Biodiesel and Ethanol Investing

The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. farmers planted more than expected this spring, potentially giving some relief to ranchers, food companies and ethanol makers, which have endured relatively high grain prices in the past two years. The crop estimate released by the Agriculture Department comes despite cool, wet weather early in the spring. American farmers planted an estimated 77.5 million acres of soybeans this spring, up 2% from last year and the biggest on record. On the Chicago Board of Trade, corn traded about 29 cents lower at $3.48 a bushel, while soybeans traded 11 cents higher at $12.26 a bushel.