Hottest July on record: Last month was the hottest July in 175 years of NOAA records, with an average global surface temperature 2.18 degrees F (1.21 degrees C) above the 20th century average; it also was the 14th month in a row of record-high monthly global temperatures. (NOAA)
Tractor, combine sales slump: Sales of farm tractors and self-propelled combines are down sharply for the first seven months of this year compared to sales between January and July of last year, said the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. (AEM)
CAFO lawsuit against Eureka: Two residents of Eureka, a town in northwestern Wisconsin, say their town’s CAFO ordinance is an example of government overreach and, backed by the state’s largest business lobby, filed a lawsuit to overturn them. (Wisconsin Watch)
Big Ukrainian soy exports: With a record-setting soybean crop in the offing, Ukraine is forecast to export 4.3 million metric tons of the oilseed, the largest tonnage ever; Ukraine is now the world’s sixth-largest soybean exporter, said USDA analysts. (Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade)