These were the 10 most-read stories at Delta Farm Press in the past week:

1. Delta corn planting kicking in despite weather Even with tough planting weather so far this spring, corn producers are in high gear, hopeful of a strong 2013.

2. Farm land prices - A correction maybe not a bursting bubble As “bumps in the road” occur in the farm economy, “farm land prices will reflect that,” says Abbot Myers. But, “I don’t foresee another farm land bubble like the one that occurred in the 1980s, when there was a total collapse in values.

3. How to maximize nitrogen use by corn Optimizing your fertilizer dollars requires more planning than just applying a given fertilizer rates, says Erick Larson, Mississippi Extension grain specialist.

4. Don't bet your farm - An estate plan can help preserve assets There are two things you need for your farming operation, says Ed Gillentine: an estate plan and a knowledgeable, trusted tax professional. Otherwise, he says, the consequences to you and your heirs could be unnecessarily costly.

5. California judge dismisses Endangered Species Act Mega lawsuit A U.S. District Court judge in California has ruled that two environmental activist groups did not prove the EPA awarded federal registrations for a host of crop protection chemicals that put endangered species at risk in a lawsuit they filed in 2011.

6. Should you replant your corn? Rains have swamped your recently planted corn fields. How do you know if you should replant and if you do, how do you adapt your management plan?

7. Brazil sugar industry receives massive government subsidies The common perception is that Brazil achieved its international sugar market dominance through a lucky mix of natural resources and sweat equity. Well, time to reconsider that perception with the release of a new report that looks at Brazilian government subsidies – both direct and indirect – that the nation’s sugar industry enjoys.

8. Son ready to manage in Qualls partnership When Kenny Qualls retires from farming one of these days, he won’t worry about the person taking over the reins. In fact, his son, Garrett, is already running things, at the ripe old age of 24.

9. A new farm bill specialty crops and onerous government regulations In recent years, lawmakers wrestling with farm legislation have increasingly given specialty crops more elbow room at the negotiating table. That’s just fine with Barry Bushue, who farms specialty crops in Oregon and is an American Farm Bureau Federation vice president.

10. Specialty crops take center stage at farm bill hearing Despite the fact that immigration reform is in the wheelhouse of the House Judiciary Committee, the topic was front-and-center during a hearing of the Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture. All panelists were largely complimentary of the recently proposed Senate legislation immigration.

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Don Waller For 40 years he's grown only cotton