The new earnings season doesn't kick off until Alcoa (AA) reports its first-quarter results on April 11, but a few stragglers are still reporting their earnings for the previous quarter this week. The most prominent earnings reports on tap are Wednesday's results from Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) and from Monsanto (MON). Here's what analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect to see.

Bed Bath & Beyond

During its fiscal fourth quarter, the nation's largest domestics retailer opened new stores and its CEO sold shares. Analysts anticipate that the New Jersey-based company will report per-share earnings of 97 cents, an increase of 11.3% from the same quarter of last year. The company also is expected to post revenue of $2.4 billion for the three months that ended in February, a 6.3% rise from a year earlier.

The stock of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), first discussed here on March 25, 2009, at a price of $28.78, has pulled back slightly after pushing $38, but just view that dip as a chance to scoop up shares of a superior company.

Look for Archer to post a 10% to 15% revenue increase in FY2011, as global demand for food continues to rise. Long term, the company remains well-positioned to capitalize on the development of emerging markets and population growth. Oilseed performance will be a star performer, followed by agricultural services.

Agrochemical company Syngenta AG's (SYT) stock continues to undulate higher, and the volatile play remains not for the faint-of-heart.

Note: Don't consider Syngenta, first discussed here on June 16, 2009 at a price of $47.28, if you can't handle choppy price action.

A year ago, Syngenta's share price swooned with the pull-back in commodity prices, and came dangerously close to the $37 sell/stop loss.

Agrochemical company Syngenta AG's (SYT) stock has soared to new heights early this winter, but don't expect smooth sailing from here: the volatile stock is decidedly not for the squeamish.

Note: Don't consider Syngenta, first discussed here on June 16, 2009, at a price of $47.28, if you can't handle $2 or $3 stock drops in day.

A year ago, Syngenta's share price swooned with the pull-back in commodity prices, and came dangerously close to the $37 sell/stop loss.

"Food prices in China have again rising sharply; the average price of 18 staple vegetables rose 62.4% year over year according to the Ministry of Commerce," says global stock specialist Vivian Lewis.

The editor of Global Investing explains, "One way to gain from rising Chinese vegetable prices is Le Gaga Holdings (GAGA). The small cap Chinese veggie producer is a recent IPO.

"Fed by the Kimche crisis in Korea, Chinese shoppers are now paying 10x as much for a head of cabbage (bok choi) as a year ago. Other pricey foods are garlic and ginger, both near double year-ago levels.

Agricultural business Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is having a bit of trouble as I write this. The shares were off by 6.8% to $31.12. Volume was very strong. Traders are obviously looking at the sell-off to see if it should be bought or not.

Let's go to the chart. That is one rocky picture, to be certain. However, keep in mind that the 52-week range is a narrow one: the yearly low is $24.22 while the yearly high is $34.03. As of late, the equity has been trending higher.

"Commodity prices are surging. But rather than recommending a pure commodity play, I'm intrigued by Deere & Co. (DE), the world's largest manufacturer of lawn and farm equipment," says Dr. Melvin Pasternak.

The editor of Trade of the Week explains, "The stock not only benefits from strong commodity prices, but also more profits for farmers. And with farmers seeing fatter profits from their crops, many are taking the money and putting it into new farm equipment.

"According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, September sales of row-crop tractors increased by +46.9% from August, while four-wheel drive tractor sales rose +20.5%.

"Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF (MOO) offers a great opportunity to capitalize on the move in the sector; the fund focuses on the 40 most actively traded companies in the agriculture chemical and product business," says Jim Farrish.

The exchange-traded fund specialist and editor of SectorExchange.com explains, "Below, we review the ETF as well as some individual agriculture-based stocks poised to break out on the upside.

"The agriculture stocks have been moving up aggressively since the end of June. The initial push came on the drought issues in Russia and wheat production.

"The hunt for high-yield in the agriculture sector only turns up a few names that fit our appetite for fat dividends and the potential for serious upside capital appreciation," says Bryan Perry.

The growth & income specialist and editor of The Cash Machine explains, "That said, let's get long shares of Terra Nitrogen Co. LP (TNH), a master limited partnership which offers a current yield of 10.1%.

The fertilizer sector is not only resilient, but now has an M&A premium attached to it because of the hostile bid for Potash by BHP Billiton.

Monsanto Company (MON), a big name in seed distribution, is trading higher this afternoon. With less than ninety minutes to go before the end of the session, shares of the company are up 0.7% to $48.85. Not a huge move. Volume, however, is significantly above average.

Interestingly enough, there have been some negative headlines about the business today. As an example, TheFly mentions a downgrade on the stock by Goldman Sachs. And then there's this one over at Zacks.com, describing the company's quarterly report as weak.

Mosaic (MOS), an expert in agricultural fertilizers that counts Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Inc. (POT) as a related stock, reported fiscal first-quarter numbers Monday after the bell, but the market wasn't too pleased by them. Although net profit increased, expectations were not met. We've seen this sort of situation before; it can be painful for shareholders, but that's just the way Wall Street operates.

Take a look at the press release. Earnings per share jumped from 23 cents in last year's Q1 to 67 cents this time around. In addition, operational cash flow increased more than three times to $556.2 million.

Dole Food Is Doing Right

The USDA's press secretary released a statement a few days ago that reiterated the Obama administration's commitment to farming. Despite an interview with Reuters that said otherwise, he wanted to make clear "that it is imperative that we keep the farm safety net strong so that the American people can continue to have access to safe, affordable and abundant food." It's interesting that despite all the changes we've seen in response to market volatility and emerging technologies, the farming industry has been this country's constant source of growth and opportunity.

"The agriculture-related stocks continue to move into my top tier of highest scoring stocks; add to this, BHP Billiton's hostile take-over bid for Potash Corp. and it is easy to see how investor interest in this segment of the market appears to be heating up," says Mike Turner.

The editor of Mastering the Markets explains, "One favorite in the sector is Mosaic (MOS). With a market capitalization of $25.2 billion, produces potash, one of the primary ingredients in fertilizer.

"One way to capitalize on the recent fear-drenched selloff is to take advantage of attractive valuations and invest in businesses tied to the long-term agriculture story," says David Dittman.

The contributing editor to KCI's Personal Finance explains, "Rising populations and growing middle classes in emerging markets mean people will spend more on food and increase their consumption of agriculture-intensive proteins. Here are two ways to profit from increasing demand for agricultural products: Monsanto (MON) and Bunge (BG).

"These two agribusiness heavyweights -- both of which we hold in our model Growth Portfolio -- have suffered because of specific short-term issues that don't threaten their respective positions in the sector.

Archer Daniels Midland's (ADM) stock has been in an incremental, minor uptrend since May 2009, hence plenty of upside remains, and that's one reason I'm reiterating my buy rating for the company's shares, first recommended on March 25, 2009 at a price of $28.78.

The major reason for the ADM Buy recommendation is the development of emerging markets.The global recession has weighed on ADM's results, but long-term the company remains well-positioned to capitalize on the development of emerging markets, and population growth, which will increase demand for food. Oilseed performance will be a star performer, followed by agricultural services. Further, margins should increase in FY2010 and FY2011. The First Call FY2010/FY2011 EPS estimates for ADM are $2.80 to $2.90. That $2.90 FY2011 EPS estimate will likely prove to be low.