MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Taiwan has agreed to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of corn and soybeans from six U.S. states in the next two years. Taiwanese officials signed letters of intent Thursday at a Madison news conference with Gov. Scott Walker.

Taiwan pledged to buy between 103 million-110 million bushels of soybeans in 2012-13, with the value expected to range from $1.61 billion-$1.73 billion. The officials also agreed to buy 303 million-413 million bushels of corn over that period, plus up to 750,000 bushels of corn byproducts. That deal could be worth an estimated $2.5 billion-$3.4 billion.

A Wisconsin agriculture spokeswoman said the deals involve exporters in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. She says the specific breakdowns by state are to be determined.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Officials are investigating an auger accident that killed an eastern Iowa farmer. The Dubuque County sheriff’s office said 41-year-old Michael Duetmeyer of rural Dyersville died after getting caught in an auger early the evening of Sept. 28.

The accident happened on a farm in rural western Dubuque County. The sheriff’s office said Duetmeyer was working alone inside a silo when he became entangled in the auger being used to clean out the silo. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

In Centreville, officials are investigating a crash that killed an Iowa woman when her truck collided with a farm tractor. The Appanoose County Sheriff’s office said 59-year-old Donna Cossolotto was killed in the crash Sept. 28. She was from Cincinnati, Iowa.

KCCI television reported Cossolotto’s truck hit a tractor that was pulling out of a farm driveway. The 30-year-old tractor driver suffered only minor injuries in the crash.

Also in Iowa, a farmer was severely burned while cutting cornstalks in northern Iowa. KCCI-TV said Lloyd Goodell was working alone in his field near Humboldt when the fire started Thursday afternoon. He was on a tractor at the time.

The Humboldt County sheriff’s office said a fellow farmer who had a fire in his field earlier in the day saw the smoke and called 911. Goodell, who also turned 80 Thursday, was burned on his arms, legs and face. He was flown by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospitals burn unit. His condition wasn’t available.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The fire was one of more than eight in Humboldt County Thursday and dozens more were reported across northern Iowa as wind gusts pushed 50 mph.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Last week, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) approved a $4.75 million project designed to expand the Port of Savannah’s refrigerated container storage capacity by 45 percent, according to Progressive Railroading.

To be completed in September 2012, the project calls for installing 20 four-story steel-framed refrigerated container racks at a terminal container berth. The new racks will enable the port – which is served by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway – to accommodate 1,536 containers with a total of 64 racks, versus the 44 racks currently in service.

In fiscal year 2011, which ended June 30, the port handled 1.6 billion pounds of containerized poultry exports, or nearly 40 percent of the nation’s total. In the past five years, the port’s refrigerated container volume has jumped 54 percent. About three-quarters of the volume is exported, primarily to Hong Kong, port officials said in a prepared statement.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A new Tennessee task force will focus on increasing jobs in rural areas and building demand for farm and forest products.

The group, announced last week, will consist of forestry, regulatory and marketing officials within the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, who will work with state and local economic development officials and others. According to state officials, agriculture and forestry contribute more than $78 billion annually to the Tennessee economy. There are 78,000 farms, and Tennessee is a leading hardwood state, with timber sales totaling about $300 million annually.

Nine people have been appointed so far to the group and an undetermined number will be added later. The nine include three assistant commissioners and Commissioner Susan Whitaker of the Department of Tourist Development.