Drought easing for corn, soy: Although drought covers much of the corn and soybean acreage in the country, the affected areas — 64 percent for corn and 57 percent for soybeans — are 3 points smaller than a week ago. (USDA)
Fair fare: Nearly three dozen foods will be introduced at the Minnesota State Fair, opening Aug. 24, including lutefisk baked in hoisin sauce and served in a lotus roll, pickle fudge, and smoked walleye on a stick. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Farmer John site sold: Goodman Group, an international development company, will buy the 29-acre site of the Farmer John meatpacking plant in suburban Los Angeles from Smithfield Foods for $206 million. (Commercial Observer)
Rural political gap widens: In the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans won 69 percent of the ballots cast in rural America and Democrats won just 29 percent, a gap that was twice the size it was in 2018. (Pew Research Center)
Toxic runoff: Some 730 tons of the active ingredients in 92 commonly used pesticides end up in river systems each year, often far from where they’re applied, said a study of 144 major watersheds around the world. (Guardian)