Taking the air out of commodity prices and other headlines

People gotta eat, but it kinda smells like deflation in the recent Ag Price report. From the report:


The preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in February, at 127 percent, based on 1990-92=100, decreased 12 points (8.6 percent) from January.

Fruits & Nuts:  The February index, at 121, is up 1.7 percent from January but 18 percent lower than a year ago.  The price increase for strawberries more than offset price decreases for apples, lemons, and oranges.

Commercial Vegetables:  The February index, at 130, is down 25 percent from last month but 10 percent above February 2008.  Price declines for lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and onions more than offset price increases during February for snap beans, sweet corn, and tomatoes.

Potatoes & Dry Beans:  The February index, at 157, is down 5.4 percent from last month but 17 percent above February 2008.  The all potato price, at $8.94 per cwt, is down 46 cents from January but up $1.43 from last February.

Salad category faces economic hurdles Coverage from The Packer and Dawn Withers

According to a July 2008 report by market research firm Mintel Group International Ltd., Chicago, Dole has 29% of the market "but is struggling with declining sales and has lost nearly a full percentage point in share during 2007 and 2008. According to figures from Chicago-based market research firm Information Resources Inc., retail bagged salad sales (excluding Wal-Mart) for the year ending Jan. 25 totaled $2.85 billion. Of that, Fresh Express accounted for $1.21 billion (42%), and Dole sold $807 million (28%).

Mortgage delinquencies up to start the year Housing wire.com
Delinquent mortgages are continuing to pile up according to a new report released Friday by Equifax Inc., which showed the number of mortgage holders who were 30-days-past due in January was up 50 percent from last January. Projections indicate, according to the report, that 30-day mortgage delinquencies, which have continued to increase, will result in even more 60- and 90-day delinquencies.


Budget choices test Obama's political skills NYT opinion

For divided Congress making up is hard to do National Journal

Democrats line up behind Obama's ambitious budget NYT

Best of the heart healthy foods Examiner.com

Several studies have found that serving for serving, vegetables rule when it comes to preventing a heart attack.This point was demonstrated recently by researchers who analyzed the diets of 680 people who were brought to a European hospital with suspicious symptoms of a heart attack.  Half had had a heart attack but the other half didn't.No surprise -- it turned out that those who didn't have a heart attack were healthier eaters than those who were admitted and treated. But the researchers took their scientific data further and came up with estimated odds for developing heart disease based on intake of fruits and vegetables in both groups.

What do the numbers mean on my fruits and vegetables? Examiner.com

Color test enhances tomato analyzer software

Safeway earning call transcript Seeking Alpha