Black farmers legislation: A bill in the Illinois legislature would respond to the declining number of Black farmers by creating a system of land grants of up to 100 acres apiece to eligible individuals, with priority going to socially disadvantaged farmers. (Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting)
Commodity prices surge: Driven by fears of armed conflict in Ukraine, U.S. wheat futures prices leaped to their highest level in nearly three months and corn futures were the highest since last June. Russia and Ukraine are major wheat exporters. (Reuters)
4-H gets $50 million: The National 4-H Council said the gift of $50 million by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott will be “transformational” for the nonprofit organization dedicated to youth development programs. (Associated Press)
Water follows fires: Large forest fires result in higher, and potentially destructive, stream flow, says a UCLA-led study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Los Angeles Times)
Reynolds to reply: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who opposed mask and vaccine mandates as Covid-19 cases rose in her state, will deliver the Republican response following President Biden’s state of the union address next Tuesday, said GOP leaders in Congress. (Associated Press)