Need a quick catch up on ag news? Here are seven stories you might have missed.

1. The quarterly stocks report came as a surprise, finding fewer than expected grain bushels and sparking rallies in corn, soybeans and wheat. Farmers who may have been holding out for more profitable marketing opportunities for their 2019 corn and soybean crops are finally going to be rewarded for their wait, says Farm Futures grain market analyst Jacquie Holland. – Farm Futures

2. USDA plans to stop conducting a wage survey of farm workers. Some worry the move could allow employers to slash the wages of workers in the food industry. – Business Insider

3. Two ag businesses announced cost-cutting this week. Bayer AG announced it would have to slash costs, cutting nearly $1.8 billion. Elanco Animal Health is eliminating more than 900 positions across 40 countries. – Farm Futures, Wallaces Farmer

4. British beef is on the way to the U.S. for the first time in more than 20 years. The U.S. banned the import of British beef after a BSE outbreak. The U.K. is hopeful the newly open market will bring a $85 million boost to U.K. beef producers over the next five years. – Beef Producer

5. The stop-gap funding measure signed by President Trump on Oct. 1 includes a delay on the requirement that all states, tribes and territories comply with hemp rules from USDA. The requirement was to take effect Nov.  1. Had the grandfathered rules expired, hemp farmers in states whose hemp plans have yet to be approved would not have legally be able to harvest, process or sell what they grew this year. – Hemp Industry Daily

6. Brazil's biggest soy farmers lobby group has spilt with the Brazil Agribusiness Association over its support for the Brazilian government to rein in Amazon deforestation.  – Reuters

7. Two more cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the eastern German state of Brandenburg. One of the boars was found outside the area of the first discoveries, according to the German agricultural ministry. – Wallaces Farmer

And your bonus.

This year in the Northern Plains the skies are dramatic and colorful, partly due to smoke from the West’s wildfires that filtered the sunlight. Take a look at the slideshow for a look at these sweeping vistas. – Dakota Farmer