Spring Ahead at 7 percent

Here's a riddle: what is it that "sells its products primarily in the Central and Southern Plains and Corn Belt regions of the United States. It's customers include dealers, national farm retail chains, distributors, and other fertilizer producers and traders. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in Sioux City, Iowa"

Why it's Terra Nitrogen (symbol: TNH) of course, a limited partnership that kicks more than 7 percent most days. TNH is one of a cadre of companies that enjoy great gains from the Beltway's current push to kill two birds with one stone, which is to:

• To make Ethanol a viable alternative energy source to meet America's power needs, and




• To make the folks who make ethanol happy with higher prices for their corn by the time the Iowa caucus comes to around

TNH sells nitrogen that makes fertilizer, which is a big part of this simple plan to run our cars on corn. TNH is part of the plan for a renewable energy that diverts some of the food supply to the gas tank. Companies that make things that help the farming of corn are in this group. Tractors (DE), stainless steel pipe (ATI), grains (ADM) should all do well over the next few years, as oil prices remain high, and climate change drives people to makes some major changes to the way things are done in the hope the weather will stop freaking us all out.

TNH pays investors a whopping TGTBT 7.70% (strike that-- make it 7.01% since we started this post on May 10, 2007!) right now to wait for "Operation: Children of the Corn" to kick in; but don't wait too long, as the chart is getting that parabolic look that gives one that sinking feeling that maybe the parade has passed.

At 7% or more, we are thinking that George Eliot's quote may apply: "it's never too late to be what you might have been".