"In a St. Louis suburb, Monsanto Corporation is spending $2.6 million a day to develop drought-tolerant corn, high-yielding soybeans, and traits to help crops thrive on less nitrogen," writes Business Editor Dan Looker. "Ultimately, the marketplace must balance the economic needs of companies that make costly high-risk investments in miracle seeds with those of the farmers who plant them."

"If I have a plan to sell when prices rally, I will not be in a position where I have to sell when prices are low," writes Market Analyst Alan Kluis. "If you're holding 100% of your 2009 crop and didn't get any forward sold, you'll want to evaluate how you are making your marketing decisions and get some help. Think of your crop as cash. Learn how to get as much money from the crop as soon as possible and then do it again next year."

"Genetics or environment? Nature or nurture? Before you start placing blame on genes, it's important to know the heritability of the problem in question," writes Wisconsin hog farmer and Hog Blog writer Matthew Walter. "30% of the variation in average daily gain is due to genetics. What causes the other 70%? Environment! This explains why the people managing the pigs are a greater factor than the genetics of the pigs.