Corn should stand knee-high in most Midwest fields by July 4. Instead of rejoicing, though, farmers are nervously wondering whether they will be able to find markets for all the corn and grain from the huge harvests expected this year. Normally, 25% of all U.S. grain is exported to foreign buyers, who pay about $10 billion a year. Now that giant market is being threatened by a scandal involving: 1) bribery and fraud in federally licensed grain-inspection procedures, 2) suspected skimming of grain off export cargoes by the operators of grain elevators, and 3) laxity by the Department of Agriculture...
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