Farm

Even the hottest initial public stock offerings can lose steam after their first day of trading. Sure, company insiders will make money selling at the opening price. And investors who used connections or big bucks to score shares at the IPO price will profit if they sell after a first-day "pop. " For everyone else, the wildly mixed record of other ballyhooed IPOs beyond their first trading session offers a lesson. It's one that should remind us that buying Facebook stock Friday provides a chance to lose money.

David Hasselhoff, who achieved rerun immortality of sorts for his roles in such TV shows as "Knight Rider" and "Baywatch," will be cast in the demanding role of himself in a new TV ad from Cumberland Farms, the Framingham-based chain of convenience stores said. "Developed by Boston advertising agency Full Contact, the campaign builds on the two ‘surprises' of Cumberland Farms' Farmhouse Blend – that consumers can get a great cup of coffee at a convenience store, and that the coffee is 99 cents for any size, any time," the chain said in a press release.

If hypocrisy had a face, a look, a certain familiar strut, it would be that of old favorite Curt Schilling as he pushed his way through a swirling collection of reporters and photographers in Providence this week with absolutely nothing of consequence to say. Curt Schilling, mute, the one time he actually owed an explanation. Perfect. But that's a minor point, really. There's a larger hypocrisy in his failing video game venture, the one that Rhode Island state officials giddily backed to the tune of $75 million in loan guarantees, which seems to be a fancy financial term for...

Italian Premier Mario Monti has promised to help small-scale businesses, especially factories and farms, in the region of northern Italy struck by quake Monti's visit to the Emilia Romagna region included a stop at a ceramics factory where two workers died after it collapsed. In all, the quake claimed seven lives. Monti said that a Cabinet meeting later Tuesday will declare a state of emergency for the stricken area. Under consideration is suspension of tax payments while residents rebuild.

Tim Thomas was a big deal yesterday in his hometown of Flint, Mich., where the Bruins goalie had his day with the Stanley Cup. But in East Conway, N.H., Thomas is a really big deal.  Via the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce , we discovered the above photo of Thomas's image etched out into the corn field at Sherman Farm . Visitors to the farm are welcome to explore the maze beginning Sept....

WASHINGTON - An undercover video shot at an Iowa pig farm shows workers hitting sows with metal rods, slamming piglets on a concrete floor and bragging about jamming rods up into sows' hindquarters. On the video, obtained by The Associated Press, a supervisor tells an undercover investigator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that when he gets angry or a sow won't move, "I grab one of these rods and jam it in her [anus]. " The farm, outside of Bayard, Iowa, about 60 miles west of Des Moines, is a supplier to Hormel Foods of Austin, Minn.

CORINTH, Vt. -- A man who tried to care for more than 300 goats and had some of the animials living in his house with him has had the seized animals returned and won permission to move them out of state. Chris Weathersbee, 64, pleaded guilty last week to animal cruelty and two other charges as part of a plea bargain that also called for the animals' return and removal to eastern Kentucky. Weathersbee said he has hired a livestock trucking company and plans to leave soon for a farm in Kentucky, where he expects the animals to be used on a...

ORANGE, Conn. — A 13-year-old girl was found safe in an abandoned farm stand yesterday, three days after her disappearance sparked a massive, frantic search. She told police she had run away from home. Police Chief Robert Gagne said at a news conference that Isabella Oleschuk was discovered after police got a call around 10:45 a.m. from a woman who was driving by and noticed someone’s head pop out of a hole in the farm stand about three miles from the girl’s home in the New Haven suburb of Orange.

A Rhode Island congressman is hosting a public forum on farming to address elements of a federal farm bill and concerns of the state's agricultural community. Rep. James Langevin (LAN'-jih-vin) says the success of Rhode Island's farmers is critical to the state's prosperity. The forum is being held Monday afternoon at the Warwick Public Library. The state earlier this year unveiled a five-year strategic plan to boost its agriculture sector, including by building the market for Rhode Island farm products and providing more business and technical...

It would be a stretch to call Cranston a destination. But if you find yourself in this sprawling city next door to Providence, take time to explore its nooks and crannies. Cranston has two distinct identities: Its densely urban eastern half is heavily developed and jammed with homes and businesses, while its western side is dotted with fields, farms, and a few newish subdivisions. A sliver of the city even has waterfront charm, thanks to its location on Narragansett Bay, which laps against quaint Pawtuxet Village.

(Image courtesy ReVision Urban Farms ) A view of the Tucker Street location in Dorchester that ReVision Urban Farms will develop into a new urban farm. By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent Victory Program's ReVision Urban Farms was recently named one of the organizations to lead a city initiative to create more opportunities for urban farming in the city. The non-profit group currently has an urban farm located on Fabyan Street and a farm-stand on Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester.

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent Photo courtesy of Ryan Conroy Volante Farms Just in time for rising temperatures, Volante Farms in Needham will hold the grand opening of its new ice cream stand on Friday. The family-owned farm has been a fixture in Needham for the last 50 years. The opening of the ice cream stand completes a total renovation of the farm stand — the old open-air barn has been replaced with a closed barn that will be open all year round.

The oldest child of actors Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall is helping to raise money to renovate part of the Ohio farm where the pair married in 1945. The News Journal in Mansfield ( http://ohne.ws/L8mZ4n) reports Stephen Bogart will make his first visit to nearby Malabar Farm from June 1-3. The meet-and-greets and special meals are part of a fundraising campaign to help renovate the mansion on the property. Malabar Farm administrative director Sybil Burksey says water and flooring problems have left the home in desperate need of...

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sought Wednesday to raise the profile of agricultural research at universities like Penn State as Congress begins the arduous task of renewing the farm bill. Penn State leads more than 65 federal research grants totaling more than $30 million, according to the USDA. Vilsack visited one project Wednesday after touring a greenhouse lab that is taking part in research for biofuels. Later, Vilsack said at a news conference that he hoped to underscore during his visit as "Congress begins its conversation and discussion about the (farm bill)

WASHINGTON - A 380-mile underwater power line to serve wind farms planned off the East Coast cleared a regulatory hurdle Monday, though construction is years away. The Atlantic Wind Connection would enable up to 7,000 megawatts of electricity to be produced at offshore wind farms from Virginia to New Jersey. Google Inc. and other investors have pledged up to $5 billion for a network of transmission lines for offshore wind farms. The Interior Department said no competitor had proposed a similar project, allowing Atlantic Wind to move forward knowing it is likely...

Holly Hill Farm will hold its spring plant sale starting Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale of organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers continues on May 20, 26, and 27. Members of the Friends of Holly Hill Farm can get a headstart Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. The individual rate for membership is $35 and can be paid at the plant sale preview for those who are not currently members. The farm, which combines a working farm with educational activities, is located at 236 Jerusalem Road. Johanna Seltz

Andy Geddes can't stand to eat blueberries. All summer long, his dreams are ripe with them. "I see little blue dots whenever I close my eyes," he says, a grimace growing on his round face. Teenage Andy, one of the Geddes clan's younger generation, has been enlisted to work on the family's farm in the town of Gilmanton, tucked into the folds of lower New Hampshire. "Blueberries are our job," he explains. "It would feel weird to eat them. " This is a sentiment I do not share. Since I was 7 years old, I have spent my summers in Gilmanton and, come July, make regular pilgrimages to the Geddes farm to check when...

New Hampshire's Farm to School Program is holding a conference on getting local food into the cafeteria and onto the curriculum. Workshops are focusing on such topics as integrating food and farm themes into lessons, using a school garden and using local food in school lunches. The keynote speaker is Tony Geraci, a chef who's in a documentary called "Cafeteria Man. " The conference is being held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lebanon High School.

WHO: Globe writer James H. Burnett III, his wife, and toddler son WHERE: Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary WHAT: Bird-watching, interacting with animals, hiking nature trails, and sampling farm work. You don't have to look far in Greater Boston to find an animal to watch or pet. Between the pound, the zoo, and your neighbors' backyards, there's plenty of four-legged fodder. But if you want an educational experience with your animal ogling, there may be no better place in New England than Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, the headquarters of the Massachusetts...

Another Vermont dairy farm is closing and preparing to sell off its cows and equipment. The owners of the last dairy farm in Plainfield are getting out of the business. The farm had been in business for more than 70 years. Mike MacLaren, who owns the farm with his brother Steve, told the Times-Argus ( http://bit.ly/J70aR5) of Barre that the cows and equipment will be sold at auction on Wednesday. He said running a dairy farm is a seven-day-a-week job that can become a mental grind.