Although a medical report released in January revealed that diet guru Robert Atkins had a history of congestive heart failure and weighed 258 pounds when he died in April 2003, the low-carb craze he spawned is going strong. Millions of American dieters have sworn off bread, pasta, and potatoes in a battle against bulging waistlines. Meanwhile, reports this year suggest farmers are the ones feeling the pinch.
U.S. consumer demand for wheat in the last four years has dropped by 38 million bushels, or 4 percent, says Daren Coppock, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers. “Four percent sounds like a small number,” he adds, “but ask any food producer if they can adjust to a 4 percent drop, and they’ll go crazy.”
The squeeze is even more painful for potato farmers, who harvested approximately 70,000 fewer acres of spuds in 2004. “They are not too optimistic that demand ...
