LEADER PAGE 9/3/2010 2:08 PM

SENATE POLL - Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Mark Kirk are running neck and neck for the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows. But 22% of voters remain undecided and will play a big factor in the coming weeks. The poll finds independent voters favoring Kirk.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT - The United Egg Producers is throwing open the barn doors and inviting members of the media to a one-day, behind-the-scenes tour of a modern egg farm. Members of the press are being invited to see for themselves the realities of modern egg farming in cage and cage-free houses while farmers show them the egg’s journey from chicken to carton.

COMBO POLICY - There have been big changes made for the 2011 crop insurance programs. Martin Ross will have the details in this week’s FarmWeek and on FarmWeekNow.com. Check it out, especially for wheat producers.

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND - Due to the Labor Day holiday, Leader will not be updated until next Tuesday, Sept. 7.

LEADER PAGE 9/2/2010 2:33 PM

EXPORT BAN - Russia will extend its ban on grain exports until after next year's harvest has been collected, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday in an announcement that caught many in the industry off guard.

SETTLEMENT CHANGES - CME is considering rule changes that would move grain futures prices from settlements established in the pits to a process that puts more weight on electronic trade. Only 1 in 8 grain trades are currently done in the pits, the rest are e-trades.

AMERICA’S HEARTLAND - America’s Heartland, the only nationally-distributed program on agriculture in America, kicks off season 6 with new stories and features demonstrating the importance of American agriculture to our nation and the world. In episode 609, which will air soon, America’s Heartland visits the White House garden and first lady Michelle Obama, who shares her views on child obesity, nutrition and healthy eating. Check your local PBS station for showtimes.

LEADER PAGE 9/1/2010 1:58 PM

AG EXPORTS - Fiscal 2011 U.S. agricultural exports are forecast at $111.3 billion, up $5.5 billion from the revised 2010 forecast, according to USDA’s Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade released Tuesday. Much of the increase is attributed to larger grain and feed shipments, (up $4.3 billion from the revised 2010 forecast) due to sharply reduced competition from Russia, Kazakhstan.

CONSUMER POWER - Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said the Food and Drug Administration probably can’t shut down Iowa egg producer Jack DeCoster’s operations, but consumers can put him out of business. Grassley said the marketplace will make the determination if the law doesn’t.

SLEEPY TEENS - Teens who skimp on shut-eye eat more fatty foods, a new study suggests. Adolescents who slept fewer than eight hours on a weeknight consumed more of their daily calories from fat and fewer calories from carbohydrates than teens who slept eight hours or more.

PAPER OR PLASTIC? - California lawmakers have rejected a bill seeking to ban plastic shopping bags after a contentious debate over whether the state was going too far in trying to regulate personal choice. Had it passed, it would have been the first statewide ban on plastic bags although many cities already ban the bags.

LEADER PAGE 8/31/2010 1:02 PM

PLANTING POLL - U.S. farmers, encouraged by rallying prices, will plant more soybeans, corn and wheat for 2011 than they did a year earlier, a Farm Futures magazine survey of 550 producers indicated on Tuesday.

CLAWBACK PROVISION - Iowa farmers who sold grain to VeraSun Energy 90 days before the company’s bankruptcy filing on Oct. 31, 2008, have been informed in a letter from a New York law firm they have until Sept. 30 to repay 80 percent of that money under a “look back” provision of federal bankruptcy laws that give unsecured creditors in bankruptcy filings a second chance at any assets of the bankrupt company.

DEERE SELLS - Deere & Co. is selling its wind energy business to Exelon Corp. for $900 million in a move to get back to doing what it does best, making farm equipment.

SOCIAL MEDIA - While social media use has grown dramatically across all age groups, older users have been especially enthusiastic over the past year about embracing new networking tools. Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and older nearly doubled—from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010, says the Pew Internet project.

LEADER PAGE 8/30/2010 1:42 PM

VEAL VIDEO - AFBF has learned that the group Mercy For Animals (MFA) on Tuesday plans to release undercover video shot at an Ohio veal farm. The video is expected to be released to the news media at 11 a.m. (Eastern Time) on Aug. 31 during a news conference in Columbus, Ohio.

The video reportedly shows veal calves covered in feces, chained by their necks in stalls in which they are unable to turn around. According to information posted by MFA, the video was captured at Buckeye Veal Farm in Apple Creek, Ohio, in April.

EMMY WINNER - "Temple Grandin," the HBO movie chronicling the animal welfare expert's life, won five Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday night, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie. Claire Danes took home the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie award for her portrayal of Grandin. The good guys win one finally!

COLD AND VERY SNOWY is the new forecast for this winter from the Farmer’s Almanac for the Midwest. This forecast, if true, would be good for winter propane demand, says our sources at GROWMARK Energy.