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A derecho, otherwise known as a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm, is expected to traverse parts of the Midwest Wednesday night and early Thursday, according to The Weather Channel. Derechos can cause hurricane-force winds, tornadoes, torrential rains, and flash floods. This one could wreak havoc in the areas shaded in purple below. What’s important to note is that this derecho is sweeping across the corn belt. A Moderate risk for severe weather remains forecast for much of the state of Wisconsin. Damaging winds (some 75+ mph) are the primary threat this afternoon and evening. Very large hail and a few...

Money managers increased their net long position in CBOT corn futures and options to 401,993 contract FORT COLLINS, Colo.- Speculators have been buying Chicago-traded corn since August when troubles began for the 2020 U.S. harvest, and that enthusiasm expanded even more last week as weather concerns are on the radar for the 2021 crop. In the week ended April 13, money managers increased their net long position in CBOT corn futures and options to 401,993 contracts from 386,619 a week earlier according to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. That is funds’ most bullish corn stance and their first time...

America’s biggest cash crop has rarely been more expensive. Corn prices have risen roughly 50% in 2021 and a bushel costs more than twice what it did a year ago. Corn has been one of the sharpest risers in the broad rally in raw materials that is prompting companies to boost prices for goods and fueling concern among investors that inflation could hobble the post-pandemic economic recovery. Lumber prices have shot to more than four times what is typical, pushing up home prices and obliterating renovation budgets. Copper, a cog of industry found throughout the home and in electronics, hit...

eth Watkins has been farming his family’s land in southern Iowa for decades, growing pasture for his cows as well as corn and other row crops. His great-grandfather founded the farm in 1848. “He came in with one of John Deere’s steel plows and pierced the prairie,” Watkins recounted. With its rolling hills and neat lines of corn stretching to the horizon, broken by clumps of trees, it’s a picturesque scene. But centuries of farming those hills have taken their toll on the soil. Now, farmers like Watkins are facing widespread soil degradation that can lower their crop yields and...

As one of America's top cereal grains, corn is sprinkled into our food system in sneaky ways. Corn has been processed into a sweetener, an oil, a flour, and is used as one of the main feeds for livestock. But if you eat corn by itself, it's still a healthy vegetable, right? While corn is continually portrayed as a healthy food to eat, there are some sneaky upsides and downsides to know if you eat corn regularly. Here's what you need to know about what happens to your body when you eat corn, and for even more healthy tips, be...

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. - When Saskatchewan nearly went bankrupt in the 1990s, there was a joke told repeatedly in the province, according to economist Jason Childs: “What do you get your kids for graduation? Luggage.” The financial problems of the prairie province in the early 1990s are playing out today in Newfoundland and Labrador, but experts say the issue is not getting enough attention during the election campaign, which is almost halfway done. Ottawa eventually bailed out Saskatchewan — after that province dropped an austerity budget that included rural hospital closures and service cuts, leading to some small towns emptying...

@CBSNews obtains 94-page declassified FBI spreadsheet, widely cited by IG Horowitz, but not public until now. Recently released to Senate investigators, the FBI spreadsheet was part of a broader effort to corroborate the Steele dossier claims. While lightly redacted, the bureau spreadsheet shows the FBI relied heavily on media reporting to back up claims about Carter Page, Paul Manafort, and others. IG Horowitz faulted the FBI over lack of corroboration + evidence of circular reporting. reporting in the @carterwpage FISA + then not correcting the court record once the connection with Steele was known. Tim Gill Sr, a former senior...

<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that 550,000 acres of Iowa corn will not be harvested this fall due to damage caused by the Aug. 10 wind storm that swept across the state.</p> <p>That estimate in a report released Friday places the value of the lost corn crop based on the yield and price anticipated before the storm at around $344 million. Corn prices have gone up due to the crop losses so farmers will likely get more money for the corn they do harvest. Most farmers also have crop insurance to cover some of the loss and other federal programs may help.</p>

Grits are a popular dish widely consumed across the Southern United States. They’re made from dried, ground corn (Maize) cooked in various liquids — including water, milk, or broth — until the mix reaches a thick, creamy, porridge-like consistency. While grits are incredibly popular, many people wonder whether they’re good for you. This article reviews grits, including their nutrition, benefits, and whether they’re healthy. What are grits? Grits are a popular Southern American dish made from crushed or ground corn. They’re most commonly served as a breakfast or side dish and usually made from a variety of corn called dent...

The Iowa Department of Agriculture is estimating that ten million acres of cropland was impacted by Monday’s derecho windstorm. The storm flattened millions of acres of corn in the central part of the state, but Iowa ag secretary Mike Naig says it’s too soon to say how much of the crop has been lost. “The next week will tells us a lot about the fate of the crop,” Naig says. “There’s a lot of corn that’s laying down and some of that corn will still make a crop. It will be able to stand up and still produce. And other...

Newly declassified documents spotlight the role of John Kerry’s State Department in fueling the FBI’s dubious Russia collusion probe, showing it was the State Department that provided “information” leading to the controversial surveillance of Carter Page. Last Thursday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham released a trove of documents from the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Trump’s campaign, including a less redacted version of the Obama administration’s FISA warrant applications to spy on Page, who served as a tangential adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

HIRSCHFELD, GERMANY - Scientists in Germany have come up with a method for extracting the precious element germanium from plants. The element is a semi-conductor and was used to develop the first transistor because it is able to transport electrical charges extremely quickly. Nowadays, silicon-germanium alloy is indispensable to modern life, crucial in making computers, smartphones and fiber-optic cables. Transparent in infra-red light, germanium is also used in intelligent steering systems and parking sensors for vehicles. Yet although germanium is present in soil all over the world, it is difficult to extract, and most supplies currently come from China. Now...

US threats to impose tariffs on European autos did not come up in trade talks in Washington, European Union Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said Thursday. “It was not mentioned; it was hardly mentioned,” Hogan told reporters in the US capital. “I think it should be good news for Germany.” The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to put tariffs on European automobiles imported into the US, citing threats to national security. But a deadline to make a decision passed last November without a comment from the White House after the EU threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on US imports. Hogan’s remarks...

Kwanzaa Is Wack: There, I Said It Kwanzaa is wack. The other day I said this on my Facebook page. Actually, what I said was:” Is it wrong of me to say that I love AFRICA, but I think Kwanzaa is wack? #ducksfromthebricks .” Now, when I said it, I meant it but gave no thought to how it might affect people. I’m kind of bad like that. A ton of people (some Black and some not) got on and said they thought Kwanzaa was wack to. I never thought about it again really. Just a funny little thread. Then...

The seeds of the relationships between Donald Trump and key figures in the Russian business and political worlds — now the subject of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation — were planted at least five months before Trump’s now famous 2013 trip to Moscow, during a previously unreported visit to a raunchy Las Vegas nightclub with the son of a prominent oligarch and Putin ally, according to a new book about Trump and his Russian ties. The excerpt being published today explores the events surrounding Trump’s November 2013 visit to Moscow to oversee the Miss Universe pageant, and to vigorously pursue...

'Ear this, America: A uniquely unscientific poll of Iowa voters suggests Joe Biden is struggling to maintain his front-runner status in the Democratic presidential primary race. Just 24% of Iowa State Fair goers “voted” for Biden by dropping a kernel of corn in his jar in a fair display designed to predict the winner of the nominating contest. The vice president out-husked his closest rival, Pete Buttigieg, who drew 16% in the Cast Your Kernel contest. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was right behind with 15% and Sen. Kamala Harris took 11%. That margin reflects a closer contest than most national polls,...

Bridgett O'Brian makes a fresh batch of popcorn in 2014. Popcorn prices are predicted to increase, as supplies dwindle from farmers unable to plant this spring. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo =============================================================== EVANSVILLE, Ind., June 20 (UPI) -- Going to a movie could become pricier later this year for people who enjoy popcorn with a flick. The snack will be in short supply because relentless spring rain prevented many growers across the Midwest from planting. Popcorn processors estimate 30 to 40 percent of the nation's popcorn fields went unplanted this spring -- and the crops in many...

Many of us believe some kinds of sugar are somehow healthier. High-fructose corn syrup has been a scapegoat for American obesity for the past decade and a half, so you might be surprised to learn that sugar and honey both have more fructose than high-fructose corn syrup. Let’s break down the numbers here. Despite its misleading name, the most commonly used form of HFCS only has 42 percent fructose in comparison to table sugar’s 50 percent. Honey, the beloved natural sweetener, has 49 percent. Standard corn syrup doesn’t have any fructose because it’s 100 percent glucose, which explains how HFCS...

It is a remarkable thing that the U.K. and Irish parliaments were able to hypnotize themselves and pass climate emergency legislation when the southern half of the planet has not warmed at all in 120 years. For example, this record of Cape Leeuwin (courtesy of Erl Happ), on the southwest corner of the Australian landmass, shows recent January mean maximum temperature back below the 120 average: The U.K. and Irish parliaments were able to work themselves up into a lather over climate even though parts of the northern hemisphere set new cold records this last winter. A spike in food...

2019 is turning out to be a nightmare that never ends for the agriculture industry. Thanks to endless rain and unprecedented flooding, fields all over the middle part of the country are absolutely soaked right now, and this has prevented many farmers from getting their crops in the ground. I knew that this was a problem, but when I heard that only 30 percent of U.S. corn fields had been planted as of Sunday, I had a really hard time believing it. But it turns out that number is 100 percent accurate. And at this point corn farmers are up...