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| Good morning, Daily Money readers. It's Jayme Deerwester with you on this Friday as we head into the July Fourth weekend. |
| Speaking of which, we've got a list of which stores, businesses and government agencies are open and closed Monday, a primer on the best times to drive, as well as a guide to the best July Fourth sales. |
| If the past couple of weekends are any indication, airports could be a mess. As of 11 a.m. EDT Friday, some 250 U.S. flights had been canceled and more than 1,650 were delayed, according to FlightAware , which tracks flight status in real-time. Among domestic carriers, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have the most cancelations so far. |
| So what gives? In the U.S., the biggest problem this summer has been a shortage of pilots, some of whom are now picketing over work conditions . Airlines don't have enough people on staff for all the flights they scheduled in many cases. With rosters stretched thin, it's taking extra time for carriers to recover when something goes wrong. |
More stories you shouldn't miss |
| Is your car a target for thieves? Thefts of these Kias and Hyundais are rising. |
| How much do flight attendants make? And did they get a raise during COVID? |
| Is a recession near? Sharp drop in consumer spending signals it may be. |
| Uber safety report: 3,824 sexual assault incidents reported in 2019-20. |
| Prayer in the workplace: North Carolina workers fired for not joining company Christian prayer. |
Could fertilizer prices result in a food shortage? |
| Fertilizer isn't immune to the economic pressures driving inflation. Nutrient prices often rise in concert with corn prices, which are approaching all-time highs, says Gregory Ibendahl, who teaches farm management for the Kansas State University extension service. |
| Natural disasters and the high price of natural gas, from which nitrogen is procured, contribute to the problem. |
| "When natural gas prices go up, nitrogen fertilizer prices also go up," explains Chuck Rice, chair of the board of agriculture and natural resources at Kansas State University. |
| And a surge in the price of fuel and natural gas trickled down to fertilizer, says Jason Grant, who directs the Center for Agricultural Trade at Virginia Tech. |
| If fertilizer prices persist, food shortages will undoubtedly follow as farmers cut back to save money, Grant warns. |
🎵 Mood music 🎵 |
| John Mellencamp's "Rain on the Scarecrow" is one of my favorite songs about the struggles farmers face. The 1985 track told the story of farmers losing their land to mortgage debt and dovetailed with his involvement in FarmAid. |
| "Rain on the scarecrow, blood on the plow. This land fed a nation. This land made me proud. And son, I'm just sorry, they're just memories for you now." |
| By the way, if you haven't seen it, I recommend "Clarkson's Farm" on Amazon Prime. The reality series, which follows former "Top Gear" host Jeremy Clarkson as he battles bureaucracy and bad weather as he attempts to profitably farm his land, is both entertaining and edifying. |
About The Daily Money |
| Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from USA TODAY. We break down financial news and provide the TLDR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you. It even comes with its own Spotify playlist. It features every song quoted here. |
| Follow Jayme Deerwester on Twitter – or Instagram, if you prefer puppy pictures. (Why? Because everybody loves puppies!) |
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