Shhh! This is crop secret Agriculture officials fiercely protect acreage estimates, and Monday's will be crucial amid near-record prices, high market volatility
By Joshua Boak
Tribune Reporter
March 30, 2008
At 3 a.m. Monday, federal officials will review intelligence so sensitive they must first surrender their laptops and cell phones to a security guard, severing all access to a curious world outside their sealed room.
Are they tracking terrorists? No. Do they know about nuclear weapons in North Korea? Definitely not. These officials work for the Agriculture Department. They will finalize their estimates of how many acres of corn, wheat, cotton, oats, barley and soybeans farmers will plant this year.
With crops at near-record prices and grocery bills rising, the agricultural industry is awaiting the Monday report with bated breath because it will give the best initial glimpse of the nation's food supplies, and thus represents an early sign of where commodity prices might go.
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