Morning News: Why Pay For Crop Insurance, Homebuilders Are Feeling Good, Inflation Flat In July

Why Taxpayers Pay For Farmers’ Insurance – “[W]hy does the government spend so much on crop insurance programs? We talk to an ag economist who has a surprising answer.” Planet Money

Cows In the Cloud: The Hot Startup Moving Farmers Into The Cloud – “Farmeron is a Web data service that farmers can use to aggregate the troves of information produced about their animals: diet, health, reproduction, milk production and medicine or drug dosage. Farmers have always had immense amounts of data but little training or tools to analyze it.” Forbes

Homebuilder Confidence in U.S. Rises Most Since September 2002 – “Builders said they were more upbeat about sales prospects as both current purchases and buyer traffic improved, showing the industry is being fueled by record-low mortgage rates and cheaper properties. “ Businessweek

Inflation Stayed In Check Last Month: No Change In July – “It’s the second month in a row that the index was flat — a sign that inflation remained in check for the first half or so of summer. Whether that trend will continue, however, is uncertain.” NPR