1.   Any excess tobacco is purchased by farmer support cooperatives supported by growers, ensuring no direct costs to the federal government from the program.

2.   A sale to Tri-Valley would make sense because the farmers cooperative, under new leadership, is restructuring and trying to expand its brand-name products.

3.   Corn and soybeans fell after Farmers Commodity Corp., an influential farmers cooperative based in Des Moines, Iowa, forecast a surprisingly large harvest.

4.   Corn and soybeans fell after Farmers Commodities Corp., an influential farmers cooperative based in Des Moines, Iowa, forecast a surprisingly large harvest.

5.   Farmers cooperatives have been lobbying for the provision, saying it will help them improve their profit margins and stay competitive.

6.   It also set up a loan program that provides money for farmer cooperatives to purchase tobacco when prices are low and then sell it later as prices rebound.

7.   Seven East Texans indicted in a milk-tampering scandal have received probation and ordered to pay partial restitution to a farmers cooperative.

8.   The change was supported by organizations representing U.S. wheat, corn, and soybean growers, as well as grain exporting firms and U.S. farmer cooperatives.

9.   The nominee, David Swanson, is the chief executive of Countrymark, an Indianapolis farmers cooperative that formed a joint venture with Archer Daniels two months ago.

10.   The Senate was unable to overcome objections raised by Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig over another provision in the bill to assist farmer cooperatives.