Leader Page 03/12/10

INPUT COSTS - Today's New York Times has an article on the rapid increase in biotech seed prices for farmers. The newspaper previews a series of Justice Department meetings to learn more about the situation.

WHAT WE EAT - USDA has just issued a report on food habits. The report revealed, among other tidbits, that Americans are cutting back on beef and milk but have beefed up on cheese, soft drinks and chicken. The data show the Chicago area is among the hottest spots on the U.S. map for consumption of meat, poultry, produce, prepared foods and packaged sweet snacks.

FERTILIZER WAR ENDS - Fertilizer maker CF Industries on Friday agreed to buy rival Terra Industries for more than $4.6 billion in cash and stock after Norwegian rival Yara decided not to raise its offer for Terra.

GRIP PREMIUMS - U of I's Gary Schnitkey says GRIP insurance premiums this year are highly variable by county. Check out FarmDoc or FarmWeekNow.com for details. FYI, Monday is the deadline to purchase crop insurance