A recent surge in U.S. agricultural exports has triggered a wave of optimism about the industry's prospects in the world food market. At the root of the industry's recent export gains are rapidly growing populations and incomes across Asia and Latin America. Adding fuel to U.S. agriculture's...

Food processing in the district is doing surprisingly well. But its future-and that of rural areas that attract food plants-depends on economic forces that run much deeper than the recent downturn