Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

Trucking companies have been tampering with speed limiters for many years as part of a "cat and mouse game" with the law, the NSW Roads Authority says. A blitz was conducted after a heavy vehicle belonging to Scott's Transport Industries was caught travelling at 142km/h at Mittagong, in the NSW Southern Highlands, on Monday. Eighteen trucks from a South Australian trucking company had their speed limiting devices rigged, a subsequent police investigation in NSW, SA and Victoria has found.

Any way you slice it, bacon appeals to the American palate. "Right now bacon is where the money is as one of the hottest commodities on the pig, up there in price with the loin," said Marcia Shannon, University of Missouri Extension swine researcher. MU Extension researchers recently collaborated with other universities to figure out what mix of feed works best to finish out hogs while creating better bacon for the breakfast plate. Study results found that by tapering off or eliminating di

Jury backs $5.2 million award to driver's family A company that hired a meth-using trucker whose big rig hit and killed another truck driver on Siskiyou Pass in 2008 will have to pay $5.2 million to the deceased's family. Toledo, Ohio-based trucking attorney Michael Leizerman, who represented the family, said freight broker Heyl Logistics did not perform due diligence before doing business with Seattle-based motor carrier Washington Transportation. The plaintiffs also said the company did

OMAHA, Neb. - Greg Heckman, president and chief executive officer of The Gavilon Group, was awarded the annual Agri-Award at the Triumph of Agriculture Exposition in Omaha. Heckman received the award at the opening luncheon of the exposition. Gavilon formed in 2008 as a commodity supply management company and has 2,000 employees, Heckman said. It ranks third in grain storage systems in North America, behind ADM and Cargill. It's the second-largest supplier of grain for food and fuel and is t

Trucking company files Chapter 11 MOUNTAIN TOP - A trucking company whose bankruptcy petition was dismissed last year has refiled for court protection. North East Transfer Inc. has filed papers seeking Chapter 11 reorganization protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The company did not file an itemized financial report, but estimates assets at $100,000 to $500,000 and liabilities of $500,000 to $1 million. North East Transfer filed for Chapter 11 pr

ST. PAUL -- Spring truck weight restrictions on state highways will begin Friday for Minnesota's central frost zone. Winter load increases and overweight permits remain in place for the state's north-central and north frost zones. Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) limits truck weights to prevent damage to roads weakened during the spring thaw. Spring load restriction dates and the six frost zones in Minnesota are listed on MnDOT's website at www.mrr.dot.state.mn.us. Click o

In a landmark decision against a trucking brokerage company for negligent hiring, an Oregon jury returned a verdict of nearly $5.2 million, including punitive damages, to the family of a man killed by a commercial truck. MEDFORD, OREGON (PRWEB) March 06, 2012 Handing down a decision that carries serious implications to organizations that hire trucking companies, a jury here late last week returned a verdict of nearly $5.2 million to the family of a man killed by a tractor trailer in 2008. Linh

By Charlie Morasch, Land Line staff writer Investigators say a Missouri trucking company inflated shipping invoices and billable miles on purchase orders – allegedly bilking one shipper out of $850,000. According to a federal indictment, the owners of J&M Trucking Inc., of Lebanon, MO, allegedly worked together to inflate billable miles on purchase orders made by Tracker Marine, a Springfield, MO-based boat and trailer manufacturer. Tracker had contracted with J&M to haul boats and traile

For the first eight years of life, home was a three-room row-house with no running water in a village in northern England. Our living standard improved as agricultural productivity increased. My agricultural labourer father was industrious, but he was no match for mechanized herbicide application. Although I railed against the dislocation from the freedom of a rural environment, my parents set about serving the needs of Britain's reinvigorated nationalized steel industry Some 20 years later wh

DECATUR, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) today announced several management appointments. Mark Kolkhorst has been named president, ADM Milling. Kolkhorst will also be responsible for ADM Alliance Nutrition®, replacing Terry Myers, who is retiring as president of ADM Alliance Nutrition after 42 years of service. Kris Lutt has been named president, Golden Peanut Company. Over the next months, Lutt will work closely with Jimmy Dorsett, CEO, Golden Peanut, who

YUMA, Colo.--Archer Daniels Midland Co. is permanently closing two bean-drop off sites in Colorado and Wyoming. Company spokeswoman Jessie McKinney said Tuesday that the edible bean facilities in Yuma, Colo. and Garland, Wyo. will close on June 30. Farmers drop off beans at the facilities after harvesting them. ADM said the decision is the result of challenging conditions in the dry bean market. Five people will lose their jobs at the Yuma site and one person will also be laid off in Garland.

WOOSTER, Ohio -- A feed mill is often a loud and dusty place, and sometimes even a bit chaotic. But one mill in Wayne County is doing its best to keep things clean and orderly, and it paid off this year in the form of a national honor. Cargill Animal Nutrition of Wooster has been named Feed Mill of the Year by the American Feed Industry Association and Feedstuffs newspaper. Brad Carter, business development manager, said the award reflects the mill's safety, efficiency, innovation and empl

By Jeffrey McCracken and Zachary R. Mider - Mar 5, 2012 11:09 PM CT Gavilon Group LLC has drawn interest from suitors including Bunge Ltd. and Glencore International Plc as the closely held grain handler weighs a sale that could fetch as much as $5 billion, said people familiar with the matter. Gavilon is asking for first-round bids in early March, said the people, who declined to be identified as the process is private. The company also may pursue an initial public offering, an option its o

By: Lou Smyrlis 2012-03-05 KISSIMMEE, Fla. %u213 The trucking industry must work to drastically improve its image if it expects to deal with a more favorable legislative environment, Gary Salisbury, chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) told delegates attending the association%u219s 74th annual convention this morning. %u21CWe must start becoming the industry and the association of %u218yes%u219,%u21D said the colorful Salisbury, who is also president and CEO of Fikes Truck

FARGO -- The Anderson Seed Co. Inc., case -- with some $4 million in unpaid sunflower deliveries in two states -- is the latest case that screams out for higher bond amounts for elevators in cases of insolvency, a North Dakota lawyer says. Anderson Seed customers are protected by only a $280,000 bond in North Dakota, and only a $100,000 bond in South Dakota. Minnesota's bond amount is not immediately available. Lowell Bottrell, a Fargo, N.D., attorney who has been involved in several insol

NORRISTOWN - A truck driver has turned down a plea agreement offer and opted to go to trial on charges of vehicular homicide and reckless endangerment in connection with a February 2011 crash in Hatfield Township that claimed the life of a Bucks County motorcyclist. CONTRIBUTE Story Ideas Send Corrections Ernest Demetrius Cohens, 43, of Bronx, N.Y., through his lawyer, indicated in Montgomery County Court on Monday that he is aware that all plea agreement offers will now be off the table. "H

By LYNDON FINNEY The Trucker Staff 3/5/2012 KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- If it wants to continue to improve its public image, the trucking industry must become a "yes" industry, the chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association said Monday. "We must start becoming an association and industry of yes," TCA Chairman Gary Salisbury told delegates at the opening session of the organization's annual meeting. "We can't say 'no,' that's not going to work." If it wants to create a positive public image, th

Cargill has completed a $50-million makeover of its Plainview beef processing plant. The improvements, aimed at beefing up efficiency, have gone on over the past five years, capped by a recent $6.1-million boiler upgrade. "Our Plainview beef processing facility is now positioned to better meet current and future customer needs," said Jim Rathke, plant vice president and general manager. "This boiler system upgrade will enable us to do it in a more energy-efficient and environmentally frien

The fast-growing frac sand industry on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River may soon mean hundreds more trucks crossing the interstate bridge in Winona each day. The Minnesota Department of Transportation, responsible for monitoring and maintaining the bridge, isn't worried. Officials say they're closely monitoring traffic, and it won't be a concern as long as trucks observe weight limits. MnDOT has said it plans to rehabilitate the bridge rather than replace it, and has tentatively sch

CONNELLSVILLE -- A truck driver from Connellsville was reported missing on Friday after failing to pick up a load in Maryland. James Anthony Stewart, 48, of Connellsville was last contacted in the Harrisburg area. State police at Uniontown said he was supposed to pick up a load of freight for New Kensington-based ECM Transport in Baltimore at noon Friday but never arrived. Attempts by the trucking company and Stewart's family to contact him were unsuccessful as of Saturday evening, poli

By David Marx President and CEO Skyline Freight This Opinion piece appears in the March 5 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today. Shippers depend on trucking as the key element in meeting their transportation goals. The old slogan, "If you got it, it came by truck," is as valid today as it was 30 years ago. Some shippers use a single trucking company -- or even a single truck and driver -- to forge and maintain links in their supply chains, while others t

The Journal Gazette A South Bend man remained in 'very critical condition' Monday morning after his tractor-trailer rig crashed west of Warsaw this weekend. The Kosciusko County crash investigation team reported Monday that passersby kept him alive by performing CPR until emergency responders arrived. Sheriff's deputies and emergency responders were dispatched at 3:47 p.m. Saturday to the crash along U.S. 30 near County Road 350 West. Officers reported that the truck had been traveling

SATURDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- One in 10 American truck drivers, train conductors, airline pilots and other transportation workers may be dangerously sleep-deprived, a new survey suggests. Many said they feel drowsy while working, and some worry that their fatigue poses a threat to commuter safety, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) poll found. As many as 11 percent of these employees work while sleepy, compared to 7 percent of non-transportation workers. "It is exciting that we

Lack of funding, oversupply and poor freight rates are going make 2012 a "crisis" year for the shipping industry, says Andrew Broomhead, CFO of Hong Kong's largest operator of dry-bulk vessels Pacific Basin. AP "We've got yet again a lot of ships being delivered into the market. (But) funding is very, very dry, so for many companies it's going to be a very tough year. We are calling this a crisis for 2012," Broomhead told CNBC on Friday. "In dry bulk, we've got probably about 20 perc

OMAHA, NEB., MARCH 1, 2012 -- OMAHA, Neb., March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fortune named Union Pacific the most admired among trucking, transportation and logistics companies for the second consecutive year. The magazine's annual World's Most Admired list is published in the March edition. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110304/LA59497LOGO) Union Pacific ranked No. 1 in seven of nine reputation attributes identified by Fortune: People management Use of corporate assets S

The Trucker News Services 3/2/2012 PORTLAND, Ore. -- Truck owners and operators interested in connecting their vehicles to the electric grid and eliminating the need for expensive and wasteful idling now have an even easier and more affordable way to do so -- free connector kits. Shorepower Technologies and Cascade Sierra Solutions are jointly administering a federally funded U.S. Department of Engergy Recovery Act program to increase the use of idle reduction technologies and promote the

BY STEVE OBERBECK The Salt Lake Tribune First published Mar 02 2012 09:45AM Updated 6 hours ago A failed computer system upgrade at Utah's TAB Bank is causing problems for truckers across the country. Truckers say they are unable to buy fuel, meet their payrolls and keep their rigs on the road because they no longer have access to their accounts at the bank. And worse yet, they say the Ogden bank isn't taking their phone calls. The Utah Department of Financial Institutions said it

Diesel prices nationally jumped 9 cents a gallon over the last week, forcing some local trucking companies to raise rates for their customers. Furman University Economics Professor Tom Smythe says the first direct impact will be at the grocery store. Smythe says prices for items like fruits and vegetables will go up first, followed by non-perishables. Smythe says retail won't see the impact as quickly, but he says there may not be as many sales on Easter dresses or summer clothes. A

FALL RIVER -- State Police say a Taunton trucker lied when he said a fiery crash on Route 79 in Fall River last month was caused when someone shot a gun at him. Police say Luis Cotto, 42, was drunk. State Police on Thursday charged Cotto with drunken driving and other motor vehicle offenses in connection with the crash on Feb. 19. Cotto will be required to appear in Fall River District Court for arraignment at a later date, police said. On Feb. 19, troopers from the State Police barracks in

The Nebraska City Dock met Wednesday to reaffirm the lease on the public dock with Gavilon, a commodity-management company headquartered in Omaha. DeBruce Fertilizer, which has managed Steinhart Terminal since the city approached Paul DeBruce in the 1990s, was made a subsidiary of Gavilon in 2010. Myron Hahn, Dock Board chairman, said the city looks forward to working with Gavilon. He said DeBruce Fertilizer has been an oustanding tenent for the public dock and he expects Gavilon to contin

The Andersons, Inc. (ANDE) has entered into an agreement with two companies, Amaizing Energy Dennison LLC and Amaizing Energy Holding Company, LLC, to buy a Dennison-based ethanol production business. The value of the deal is undisclosed as yet. The new ethanol production plant, which will carry out its operation in the west of Mississippi, would be included in the Ethanol Group of The Andersons Dennison Ethanol, LLC, a subsidiary of Andersons. The Ethanol Group generated nearly about 12.7% o

The mild winter is taking its toll on another local business. Mary Apesos/The Ithacan John Reeves, an employee at Cargill Deicing Technology, a salt mine in Lansing, N.Y., has had his work hours cut as a result of the mild winter. Cargill Deicing Technology, a local salt mine in Lansing, N.Y., announced Friday that about 50 of their 188 employees will be laid off due to a lack of sales. The mine's manager, Russ Givens, said the employees will be laid off March 19, but will hopefully return

A Georgia-based trucking firm has been ordered to reinstate a fired south suburban truck driver and pay him more than $190,000 in back wages and damages because he was fired for lodging complaints against the firm. The Sauk Village driver was terminated by Interline Logistics Group after reporting safety concerns about brakes on his truck and refusing to violate U.S. Department of Transportation regulations for allowable driving and rest hours, Occupational Safety and Health Administration of

HARRISBURG -- A Tennessee trucker survived a twist and a flip this morning when the tornado that roared across South Commercial Street ripped his semi tractor trailer across and over the Walmart parking lot. After Wayne Potee of Fayetteville, Tenn., dropped off his last load of mattresses at Harrisburg Furniture Monday night he headed down the road to the supercenter for a few hours of sleep. "The hail hit, the power went out, the truck rocked and I just got slammed against the wall," Potee r

Owners of a Lebanon, Mo., trucking company and one other person were indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud Tracker Marine, a Springfield, Mo.-based manufacturer of boats and trailers sold throughout North America. Springfield, MO - infoZine - James Keith Ivey, 51, and his wife, Melinda Kay Ivey, 42, both of Lebanon, and Paul Ray Hunting, 39, formerly of Lebanon, were charged in a 24-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield.

BY GORDON DICKSON [email protected] Many Texans may be on a diet, but the trucks on their highways certainly aren't. A record 58,514 oversize/overweight permits were issued in January, according to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. The previous one-month high was 57,139, in August, the agency said Tuesday. At the current pace, Texas could issue about 700,000 permits during fiscal 2012, which ends Aug. 31, a department spokesman said. Last year, 590,980 such permits were

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- A Peninsula high-tech start-up is bringing trucks and shuttle buses into the electric age. With diesel fast approaching $5 a gallon, the timing may be just right. California has an estimated 650,000 of so-called medium-duty trucks on the road. Many of these vehicles, which make deliveries and transport people, get only six miles per gallon. Foster City, Calif.-based Motiv hopes to change that. The company has developed a power train to let these trucks operate

MAUMEE, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Andersons, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANDE) announced today the signing of an agreement to acquire an ethanol production facility in Denison, Iowa from its owners, the Amaizing Energy Denison LLC and Amaizing Energy Holding Company, LLC. The transaction, which remains subject to several contingencies, is anticipated to close in the second quarter. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081104/CLTU081LOGO ) If acquired, the plant would be owned by The Ande

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- U.S. chicken companies are beginning to eke out marginal profits after several brutal quarters of losses, which should help soothe investor stomachs in the oft-volatile poultry business. After 14 straight months of losses, Sanderson Farms SAFM -2.00% said Tuesday it turned a "modest profit" for January and February. The nation's fourth-largest chicken processor did wind up with a net loss of $8 million for the quarter ended Jan. 31 due to difficult market

To hear shippers tell it, third-party logistics service providers (3PLs) need to come to the table with fresh and innovative ideas they could proactively implement to improve service levels, response times, and overall efficiencies. To hear third-party logistics providers tell it, shippers need to open their upstream organizational channels so 3PLs can glean the strategic intelligence they need to proactively implement fresh and innovative ideas. It's the logistics world's version of "cogn

LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas' trucking industry will likely be able to enjoy a $4 million tax break beginning in July, after state senators declined Monday to take up a measure that would have repealed it. Legislators had hoped to rescind the tax break after the trucking lobby withdrew support for a diesel tax increase for road repairs. Voters last year reauthorized a $575 million road-work plan, making the diesel tax increase unnecessary, but left in place was the Legislature's commitment to cut t

By David Tanner, Land Line associate editor The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is urging federal policymakers to amend the definition of "tank vehicle" in a recent rulemaking in an effort to stave off potentially stifling implications for drivers and motor carriers. OOIDA says the FMCSA opened a can of worms by changing the tanker definition during the rulemaking process without stakeholder input. "During the rulemaking for commercial learners' permits from last year, the FMC

BY SPENCER JAKAB No smokeys in sight on this economic highway. Five months ago, when Bob Costello saw flashing headlights from some forecasters, he didn't feel like he was cruising down a road packed with police, radar guns at the ready. As chief economist of the American Trucking Associations, he monitors an industry that ships over two-thirds of domestic freight, providing a real-time peek at the health of retail, housing and manufacturing. Since then, Mr. Costello's confidence has be

A gasoline tanker truck carrying about 7,500 gallons of fuel crossed the median of Interstate 94 about 10 miles east of Hudson, Wis., crashed and caught fire before dawn on Monday, authorities said. The driver, who is from northwestern Wisconsin, has not been identified. The semi was headed from the Twin Cities to central Wisconsin. The accident occurred about 5:25 a.m. when the eastbound semi ended up on westbound I-94 near Roberts and crashed into a Hwy. 65 bridge pier, according to the

DAVIS COUNTY, Utah-- The driver of a semitrailer has died Monday after his truck rolled off an overpass in southern Davis County. The truck fell from an overpass at the north interchange of I-15 and I-215 and landed on train tracks below. The truck was hauling hay. Continue to watch Fox 13 News and fox13now.com for more details as they become available. View Original Post

Potash fertilizer demand will be down slightly this year versus 2011, Mosaic Co. (MOS) officials said Wednesday. The forecast represents a change from its previous outlook, which had continued to forecast record potash demand in 2012 even as the company announced it was curtailing production earlier this month. Mosaic Chief Financial Officer Larry Stranghoener told investors at an analyst day Wednesday that potash demand would in fact be "slightly" lower. Still, the Minnesota-based fertili

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has developed and implemented hours of service (HOS) regulations to limit when and for how long commercial drivers are allowed to drive. With the goal of reducing February 27, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New Rule Aims to Decrease Truck Accidents Caused by Driver Fatigue Earlier in January 2012, a tractor-trailer overturned closing all southbound lanes on I-75 in Ohio. Though no one was hurt and the car

US – WORLDWIDE – Anyone who believes the parlous state of the Baltic Dry Index (dredging the ocean floor at 706 yesterday) is a passing phase may wish to reconsider following the release of financial data from New York headquartered dry bulk freight operator Genco Shipping and Trading Ltd. The effect of falling charter rates has crippled the group's income in the last quarter with net income falling from $34.8 million in the comparable period last year to just $0.3 million to the end of 2011.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Everyone is taking a hit at the gas pump these days, especially people who drive for a living. A top executive at Werner Enterprises, one of the nation's biggest trucking operations, said 25 percent of operating costs are spent on fuel alone. A gas crisis could mean trouble for Werner for two reasons: Increased operating costs, and fewer products to ship if consumers cut back on purchases. While big rigs may always be on the road, the question is at what cost. "Stuff has alway

For many, the life of an over-the-road truck driver is a drudgery, but for husband-wife trucking team Virginia and John Logan, the job simply was an adventure. "You simply never know what's going to be around the next bend," Virginia Logan said. "A lot of people don't look for the adventure of it." The couple worked as drivers for a variety of trucking companies, including Mill Creek Motor Freight on M-40 south of Holland, during the early 1990s -- before GPS, when the CB radio still trump

(Reuters) - Brian Roach scrawled a simple outlook for corn prices in a spiral notebook, with a line diving from the upper left hand corner to the lower right. Sitting in a hotel ballroom at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual Agricultural Outlook Forum last week, the commodity broker predicted increasing supplies and weakening demand would slow a boom in the farm economy that has fattened growers' wallets and pushed up food prices. "Nothing is telling me to think any different righ

"Based on the energy value of Alberta barley samples at current market prices, hog producers will frequently be paying up to C$17 per tonne too much for some barley loads, and C$11 per tonne below energy value for others," says Ron Gietz, provincial pork specialist, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Brooks. "Under current market conditions, the difference from best to worst barley is worth at least C$8 per hog; that's often the difference between profit and loss in this industry."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Charlotte woman is putting the spotlight on a scary problem drivers face on the roads. It's a problem that can lead to horrific crashes. This crash in particular was caused by a truck driver who police say fell asleep at the wheel. Statistics show 28 percent of truckers on the road are fatigued. After losing her husband, Dana Johnson says something needs to be done. Johnson stood before a small crowd Saturday night to deliver a big message. Stoically, she recalled

His cornflower blue eyes twinkling as the hint of a mischievous grin inches across his face, Mike Bruns offers an unvarnished answer when asked how he feels at being honored by the Society of Entrepreneurs as its 2012 Master Entrepreneur. "I'm the luckiest goofball alive. I don't know what all the fuss is about," Bruns said, referring to the tributes he has received from family, friends and peers since he was announced as this year's award recipient. "I don't think of myself as anything speci

In the days after a fiery crash involving a commercial trucker with a checkered driving record, some observers have focused their attention on the rules and regulations governing commercial driver's licenses. Taunton resident Luis Cotto, who has a four-page driving record that includes many motor vehicle infractions, was behind the wheel of a truck that crashed last Sunday in Fall River, bursting into flames on Route 79. Cotto's record includes five speeding offenses, three infractions for veh

CHESTERFIELD -- An overloaded dump truck, an inexperienced school bus driver and an intersection with restricted lines of sight in multiple directions are potential factors the National Transportation Safety Board is analyzing in its investigation of the Feb. 16 bus crash that killed one student and injured 17 others, officials said. NTSB officials released preliminary findings at a press conference yesterday. "Our mission is to understand not just what happened, but why it happened, and to rec

Granted, the economic news lately has been almost uniformly positive. But a key real-time economic indicator based on diesel-fuel consumption points in a different direction for the second report on fourth-quarter gross domestic product, due out Wednesday. The Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index "suggests fourth-quarter GDP will be revised significantly downward," says Ed Leamer, chief economist for the PCI. The index has failed to register a recovery in inventories from the third quarter's

Tim May has fulfilled an early promise in the restaurant business with the recent opening of May's Railside Grill in Newport. At age 10, May began helping in his grandmother's restaurant in Cumberland County washing dishes. In his hometown, Mt. Holly Springs, he worked in different positions for 30 years in several restaurants, but he grew tired of the business. "It was actually a blessing when my grandmother was going to close her restaurant," said May. "I had just had enough of it." May sw

TIJUANA -- Concerned over low participation in a cross-border pilot program for Mexican long-haul trucks, U.S. Department of Transportation officials on Friday urged more Mexican companies to apply, saying their enrollment is critical to the success of the three-year demonstration project. "The lack of participation is what's going to keep us from being able to say, 'It's OK to open the border to them,'" said Anna Amos, director of safety programs for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administ

A new phenomenon is underpinning corn prices: prosperous farmers. Having benefited from high prices last year, farmers are becoming more choosy about when they sell their corn. Right now, some are opting to stockpile some of their harvest, rather than sell it, a decision analysts say is helping keep corn prices relatively high. Farmers now hold about 64% of the nation's corn in storage, up from 62.7% a little over a year ago and the highest in two years, according to the latest quarterly g

The driver of a tractor trailer that smashed into a car on US 90 in Macclenny and killed a North Dakota man last June has been charged with vehicular manslaughter following an investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Amos Roger Smith, Jr. of Jacksonville turned himself in at the sheriff's office the morning of February 16, two weeks after a warrant was issued for his arrest on the third degree felony charge. He made his first appearance the morning of February 17 when his bond was set