Even if you don’t think you do, you already know plenty about commodities. Want us to prove it? No problem.

* Pork belly and hog prices continue to fall (Javier Blas, The Financial Times)

plunged further on Tuesday as traders anticipated lower demand for pork after the outbreak of swine flu .

* Market Insider: Marketing Made Simple (Brian Hoops, Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan)

Its not too late to formulate a marketing plan for this years growing season. Before I became a market advisor, I was a vice president of an Iowa bank. During that time, I worked with many borrowers on marketing and formulated a very simple, but effective marketing plan for livestock and grain producers. I want to share this marketing plan with you.

* Is Economic Outlook Growing Brighter? Maybe Not (Econ Watch, CBS News)

Some beams of sunlight have begun to peek through the economic storm clouds, raising the possibility that the Great Recession that started in late 2007 may be nearing an end. Or is that a hailstorm on the horizon?

* Anadarko reports $338 million 1Q loss (John Porretto, Kansas City Star)

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. said Wednesday it lost $338 million in the first quarter because of tumbling energy prices, but the results still beat Wall Street expectations.Anadarko, one of the nation’s largest independent exploration and production companies, said its loss amounted to 73 cents a share for the quarter ended March 31. That compared with a profit of $286 million, or 60 cents a…

* Budget update (Rikki King, The Daily Evergreen)

released its detailed preliminary budget reduction plan today, announcing job cuts and vertical program reductions and eliminations.

* Nation of doubters has lost faith in government (Bob Barr, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Trust is a fragile commodity, easily lost and difficult to regain. As an asset in the public arena, honesty appears to be in shorter and shorter supply. Even as considerable rhetoric continues to be devoted to restoring trust in government, recent studies clearly indicate we remain a society awash in dishonesty and mistrust.

* Foreclosure looms for McAfee estate (Debbie Kelley, The Gazette)

One of the Pikes Peak region’s most star-studded home sales in recent years – the purchase of the sprawling mountain estate built by software pioneer John McAfee – is in danger of becoming one of its highest-profile foreclosures.

* Gold moves higher as dollar falls, stocks rally (Sara Lepro, Kansas City Star)

Gold prices rose Wednesday along with other commodities, buoyed by a falling dollar and an increasingly upbeat outlook on the economy.Positive news about banks’ balance sheets drove investors into stocks and other more risky asset classes on Wednesday and away from the U.S. dollar, which is considered a safe haven. This helped boost gold, which is seen as a hedge against inflation and a …

* Is it Teacher Depreciation Week in Florida? (Dave Weber, Orlando Sentinel)

The calendar may say it’s Teacher Appreciation Week in Florida, but if you are one of the thousands of classroom instructors worrying if you will have a job past the end of the month, it may not seem like a joyous occasion.

With roads, railroads, and locks and dams getting older, transporting commodities is a main concern for many producers.

(CNNMoney.com) — Prices paid by consumers rose as a faster pace in February, as higher gas prices in the month fed into the highest inflation reading since July, the government said Wednesday.

* Developer selection secures jobs at Honeywell (Kevin Collison, Kansas City Star)

developer has been chosen for the new Honeywell weapons plant in south Kansas City, capping a lengthy struggle to keep its 2,100 well-paid jobs in the area.A venture between Zimmer Real Estate Services of Kansas City and CenterPoint of Oak Brook, Ill., will develop the $500 million project, the federal General Services Administration is announcing today.Work sho…

* Local foods lead to local eating (Dan Evans, Times-Plain Dealer)

For decades area farmers have produced many crops, but for the most part its been corn and soybeans as the main commodities.

Even if you don’t think you do, you already know plenty about commodities. Want us to prove it? No problem.

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* Commodity prices are heading down (Economist)

ONE of the main selling points of commodities, according to the financiers who have been cheering their vertiginous ascent over the past few years, is that they do not move in lockstep with other assets. And so it had seemed in recent months, as commodity prices continued to climb even as disaster struck property, shares and bonds. Yet on March 17th the turmoil on Wall Street finally spread to …

* Gulf lease bids plummet (Leslie Turk, The Independent)

The recent uptick in oil prices to above the $50 range was certainly not enough to help yesterdays central Gulf of Mexico lease sale come anywhere near last March’s.

* Dell Smartphone Ruled Too Dull to Live (Charlie Sorrel, Wired)

Theres a reason we havent heard more about Dells planned smartphone its too boring, even for the mobile carriers. According to Marketwatch, Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu said it appears that it ultimately came down to lack of carrier interest.”

* TPE resin pricing, Feb. 16-20; PE and PP inch upwards, PS flat (Plastics Machinery & Auxiliaries)

) prices were steady to slightly higher last week in an active market characterized by tight supplies, according to spot-trading platform, The Plastics Exchange (TPE) and its reporting partner, The PetroChem Wire . February PE contracts remain under negotiation, with some reports that the $0.07/lb increase producers sought in January has now been fully installed, while others said discussions a…

* Who Are the Wealthiest Members of the Obama Administration? (Sophie Gilbert, Washingtonian Magazine)

Its no surprise that the big money in government is in defense. But monied people seem to go there, too. In the April edition of the magazine , available today, we examine the wealthiest Cabinet secretaries in the Obama administration. According to the financial-disclosure forms of Obama administration figures, though, there are more than a few millionaires in the rest of the team too. In fact…

* Readers tell ‘Hot Button’ what they think about funding stem cell research (Commercial Appeal)

Today’s question: Do you agree or disagree with President Barack Obama’s decision to lift the Bush administration’s restraints on allowing federal funds to be used for medical research that involves the use of embryonic stem cells?

* Seeking refuge in alternatives (Kelvin Tan, Asia, Inc.)

IN RECENT years, many wealth advisors around the world recognising the merits of having uncorrelated returns across asset classes have started advocating that clients have a greater exposure to alternative investments such as hedge funds, commodities, real-estate securities, private equities and other exotic securities, whose expected returns do not move in tandem with the traditional asset…

* Grain Angles: Corn, beans still pushing lower (Land)

The corn and soybean markets continue to push lower. The overall economy has had a big influence in the commodity markets. The fundamental news isnt bullish either. The reversal from a year ago has been amazing; just as the overall market went high last year, the exact opposite is true this year. There is some concern that the supply of grain is growing and there is no concern about grain supp…

* Docu-Sleaze: Filmmaker Wants Your Virginity (KNSD)

Imagine getting or making this call: Mom, Dad great news! Im going to be in a movie and make lots of money. But theres one catch

* Commodity Classic focuses on cohesiveness in ag industry (Andrea Johnson, Farm & Ranch Guide)

GRAPEVINE, Texas – Soybean, corn, wheat and sorghum growers, leaders and business people traveled to Texas to attend Commodity Classic, Feb. 26-28.

* $2B HIT ON US GOODS (Maggie Haberman, New York Post)

Toilet paper, sunglasses, toothpaste, raffle tickets, almonds and Christmas trees are among the US exports to Mexico facing $2.4 billion in new tariffs as the result of a border war over a scuttled trucking program, officials said yesterday.

* 7-footers a prized hoops commodity (Brad Rock, Deseret Morning News)

The ground trembles, small animals scurry, villagers stare in wonder. It’s Godzilla making his way down the avenue; Kong climbing the Empire State Building; Bunyan strolling through the trees.

* Green Ink: Crude Rallies, Pipeline Politics, and Ethanol Deals (Keith Johnson, Wall Street Journal)

Crude oil futures surged over $50 a barrel after the Fed s $1 trillion deb-purchase plan was unveiled, Bloomberg reports . That s either because the Fed plan will stimulate the economy and oil demand, or because it is killing the dollar, which sends commodities higher. Either way, Morgan Stanley s still bearish , calling $35 oil for the rest of the year, also in Bloomberg.

* re: Buy Gold on Weakness (National Post)

Today the U. S. Federal Reserve Bank announced plans to expand its quantitative easing operations by purchasing government bonds, which sent all markets — equities, commodities and bonds — higher, suggesting fresh money is flooding into the markets. The U. S. dollar sold off on the news. Investors are wise to accumulate gold on weakness over the next year to hedge portfolios against inflation…

* Selling powder: Snowcats take skiers to the best backcountry snow (Greg Johnston, Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

The dreams of an avid skier or snowboarder rarely involve a ski area, but rather focus on that rare commodity that falls from the sky white and fresh in the out of bounds and hasn’t been touched by a soul.

* Agriculture’s peformance provides food for thought (Alice Ross, The Financial Times)

Investors looking for defensive assets, but concerned about the inflated price of gold and gilts, are now landing on soft commodities.

* ‘Employers’ questions were tip-off (Morning Call)

The scam: The employment listing scam — it’s one of the oldest in the book. We’ve Got Your Back reader John recently found himself looking at dubious employers, but he was savvy enough not to take their bait. Would you be that wise?

* The best lip treatments for less than $10 (Shannon Buonsanti, Orange County Register)

The quest for the perfect lip gloss is a powerful thing. Sharing with the world that you’ve found said lip gloss is even more powerful.

* U.S. salt mining withstands pressures of the recession (Ben Dobbin)

HAMPTON CORNERS, N.Y.: A thick seam of salt courses 1,300 feet beneath the rolling farmland of Livingston County, almost as far down as the World Trade Center stood tall. Extracting the crystalline commodity for de-icing roads has been a solid livelihood for five generations and, these days, it’s a steady lamplight in the dim tunnel of recession.

* Some estimates put FutureGen’s price at $2.3 billion

WASHINGTON The price tag for a futuristic coal-burning power plant that President Barack Obama is thinking of reviving seems to still be going up, though a congressional report Wednesday said the Bush administration overstated the cost when it canceled the project last year.

* Stores, food makers compete on retail prices (Emily Fredrix-)

Retailers, who begrudgingly went along when food makers pushed up prices to recoup record-high costs, are flexing newfound muscle and demanding price cuts to match the recent steep retreat in ingredient costs.Food makers are resisting, saying the uncertain economy and volatile costs make price cuts unwise. But retailers aren’t backing down.Consumers – who responded to the higher p…

* Asia-Pacific Issue | Globespotters: The Perils of Hong Kong Jade (New York Times)

A VISITING Frenchwoman once asked me for advice on buying quality jade, one of Hong Kong s best-known commodities. So my mother took her to

* Ed Cone: Reasons to be cheerful (News & Record)

A friend sent out a broadcast e-mail the other day, asking for some good news to counter the steady drumbeat of gloom she hears at every turn. Another friend quickly replied with a rant about the economy, which pretty much concluded that there is no good news. Mission unaccomplished.

* Trafigura Energy Fund Sees Profit In Volatility, Even At $25 Oil (Dow Jones Newswires)

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- The manager of a new energy hedge fund owned by a top commodity trading company isn’t waiting for oil prices to gain traction to try to make money.

* Agriculture policies feed unhealthy diet (George Will, Washington Post Writers Group)

WASHINGTON Tom Vilsack, Iowas former governor, calls his the most important department in government, noting that the Agriculture Department serves education through school nutrition programs and serves diplomacy by trying to wean Afghanistan from a poppy-based (meaning heroin-based) economy. But Vilsacks department matters most because of the health costs of the American diet. If Michael…

* Esme’s death demands re-examination of rules for searches, releases (Kentucky Enquirer)

The harsh glare of a shocking event like my cousin Esme s murder exposes troubling flaws in the systems under which we live, and the fact that a psychopath like Anthony Kirkland fell through the cracks exposes just how wide these cracks have become. Such tragic situations give our society the opportunity to take a hard look at both our priorities and our protocols.

* Commodities are No Hot Commodity (Michael Kahn, Reuters America)

COMMODITIES FROM BASIC metals to agricultural products look a lot like stocks these days, losing half of their value over the course of several months last year. And now, despite the strength in gold and other precious metals, they are still floundering.

* Cal Western, Primacy Relocation, Crew Training score government contracts (St. Louis Business Journal)

Several Memphis companies have scored big contracts from the federal government including a $4 million contract for Cal Western Packaging Corp. , the largest federal contractor in Memphis so far this year.