Look closely at the pellet in this man's hand. It is a symbol of a fascinating piece of new farming technology. Or as Neville Dolan jokes...

"It's actually good for bbq. We have a bbq every day."

Neville kids, but the work he's doing could be pretty special.

And it's happening near the gulf, an hour southwest of New Orleans, right here in Raceland, Louisiana, at the Raceland Sugar Mill.

Although some farmers bemoan the fact that much of the "mainstream media" are not in touch with the realities facing the American agricultural industry, they are also glad to give credit where it's due.

In "America's Agricultural Angst," which appeared on Forbes.com on January 19, "New Geographer" columnist Joel Kotkin hit a homerun. He writes:

"Over the next 40 years the world will be adding some 3 billion people. These people will not only want to eat, they will want to improve their intake of proteins, grains, fresh vegetables and fruits. The U.S., with the most arable land and developed agricultural production, stands to gain from these growing markets. Last year the U.S.' export surplus in agriculture grew to nearly $35 billion, compared with roughly $5 billion in 2005."

Brazil, the world's biggest agricultural superpower, has been under a lot of fire lately for the use of slave labor in the production of sugar and ethanol.

A January 19 article by Bloomberg shed some light on the dark underbelly of Brazilian cane production, and the backlash it has caused with a powerful retail chain.