Food crisis affects cotton: Africa’s cotton output was constrained for four years following the 2007/08 global spike in food prices, and there is growing concern that this year’s food shortages will be especially severe on the continent, which grows 6 percent of the world crop. (International Cotton Advisory Committee)
Gates’ purchase is okay: The North Dakota state attorney general concluded that the sale of roughly 2,100 acres of farmland to a group tied to billionaire Bill Gates, the largest private owner of U.S. farmland, complies with a state law against corporate farming. (Associated Press)
Inflation dents shopper loyalty: One-third of shoppers in Europe and North America are switching to lower-cost brands or stores that offer more affordable products in response to high inflation, says survey. (Food Dive)
Hotter, more dangerous summers: The average U.S. summer temperature is 1.7 degrees F higher than it was from 1971-2000, with heat waves that arrive earlier and more frequently. (Washington Post)
How many LGBTQ famers?: The USDA’s Census of Agriculture doesn’t track sexual orientation or gender identity but a team of analysts drilled into the data to find “a good deal of farms are run by queer farmers,” although it’s hard to quantify how many there are. (Iowa Public Radio)