Agriculture

The USDA says there's going to be a near-record crop for corn this year. Blame it on the weather and the number of corn-ears-produced-per-acre in the Midwest grain belt. Mitchell Hartman reports.

The White House wants to cork the opium trade in Afghanistan by paying farmers not to grow it. Is this realistic? Bill Radke talks to Jacob Townsend with the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime in Kabul.

G8 leaders are discussing a new $20 billion plan for world food aid that would encourage agriculture over sending homegrown U.S. produce. The idea is to help farmers in poor countries become more productive. Stephen Beard reports.

In recent years, profitability at Monsanto has been driven by its Roundup herbicide, and sales of the once-hot item are decreasing as cheap alternatives enter the market. Adam Allington reports.

It was a dull and gloomy Paris Air Show, and then came the AT-802 -- a machine-gun totting, bomb-friendly crop-duster. But why would a plane used for farming need James Bond technology? Stephen Beard reports.

Agriculture workers are used to long hours for low pay, but cutbacks and layoffs are making it even harder to get work where jobs were already tough to find. Jeff Tyler talks to farm workers in Tchula, Miss.

Chicken enthusiasts are fighting for their right to keep the birds in backyard coops in many big cities where the practice is illegal. Joel Rose explores the issue and visits with urban chicken owners in Philadelphia.

Food safety for produce like spinach, peanuts and pistachios is ensured by the Food and Drug Administration, which doesn't have a system in place for checking offshore foods. Steve Henn reports.

California farmers are struggling with the after-effects of a three-year drought and the lack of abundant water for their crops. But this could help create a more effective, conservative flow. Jennifer Collins reports.

Large-animal veterinarians are becoming an increasingly rare breed as many animal doctors choose the lucrative, office-friendly route of treating cats and dogs. Joel Rose explores what one state is doing to breed new vets.