Drought worries aside, ag could remain stable in a prolonged recession

The stock market is on a dizzying roller coaster ride, the housing market has been tanking and Americans are staring into the abyss of a long economic downturn. For some sectors of the economy, the effect has been disastrous -- think of the Big Three on the verge of bankruptcy, or, closer to home, retail outlets like Mervyn's shutting their doors.