And it’s time to stop
Agriculture
California’s Nut Mafia Strikes Again
The soaring price of walnuts makes nut theft a lucrative crime. Insert your own “that’s nuts!” joke here
Milk, Smokes and Beer Are Shutdown Casualties
The federal shutdown has undeniably damaged the local economy in Washington, D.C., as well as regions where national parks are the lifeblood for local businesses. But—even as the ordeal appears to be winding down—it may have …
Americans Sour on Orange Juice, Sinking Sales to 15-Year Low
Blame it on high prices and more exotic options like acai juice
Online Drug Markets Are Alive and Thriving
Silk Road is a black-market website on which buyers and sellers of illicit products, mostly drugs, could come together anonymously using software like Tor, which conceals web browsers’ identity. When the FBI announced this week …
Time to Get Ready for a Smaller Hershey Bar?
Just in time for Halloween, chocolate prices are expected to hit record highs.
A Starbucks for Pot? National Chain of Marijuana Stores in the Works
If one newly converted pot-smoking visionary has his way, the Washington-based company he created will become the Starbucks or Coca Cola of the cannabis industry.
The Next Real Estate Bubble Has Already Begun (But It’s Not What You Think)
The American public is, for obvious reasons, a bit gun-shy when it comes to asset bubbles. Ever since the financial crisis, market watchers have worried about bubbles in the stock market, in high yield debt, and even the …
Will High Marijuana Taxes Encourage Black Markets?
Correction appended on February 23rd at 11:40 a.m.
Opponents of marijuana prohibition had one heck of a year in 2012, as voters in both Washington and Colorado passed ballot initiatives legalizing recreational use of the drug. …
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.