Its biggest rivals, meanwhile, have gone against the grain by embarking on a summer arms race, stacking their rosters with big-ticket signings.

WSJ: Manchester City: The New Juggernaut in English Soccer

On the other hand, this summer America shipped the first 90, 000 of 500, 000 tonnes of grain promised if North Korea sticks to the six-party process.

ECONOMIST: Asia.view: Devil's bargain | The

Summer turns the plains of the Maremma into vistas of sunflowers and waving, golden grain, a classic backdrop for paintings by the Macchiaioli, a once-prominent group of late-19th-century Italian Impressionists.

FORBES: The Other Tuscany

This summer the exchange announced it would electronically list agricultural contracts and futures from two Midwest grain exchanges, in Kansas City, Mo. and Minneapolis--which themselves have inched in a digital direction.

FORBES: Last Call

This summer the exchange announced it would electronically list agricultural contracts and futures from two Midwest grain exchanges, in Kansas City, Missouri and Minneapolis, Minnesota--which themselves have inched in a digital direction.

FORBES: Companies, People, Ideas