Broadband funding: Some $1.15 billion in loans and grants through the ReConnect program is available to state and local governments, tribes and businesses to help bring high-speed internet service to rural areas. (USDA)
Sunny outlook: Deere and Co. reported net income of $5.96 billion for fiscal 2021, more than double its 2020 total, and projected income of up to $7 billion in 2022 on expectations of high demand for construction and farm equipment. (Deere)
Climate-resistant potatoes: Researchers at the University of Maine are working on new varieties of potatoes that can withstand the heavy rains and longer growing seasons that will result from climate change. (Associated Press)
Tapping syrup stockpile: Global demand for maple syrup is up but the harvest was small this year, so the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, sometimes called the OPEC of syrup, has released 50 million pounds of syrup from its stockpile. (NPR)
Ukraine farming plot: North Dakotan Kurt Groszhans, who set up a farming company in Ukraine, was accused of plotting to assassinate the country’s agriculture minister. (Agweek)