Roger Elmore, Iowa Sate University Extension corn specialist, said some long-held belief by corn producers have been challenged, especially in the hectic 2008 growing season

Here’s Elmore’s nine myth busters of 2008

Myth #1 – Planting late-April through early-May will increase yields. In 2008, some of the best results were from corn planted late-May to early-June.

Myth #2 – When it comes to seeding rates – higher is better.Agronomically that is still true. But when you think in terms of economics, with seed prices double what they were two years ago, seed prices along with yield responses must be taken into consideration before planting at higher rates. What is the optimum population for maximum yield as compared to economic yield? And what agronomic and environmental criteria should be used to select the best population for a specific farm? Elmore says research results should be available in the next couple of months. Right now it looks like the best yields on average in Iowa occur with 34 to 37 thousand plants per acre. With high-priced seed, producers may want to back off from these densities.

Myth #3 – Narrow rows increase yields.It is hard to find proof in Iowa that there is a benefit to narrow row corn, i.e., rows less than 30 inches. However, corn yields are not reduced in narrow rows either.

Myth #4 – Early silk results in higher yielding corn.Silking in 2008 happened two to three weeks later than usual, yet 2008 Iowa yields are tied for the third best in history of recorded yields; credit has to be given to the ideal weather after silking.

Myth #5 – Cool August chills yields. Simply put, 2008 yields disproved this old thinking.

Myth #6 – Tasseling precedes silk.With our new hybrids, this is not always true. Tassels are smaller than 20 to 30 years ago. They often are not fully emerged before silks appear and pollination begins.

Myth #7 – Uniform spacing within rows increases yields. There is no research behind this belief at yield levels up to and over 200 bushels per acre.

Myth #8 – Transgenic traits increase yields.Not so. These traits allow the crop to grow to its potential, but do not increase the potential yield! They protect yield, not increase it.

Myth #9 – Bt hybrid residue – European Corn Borer Resistant – decomposes more slowly than traditional corn residue. In research trials, they decompose at the same rate. The only time non-Bt hybrid decomposes faster is when stalks are bored by European corn borer.

Good news, comfort food can now be redefine in terms of not only what’s affordable, but also what’s healthy when it comes to optimizing health and reduce the risk of chronic, often life-threatening diseases.

One list, compiled by nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden, first appeared in the New York Times last June. Bowden identified 11 foods readily available at most grocery stores.

• Beets, a rich source of folate and a presumed cancer fighter.
• Cabbage, abundant in sulforaphane, believed to enhance cancer-fighting enzymes.
• Swiss chard, a green, leafy vegetable chock-full of eye-protecting carotenoids.
• Cinnamon, possibly effective in controlling blood pressure.
• Pomegranate juice, also potentially effective in controlling blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
• Dried plums — prunes by any other name — another treasure trove of antioxidants.
• Pumpkin seeds, loaded with magnesium, which is presumed to safeguard against early death.
• Sardines, rich in omega-3s, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and several other minerals.
• Turmeric, which Bowden describes as the superstar of spices and that contains anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting properties.
• Frozen blueberries, another antioxidant treasure trove, also believed to enhance memory.
• Canned pumpkin, rich in fiber and immune-boosting vitamin A.

At Auburn University, Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutrition and health specialist and professor of nutrition and food science, says the list is worth heeding, especially because it conveys one of the basic messages nutritionists having been trying to drive home for decades — variety.

“The idea is that the more varied your diet is, the more likely you are to get a lot of the nutrients you need as well as many phytochemicals,” Keith says.

And there is an added benefit: Eating a wider variety of these kinds of foods tends to crowd out less healthy foods that, in some cases, may even be harmful, he says.

Keith also offers a few additions of his own. For starters, he offers additional praise for cabbage family, which encompasses a group of vegetables representing an especially rich trove of nutrients. He places broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and especially kale high on his personal list.

“It’s one of those vegetables groups that should be high on any list and that is readily available in grocery stores,” Keith says.

“Kale, along with broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, are all excellent foods and we simply don’t eat enough of them,” he says.

He also urges people to add wheat germ to the list.

Any whole wheat product is a good source of wheat germ. But it can also be purchased as a concentrate and added to cereals, casseroles and other foods.

Another excellent source: green, leafy vegetables. Keith advises less emphasis on nutritionally puny iceberg lettuce and more consumption of spinach and romaine lettuce.

Bell peppers, whether red, yellow or green, are also good bets and are widely available at the grocery store, Keith says.

He also adds nuts and onions to this expanding list, although he advises going easing on nuts, which, in addition to being rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, are also high in calories.

And don’t overlook the handful of healthy, traditionally southern foods, such as sweet potatoes, watermelon and collard greens.

Moreover, don’t think that being thrifty means you’re shortchanging yourself nutritionally.

“There’s not one variety of food that you have to buy week after week,” Keith says.

As a rule of thumb, he advises buying as many of these foods as you can afford, keeping careful track of discounts and other incentives.

“If they’ve got a good deal on kale, buy kale,” Keith says, adding that prices will vary according to when these foods are in and out of season.

Attorney General Jon Bruning has released the top five consumer complaints received in 2008:

1.      Credit/Financial Services–  474 complaints

Most common complaint – inaccurate billing

2.      Sweepstakes/Lotteries – 371 complaints

Most common complaint – routine scam

3.      Personal Services – 281 complaints

Most common complaint – unauthorized billing

4.      Professional Services – 279 complaints

Most common complaint – inaccurate billing

5.      Personal and Household Products – 266 complaints

Most common complaint – non-delivery of pre-paid goods

The division’s mediation center closed 4,126 complaints in 2008. Money recovered for people who filed complaints through the mediation process totaled $977,916.  Back in 2002, the division closed 2,438 and recovered just over $414,000.

One of the great things about the current energy crisis is that there’s plenty of solutions to wean the global off of its fossil fuel fix.

Here’s one answer: microbes that researchers are saying may well be the answer to our global energy crisis.

According to researcBy fermenting biomass to produce biofuels, they offer a possible climate-friendly solution to the anticipated shortfall in fossil fuel supply. A review by Professor Arnold Demain from Drew University in New Jersey, USA, on how microbes could be used to salvage the energy crisis has just been published online Springer’s Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology.