Alva Review-Courier -

LUFKIN, Texas (AP) — On a busy highway heading into this industrial East Texas town, a candy factory stands next to a chicken processing plant that sometimes wafts the smell of bird guts across the parking lot that divides them, mixing with the delicate scents of peppermint and peanuts.

But Atkinson Candy Co., an 85-year-old confectioner best known for its Chick-O-Stick bars sold in convenience stores across the nation, has a bigger, albeit sweeter smelling problem than the occasional foul odor from its neighbor: sugar. Because of U.S. price supports and trade barriers, Atkinson pays about dou...