EPA facing cuts: Funding for the EPA would be cut by 20 percent, or $1.8 billion, from its current level in legislation scheduled for a Friday vote before a Republican-controlled House Appropriations subcommittee. (House Appropriations)
Corn Belt heat wave: Parts of the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys are rapidly drying out in the face of hot weather and sparse rainfall, leading to an expansion of areas with abnormal dryness and moderate drought, particularly in the eastern Corn Belt. (Drought Monitor)
Larger grain crop: Boosted by bigger barley, sorghum, and oats crops, world grain production will rise to 2.312 billion metric tons in 2024/25, up 1 percent from the record set in 2023/24. At the same time, the global grain stockpile will fall for the third straight year due to increased consumption. (IGC)
Flooding causes pollution: At least 17 liquid manure storage pits on cattle feedlots in southwestern Minnesota overflowed following torrential rains, said the state’s Pollution Control Agency. (Patch)
Hunger crisis: War-battered Sudan “is facing a devastating hunger catastrophe on a scale not seen since the Darfur crisis,” said three UN agencies, reporting that 755,000 people in the country are facing famine. (FAO)