Finding the Economy's Silver Lining

By Dick Weiss
June 13, 2008

The state of the economy may be bad news for many people but others are finding a silver lining. One business story cited here informs us that while we can expect higher bacon prices as hog producers suffer, corn growers are doing much better, thank you. And while house sellers struggle to find customers, first-time buyers (who don't have a house to unload) have their pick of starter homes to choose from.

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3 Costlier Feed, Costlier Pork
Tracie Mauriello of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mauriello alerts us to expect sharply higher pork prices because of the rising cost of corn. Hog producers complain that with the current high price of corn, it costs them more to feed their animals than they get for them at market. As a result, animal farmers who depend on corn for feed are pitted against supporters of the biofuels industry, which animal growers say is inflating the price of corn. Mauriello does nice work in not only bringing home the national picture but also focusing on the impact on Pennsylvania farmers and consumers.

2 The $100,000 House Makes a Comeback
Jim Buchta of the Minneapolis Star Tribune
Buchta found an upside to the flagging housing market that will surely generate a ton of web hits and e-mail pass arounds. First-time buyers are finding a much broader selection of starter homes at affordable prices. In fact, he reports in this heavily localized story, the supply of homes in the so-called entry-level range of about $100,000 has increased six fold in the last three years in the Minneapolis metro area. People who a few years ago couldn't find much at that price range now have far better choices. This is one of those stories that could be done in any city, perhaps yours.

1Hurricane Grant Program Ineffective, Homeowners Say
John W. Allman of the The Tampa Tribune
The No. 1 business story is an investigative piece that intersects with government and consumer reporting. Allman reports that the My Safe Florida Home program doesn't quite live up to its name. The program provides state grants to homeowners to defray the cost of making hurricane safety improvements. To be eligible, homeowners must hire contractors from a state-approved list. A four-month investigation by Allman found that many contractors did shoddy work, took a long time to get the work done or took homeowners' money and never did any work. The state, Allman reports, had done little to vet the approximately 1,900 contractors on its list. Note how Allman writes this piece using a very spare style. Just the facts ma’am and sir.

Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism