Correction appended on February 23rd at 11:40 a.m.
Opponents of marijuana prohibition had one heck of a year in 2012, as …
Agriculture
Goodyear’s French Nightmare
US tire company spent five fruitless years trying to cut costs at its Amiens plant and being blocked. Now it’s shutting down the plant altogether, sparking political outrage
Reality Check: There Is No Chicken-Wing Shortage — Prices Haven’t Really Soared Either
Hey wing nuts: relax. Despite reports to the contrary, buffalo wings, chicken wings or whatever you want to call them will be widely available during Super Bowl weekend. And you won’t have to pay through the beak to enjoy them.
Hay — the Stuff Horses Eat — Is the Latest Weird Item Targeted by Thieves
Never mind hunting for a needle in a haystack — what if you’re hunting for the actual haystack? Last summer’s drought across the nation’s agricultural belt has led to a spate of hay thefts as farmers face record prices for this crucial livestock feed.
187,000 Lb. of Marijuana Annually? Legal Pot Business to Bloom in Washington
Voters in Colorado and Washington recently approved the legalization of marijuana for recreational — not “medical” — purposes. But this hardly means that the business of growing and dispensing of pot will be all fun and games.
Lots of Goodies Were Stuffed into the Fiscal Cliff Deal
A host of special interests, from filmmakers to rum distillers, got tax breaks in last week’s fiscal cliff deal.
Mississippi River Could Close to Barge Traffic Within Days
Traffic on the Mississippi River – which transports everything from grain to petroleum to coal – could come to a halt as soon as this weekend.
Why Does Canada Have a Maple-Syrup Cartel?
Over a one-year period during 2011 and ’12, some 6 million gallons of maple syrup — about $18 million worth — were stolen from the “strategic maple syrup reserve” controlled by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup …
Why the Coconut Craze Isn’t Helping Farmers
Americans are demanding all-things-coconut, but it’s unclear how the boom will benefit farmers in foreign countries.
Small Towns Get Boost From Oil, Gas as Wealth Shifts Away From Cities
The Great Recession hit small towns hard. But according to a new analysis, small-town America is actually experiencing an economic revival thanks to an oil and gas boom.
The Cost and Consequences of the U.S. Drought
The 2012 farming season may be in its waning days, but the consequences of this year’s drought, the worst of its kind in 25 years, are yet to be known.
On the Great Lakes, a Dry Summer Slows a Recovering Shipping Industry
Low water levels on the Mississippi River, which have snarled cargo traffic and completely halted hundreds of barges at a time, got most of the media attention during this year’s arid summer. But the weird weather is also having …
