Agriculture

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez seized control yesterday of a factory owned by U.S. agriculture giant Cargill. The nationalization move was an attempt to control skyrocketing food prices in the country. Dan Grech reports.

The egg-laying chickens of California will get roomier accommodations under Proposition 2, which passed by a wide margin. Sarah Gardner reports on what could be the start of a national animal rights movement.

Ethanol's future as alternative fuel isn't looking so bright right now. Goldman Sachs has abandoned analysis of the industry and the largest publicly traded producer has filed for bankruptcy protection. Steve Henn has more.

China's tainted food has moved further up the global food chain to include animal feed. Over the weekend, Chinese authorities said they're intervening massively to clean it all up. Scott Tong has more from Shanghai.

Besides food scandals, there are lots of issues for Marketplace's Shanghai Bureau Chief Scott Tong to take on. Kai Ryssdal talks to him about reporting on China's complex economy and how the nation is dealing with the global economic crisis.

From the Marketplace mailbox, Kai Ryssdal pulls out some of the letters sent in by listeners. In the selection: comments on calculating the poverty line, food fraud, the financial crisis and the dropping price of oil.

Melamine, the chemical found in tainted milk in China, has begun to show up in other products. Scott Tong reports from Shanghai what it's like to worry about everything you eat and drink.

Agricultural exports have been going strong but American farmers are frustrated because they could be exporting even more, if not for a bottleneck in shipping. Scott Tong reports.

Prices have eased at the gas pump lately, but not in the grocery stores. We're seeing the highest food price inflation in 20 years, and the government's forecasting more increases in 2009. John Dimsdale reports.

Hugh Grant is the head of Monsanto, which creates technology to increase harvests. It's also the world's biggest producer of genetically modified seeds. Grant talks about the controversial topic of technology and food.