Grey Beard

Corn and Its Industry: The Next Tobacco

You should find a way to get this into the public discussion of Proposition #2 on the California ballot.

At least one large study released last year made many of the same points, pointing out that we are so unhealthy because government subsidy programs subsidize corn and wheat and not fruits and vegetables.

Range-fed meats are dramatically better, leading to a simple but profound conclusion. If we want a healthy diet to include meat, we must grow healthy animals for slaughter. Corn can't be part of that to any large degree for the reasons cited. Ironically, high corn prices have actually made beef somewhat healthier in the last 2 years as farmers have substituted alfalfa , which has many of the same characteristics of grass.

In short, the health benefits of fish come from the Omega-3 fatty acids in plankton, and the health benefits of range fed animals come from the same Omega-3 fatty acids in grass. Corn has to go, but it must be replaced by something. Perhaps switchgrass or something new.

Interestingly, bio-diesel oil crops are nitrogen-fixing, so they are actually part of the solution to growing feedstocks with less petroleum derived nitrogen, vs corn.

NYSE Stat Providers 'Disagree' On Friday's Volume

Yahoo's volume numbers are DISPLAYed incorrectly on their A/D page, but if you cut and paste to Excel you find out that the trailing digits are being truncated because some overpaid wit/2 has the page's display characteristics screwed up - in spite of me writing them about it twice in rather shrill tones.

Also, as per new regulations a few years ago, they count both the buy and sell side of trades, so the numbers are twice what they used to be.

Finally, yes, their NYSE volume numbers include the AMEX volumes also, as well as all pre and post market trades. If data sources understood the importance of maintaining the integrity of historical data it would be much more useful in making use of it. Sadly, government statistical series are no better.

I hope this helps.