chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee is in a heated battle to retain her seat since the wave of anti-incumbancy has swept the country. More from the Huffington Post.
Mutant Corn = Higher Yields
Penn State University researchers say they may have found the secret to unlock higher corn yields: mutant corn, according to a report from UPI. The initial research shows that sugars can be exported from leaves to produce more usable product for products like biofuels.
Brazil Expands Financing
Brazil is looking to expand financing of agriculture production, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Slightly more than 60% of the loans will be below the current market rate of 6.75%.
The West Losing Ground
The western U.S. appears to be losing ground in the ag world. A survey by Rabobank cites several factors contributing to this: increased input prices, loss of jobs in the sector, reduced likeliness to buy new equipment and the loss of small farmers.
