From the L.A. Times:

Rising commodity prices may be stoking inflation worries abroad and starting to pinch U.S. consumers at the grocery store, but for farmers strolling the grounds of the world's largest farm equipment show the good times are rolling.

People good-naturedly jostled to be the first to test drive John Deere's new skid loader at the World Ag Expo, a 60-acre stretch of dusty earth and buffed machinery. They smiled as they flocked to place orders for new combines, cotton balers and top-of-the-line tractors.

They crowded around Case IH's bright red Steiger Quadtrac tractor, its "luxury package" decked out with heated leather seats, a cellphone charging station and a place to plug in an iPod. As they flagged down dealers, farmers barely seemed to blink at the price tag: $575,000.

California farm expo benefits from a bumper crop of prosperity