Sams to lead NPS: President Biden nominated Charles Sams, former director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, to be director of the National Park Service. He would be the first Native American to head the agency. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
New positioning for ethanol: After years of portraying itself as the clean alternative to petroleum, the ethanol industry now says that biofuels are a better choice for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector than the few electric cars now on the road. (DTN/Progressive Farmer)
Family feud: Share prices for the WH Group, the owner of Smithfield Foods, fell 5 percent in one day following allegations by Wan Hongjian of fraud, tax evasion, and mismanagement by company chairman Wan Long, his father. (Shanghai Daily)
Less pork to China: U.S. pork exports will decline by 109 million pounds, or 1.5 percent, in 2022, primarily because China is rebuilding domestic production and partly because other exporters, including the EU, Canada, and Brazil, offer pork at lower prices than American producers. (USDA)
Drought worsens in Iowa: Some 55 percent of Iowa, the No. 1 corn state, is in drought, an increase of 2.5 percentage points in the past week. Overall, drought now affects 37 percent of all U.S. corn acreage. (Drought Monitor)