Sharon at Casaubon’s Book blogged about how increased interest in personal gardening and farming is impacting the seed market:

Yesterday afternoon, my Fedco Seed Catalog arrived – always my personal favorite.  And on page 6, what should I see but this, in founder CR Lawn’s description of their situation:

And now seed prices.  I’ve ben 30 years in this business and these are the highest increases to us I’ve ever seen.  The ethanol boom diverting land to corn production has ahd a tremendous impocat on farm commodity prices, including vegetable seeds.  Wholesale prices for pea and bean seed are up 30-50%, for corn and squash, 20% or more.  Even so, wholesalers could not find growers for all crops so several varieties are missing from our catalog.  Horrible growing weather this summer has exacerbated the shortage.

The dramatic recovery of the dollar versus the Euro — and indeed generally against the foreign currency basket — might finally be fading.

Not only has the Euro surged higher in the past few days, but DailyFX analysts claim to have called the floor at $1.26 USDEUR with a projection of $1.60.

The exchange rate bounced several times at the1.25 level over the past seven weeks. Now it appears to be making a sustained, dramatic rally. How to defend against it?

This already means dramatically higher oil and gold prices. It’s likely to further impact everything from trade to ability to raise debt and defend against foreign acquisitions.

“If you look at where we’re going, we’re not on a sustainable course as a country,” DeMint said. “Frankly, GM is in a better financial situation than we are as a country. The only difference is we can print money. But as other countries around the world lose confidence in the value of a dollar – that’s going to come home very shortly.”

http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20081211131911.aspx