Bayer wants to buy Monsanto for $62 billion, hooking up the German chemical and drug company with the St. Louis-based producer of seeds and weed-killers.  The deal would create a global giant in agriculture technology touching much of global food production through the development of seeds and pesticides.  They would combine different regional strengths: Monsanto is big in the United States, while Bayer has a larger presence in Europe and Asia. Bayer says the head office for the combined seed business will be in St. Louis, Missouri, where Monsanto is headquartered. [node:read-more:link]

Bayer AG, whose $62 billion takeover bid was rejected earlier by Monsanto Co., said it’s confident it can overcome the seed company’s concerns about the regulatory and financing risks related to a deal that would create the world’s largest supplier of seeds and crop chemicals.  The conciliatory tone from both sides sets the stage for an improved offer from Bayer. [node:read-more:link]

An attempt three years ago to drill an oil well 9,700 feet deep, through multiple water aquifers and a highly dense layer of pre-Cambrian rock near Wasta, ended very badly.And now the state of South Dakota may be on the hook for a $2 million repair and clean-up bill, and officials are worried over the failed well's impact on local fresh water supplies. The trouble began when a drill bit broke partway down after going through several aquifers. The bit and a long length of drill pipe are still in the hole at the well that is located about 45 miles east of Rapid City. [node:read-more:link]

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development recently approved eight rural Utah businesses for Rural Fast Track grants.  Rural Fast Track grants are post-performance matching funds available to small businesses in qualifying Utah counties. Aimed at creating high-paying local jobs, the program provides an efficient way for rural companies to purchase necessary equipment, create new positions or reach other goals to grow their business [node:read-more:link]

Rural child poverty fell by 3 percentage points from 2012 to 2014. [node:read-more:link]

David Freeman, a celebrated eco-pioneer and former chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority, argues that the nation’s most electrified region needs an even higher dose of that magic juice that the New Dealers promised would make this impoverished seven-state region look like the rest of America and become a model of economic development for the world. Freeman’s vision this time is far broader and more likely to have enduring impact and global implications than TVA has had in its 83-year history. [node:read-more:link]

Wind energy continues to be a growing industry in the United States. Several states are tapping this renewable resource for over 20% of their power needs. As growth continues, projects are breaking new ground. Developers are interacting with more communities and landowners in the process.  While landowners received at least $180 million in land lease payments (and that number could continue to grow to $1 billion annually by 2050), many still face challenges from the development of projects on their land. [node:read-more:link]

Though meatpacking plants have long relied on labor by immigrants, particularly Hispanics, major companies have moved to hire Somalis, who have the dual advantage for employers of being legal and relatively cheap. In one slice of a changing low-wage America, these are the new ideal workers.  Only a decade earlier, meatpacking jobs went almost exclusively to Hispanics. But now more Mexican immigrants are leaving the United States than coming to work, and the number of unauthorized immigrants is receding after decades of growth. [node:read-more:link]

Some farm workers are getting back wages and damages, following the settlement of a labor dispute with some Washington blueberry growers.  The blueberry growers in Walla Walla County admitted in federal court that they violated the rights of their agricultural workers over a period of three years. That includes failing to pay the minimum wage and overtime in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 growing seasons.  The U.S. [node:read-more:link]

An animal rescue farm in Massachusetts is experiencing a goat overload and is seeking the public's help.The goats are an assortment of alpine, pygmy and angora mixes. They were voluntarily turned over by an owner in Montague who couldn't handle the growing herd. Some are nursing kids and pregnant does. [node:read-more:link]