Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new book on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-bill-gates-spends-fortune">Bill Gates</a> came out this week from New York Times correspondent Anupreeta Das.</li><li>It explores his time at Microsoft, his divorce from Melinda French Gates, his businesses, and more.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-still-pulling-strings-microsoft-ai-copilot-chatgpt-2024-4">Microsoft founder Bill Gates</a> is, of course, one of the most influential business leaders of our time.And now, a new book offers some behind-the-scenes insights into his reign at Microsoft, the Justice Department's landmark antitrust case against the company, Gates's divorce from Melinda French Gates, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-warren-buffett-friendship-2018-3">his long friendship with Warren Buffett</a>, his philanthropy through the Gates Foundation, and more.In it are also some fascinating nuggets — like Gates's farmland supplying the potatoes for McDonald's fries.The book, "<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored noindex" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=f3e6a8dbf642e0f1765596f4d1a6767fce72c090925dbf9256aab7f60c3a0bbe&amp;postID=66bb76147d61a86c18658aa4&amp;postSlug=bill-gates-new-book-melinda-french-microsoft-mcdonalds-four-seasons-2024-8&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBillionaire-Nerd-Savior-King-Gates%2Fdp%2F1668006723%3Fcampaign_id%3D4%26emc%3Dedit_dk_20240605%26instance_id%3D125428%26nl%3Ddealbook%26regi_id%3D194893788%26segment_id%3D168753%26te%3D1%26user_id%3D2259c117e2d6d1f3b6de8de6262da403">Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World,</a>" came out this week from New York Times correspondent Anupreeta Das.It hasn't been greeted warmly by Gates. A Bill Gates spokesperson told Business Insider of the <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-melinda-gates-stressful-work-culture-gates-foundation-book-excerpt-2024-8">new book</a>: "Relying almost exclusively on second- and third-hand hearsay and anonymous sources, the book includes highly sensationalized allegations and outright falsehoods that ignore the actual documented facts our office provided to the author on numerous occasions."Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the book:<h2 id="9cc21b88-9038-413a-a5ad-74f1076c8d9d">Gates took the Microsoft antitrust case personally</h2><div type="image" title="Microsoft store sign" height="2121" width="3182" msid="112545420" hostid="261" sizebytes="109380"></div>Gates was "personally wounded" by the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-1990s-antitrust-case-looms-over-apple-2024-3">US Justice Department's antitrust suit against Microsoft in the 1990s</a>, according to the book."'This makes no sense to me at all,'" Gates would say, in the words of one former Microsoft employee who spoke with him often on the company's media strategy. 'I don't understand how your government comes for you when you're one of the bright lights and contributing to the economy,'" the book reads."Bill was confused into thinking [by Microsoft's lawyers] it was a legal case, when it was always political. Bill didn't understand that," former Microsoft exec Bob Muglia told Das. "It really hurt Bill. It was a personal attack on him."<h2 id="9a4edeb4-b83f-4051-9be5-3efca205405c">The workplace culture at the Gates Foundation could be rough</h2><div type="image" title="Man walking past &quot;Bill &amp; Melinda Gates foundation&quot; sign on a building" height="2800" width="4200" msid="112545417" hostid="261" sizebytes="994460"></div>The book also offers a glimpse into a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-melinda-gates-stressful-work-culture-gates-foundation-book-excerpt-2024-8">workplace culture with a constant "low hum of fear" at the Gates Foundation</a>."He's the scariest person in the world to provide a recommendation or briefing to because he scans a page and comes back at you saying something like, 'What you say in the footnote on page 9 does not match with the footnote on page 28,'" one former foundation employee says in the book.Following <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-melinda-gates-announce-divorce-end-marriage-2021-5">Gates's divorce from Melinda French Gates in 2021</a>, employees were increasingly torn between the two "power centers" of Team Melinda and Team Bill, the book says."One recently departed employee observed that people at the foundation fall into three types: consiglieres who bow to Gates; young aspirants who are awed by him; and the skeptics who find Gates domineering and eventually leave," the book reads.<h2 id="eb8aa9f3-9415-4659-8db9-f7a5531217f1">Gates's farmland produces potatoes for McDonald's fries</h2><div type="image" title="McDonalds fries" height="1658" width="2211" msid="112545418" hostid="261" sizebytes="97382"></div>In her book, Das writes that Gates has an agricultural team that handles his farm investments. His land <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-farmland-potatoes-mcdonalds-french-fries-investment-2021-6">produces carrots, corn — and some of the potatoes McDonald's uses for its famous fries</a>.Gates has quite the real estate empire. He's one of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-house-real-estate-property-portfolio-list-settle-washington">top landowners in the US,</a> with more than 275,000 acres as of April.The majority of that is made up of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-tied-farmland-purchase-angers-north-dakota-2022-6">farmland in several states</a>, and he's spent millions of dollars to add to his portfolio. Despite some pushback from locals, Gates has previously said his ultimate goal will benefit others."I have invested in these farms to make them more productive and create more jobs," <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-defends-farmland-purchases-there-isnt-some-grand-scheme-2023-1">Gates said in a Reddit Ask Me Anything</a> in 2023. "There isn't some grand scheme involved — in fact, all these decisions are made by a professional investment team."<h2 id="4d6bb6db-e920-44d3-bf72-a95200d2090e">Gates is a hotelier with strict boundaries</h2><div type="image" title="Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort." height="3648" width="5472" msid="112545414" hostid="261" sizebytes="2708030"></div>In 2021, his investment firm bought a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/bill-gates-four-season-cascade-investment-firm-controlling-stake-hotels-2021-9">controlling stake in the luxury hotel chain Four Seasons</a>, where he's been an investor since 1997. However, Gates is typically uninvolved in negotiations about his investments, and Das writes that he still keeps his ventures separate."Because of Gates's ownership stake in Four Seasons, employees of the Gates Foundation are typically not allowed to stay at any of their hotels to avoid any appearance of impropriety," the book says.<h2 id="6ed6e76c-e6f2-4831-a0fa-c27d2bf4e7f8">Gates is investing billions in building a new tech hub in Tampa</h2><div type="image" title="Tampa, Florida, downtown skyline." height="3000" width="4000" msid="112545419" hostid="261" sizebytes="937430"></div>Das shares more details about the 2016 partnership between Gates's investment firm and investor Jeff Vinik to develop an ecosystem in Tampa, Florida, similar to that of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hudson-yards-rundown-major-buildings-finished-2018-10">Hudson Yards</a> in Manhattan.She writes that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-vinik-closing-his-hedge-fund-2013-5">Vinik</a> sold his stake to Gate's Cascade Investment LLC in 2023, putting Gates's firm in control of the Water Street project, which will likely cost around $4 billion. It's the city's largest real estate development in recent history, and it's set to be complete in 2027, according to the book."The bet is that Tampa will become a destination for tech companies, and young, urban workers will follow, bringing business and hipness to central Florida's often overlooked city," Das writes.

Bill Gates's farmland produces McDonald's fries — and 4 other fascinating facts from a new book on the ex-Microsoft CEO

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="8931586" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19-relief">COVID-19 relief</keyword> bill has a $5 billion provision that will forgive debts for farmers of color.</li><li>Democratic Sen. <keyword id="307904" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Raphael-Warnock">Raphael Warnock</keyword> of Georgia led the push for the inclusion of the funding.</li><li>Farmers of color, and especially <keyword id="10886284" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="black-farmers">Black farmers</keyword>, faced years of discrimination by federal officials.</li></ul>For over a century, Black farmers <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/opinion/black-farmers-covid-relief.html">faced discrimination</a> from the US Department of Agriculture and were largely excluded from federal loans and farm improvement initiatives.In an effort led by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, the $1.9 trillion <a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr1319/BILLS-117hr1319eh.pdf">COVID-19 relief bill</a> that passed on Saturday includes a $5 billion provision that will forgive debts for Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and other farmers of color, to enable reforms that will assist farmers with building generational wealth.Last week, Warnock, Georgia's first Black senator, praised the incorporation of the <a href="https://www.warnock.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Emergency-Relief-for-Farmers-of-Color-Act-of-2021.pdf">Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act</a> into the COVID-19 bill.He said that Democrats sought to "ensure equity in our recovery efforts and address longstanding injustices that have left some communities behind for far too long" and pledged that the aid "will not only help farmers of color, but will also lift up the economies of our rural communities working to recover from the economic turndown," <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/reparations-black-farmers-warnock-covid-relief-package-1136193/">according to Rolling Stone</a>.Due to systemic racism from both private lenders and government officials, many Black farmers did not have set deed structures that allowed for properties to be passed down in whole, which created fractional ownership setups.Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee, strongly backed the effort, lauding Warnock for "coming in and and working to embrace this and get it over the line right away," according to Rolling Stone.In 1910, 14% of farmers in the US were Black, compared to 2% today, something that Stabenow highlighted."When you look at one of the very first ways that there was racial discrimination after slavery was legally abolished, it was lack of support for black farmers," she said, adding that they "were discriminated against in terms of land ownership."Last year, Democratic Sen. <keyword id="941882" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cory-Booker">Cory Booker</keyword> of New Jersey introduced "The Justice for Black Farmers Act," <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/bill-black-farmers-reclaim-millions-acres-step-direction/story?id=74394647">which would allow</a> Black farmers to individually reclaim 160 acres through a system of land grants to address racial discrimination in federal agricultural policy."Overtly discriminatory and unjust federal policy has robbed Black families in the United States of the ability to build and pass on intergenerational wealth," he said in a statement. "When it comes to <keyword id="6386447" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="farming">farming</keyword> and agriculture, we know that there is a direct connection between discriminatory policies within the USDA [US Department of Agriculture] and the enormous land loss we have seen among Black farmers over the past century."Booker reintroduced his bill last month with cosponsors Warnock, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

The COVID-19 relief bill includes $5 billion in aid for farmers of color who have long faced discrimination by federal officials

<ul class="summary-list"><li>DeSantis signed a bill into law to crack down on undocumented workers in Florida.</li><li>It imposes new data collection on hospitals and makes it illegal for undocumented workers to drive.</li></ul>Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping bill into law Wednesday that will make it harder for undocumented people to work in Florida, even though the measure fell short of his demands.The measure is set to be coupled with $12 million in the state budget to relocate migrants from other states, following a controversial political stunt by DeSantis last year in which he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-dumps-migrants-on-marthas-vineyard-locals-respond-kindly-2022-9">authorized a plane</a> carrying Venezuelan and Colombian migrants to fly from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.DeSantis boasted about the stunt during a press conference in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday, saying officials in blue states expected border states to "grin and bear" the care of an influx of migrants. The sweeping changes just signed into law ban undocumented people from driving cars even with licenses from other states, ban localities from issuing IDs to undocumented immigrants, impose felony-level penalties on people who knowingly bring undocumented people to Florida, and require private employers to use e-verify — a system that checks prospective workers' residency status.Hospitals will be required to ask patients for their residency status, and to collect data for the state on how much they spend providing healthcare to undocumented immigrants. Critics of the new legislation said they were deeply concerned about how it would affect businesses in Florida. "This law will hurt Florida's economy at a time when we businesses are struggling with crippling labor shortages in key sectors like healthcare, construction, agriculture, and food service," Mike Fernandez, chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners and co-chair of the American Business Immigration Coalition, said in a statement. DeSantis is widely expected to mount a presidential run now that Florida's lawmaking session has ended. Should he do so, he would face off against former President Donald Trump, whose hard-line, anti-immigration rhetoric and actions whipped up his base and led to numerous lawsuits and public backlash. DeSantis has framed the policies as a direct response to President Joe Biden's immigration policies, saying the president turned a "blind eye" to the issue. He stood behind a lectern Wednesday with a sign that read "Biden's Border Crisis. The sign used the Biden campaign logo. "We have got massive problems at our southern border with Mexico," DeSantis said at Wednesday's press conference. "This is something that is the responsibility of Joe Biden. This is a responsibility he has defaulted on, really from day one of his presidency." Last year Border Patrol made nearly <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/illegal-immigration-arrests-hit-record-reasons-for-border-crossings-changing-11660599304" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">2 million arrests of people</a> who were crossing the border illegally, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/03/06/us/politics/undocumented-illegal-immigrants.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">an estimated 11 million</a> people are living in the US while undocumented. An estimated 800,000 Floridians are undocumented. DeSantis signed the immigration measures into law a day before before the federal Title 42 is set to expire. The controversial, Trump administration-era policy, which began during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, returned migrants to their home countries or sent them to Mexico. Migrants have been apprehended 2.8 million times since the policy started, show data from US Customs and Border Protection. The federal government expects that more than 12,000 people could try to cross the border every day after Title 42 ends, up from roughly 7,500 today. Biden announced <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/05/us/politics/biden-border-crossings.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">a crackdown</a> on illegal immigration in January, saying the federal government would deny entry to people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela if they bypass official ports into the US from Mexico. While the signing marks a legislative victory and priority for DeSantis, it did not include <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-wants-new-restrictions-on-undocumented-immigrants-in-florida-2023-2">one of the governor's top asks</a>: the repeal of a provision that allows children of undocumented immigrants to get in-state college tuition rates when they've attended a Florida high school for three consecutive years. Florida has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-gets-top-ranking-in-education-amid-desantis-war-on-woke-2023-5">one of the lowest</a> costs for public colleges and universities in the US: <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2023-05-03/critics-say-desantis-is-undermining-floridas-vaunted-education-system">less than $5,000 on average</a> for in-state students who attend four-year institutions, according to US News &amp; World Report. Lieutenant Gov. Jeanette Nuñez <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/college/bill-would-revoke-florida-law-that-allows-undocumented-students-to-pay/2304629/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">originally introduced</a> the bill allowing in-state tuition for children of undocumented immigrants when she was a state lawmaker representing Miami. US Sen. Rick Scott, DeSantis' predecessor in the governor's mansion, signed the bill into law.Scott told reporters in February that it would be "unfair" to take away in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. "They didn't come here on their own volition," Scott said in Tampa, <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/floridaplaybook" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">according to Politico</a>. "It's a bill that I was proud to sign. It's a bill I would sign again today."The repeal never surfaced during the lawmakers' session, even though Republicans have a supermajority that has largely been deferential to DeSantis.

DeSantis signed a bill into law that creates new hurdles for undocumented workers and patients in Florida. It provides $12 million to relocate migrants to blue states

<ul class="summary-list"><li>It costs one grower $45 a year to rent space in a community garden close to his house.</li><li>One producer can harvest radishes in just four weeks and tomatoes in 10 to 12 weeks. </li></ul> The <keyword id="11935684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cost-of-living" source="Orion">cost of living</keyword> crisis has prompted some people to cut food bills by growing their own fruit and vegetables.Insider spoke to three people trying to tackle <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-target-huge-costs-likely-add-price-rises-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">soaring food costs</a> by growing their own produce and reducing their reliance on <keyword id="11929027" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="supermarkets" source="Orion">supermarkets</keyword> in the process. <h2>'It was a no-brainer to start growing food' </h2>Steven DeGracia from Manhattan in New York City is a self-taught herbalist who has been growing his own food for almost a year. "I enjoyed growing house plants with great success and once <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whole-foods-shoppers-report-food-shortages-amid-supplier-issue-2020-1?r=US&amp;IR=T">food shortages</a> started and inflation it was a no-brainer to start growing food as well," he said. "I wanted to rely less on supermarkets and know their produce isn't really very fresh." <div type="image" title="Courgettes and tomatoes grown by Jim Perkins" height="1853" width="2470" msid="92633622" hostid="261" sizebytes="320404"></div>DeGracia, 41, said the initial start up was a bit costly but he's since saved money. His space for growing takes up 2.5 square feet and it just an hour to set up. It costs him just $4 a month in electricity since he uses LED lights."All the nutrients cost me about $70 but will last about two years," he said. "You could not use additive nutrients and really only spend $12 a year on a dry nutrient base and use it alone." <h2>'The kids will always go for the apples and cucumber'</h2>Andrew James from Lancaster in northern England started producing food during lockdown and documenting his progress on YouTube. After two months he got an allotment, or plot of land in a community garden, five minutes walk away from his home where he cultivates courgettes, aubergines, and peppers. The goal was to also reduce his reliance on supermarkets and save money so he started growing things his family could eat. "There's a treat cupboard as well, but the kids will always go for the apples and cucumber." <div type="image" title="Photograph of a courgette growing" height="1826" width="2435" msid="92633625" hostid="261" sizebytes="203262"></div>James, 37, saves about £40 ($48.70) a week by growing his own food. He still buys some produce in the winter but is able to eat most of the produce grown in spring and summer. The chef can grow 10 kilograms of potatoes and up to 3 kilograms of tomatoes and they last his family for about two months. He spends an hour after work maintaining the allotment, which James says has helped his mental health. It costs £37 ($45) a year for the allotment plot and water. "It's basically the same amount of a week's worth of fruit and vegetables for a year's growth." <div type="image" title="Photograph of an allotment site" height="1080" width="1440" msid="92633628" hostid="261" sizebytes="367300"></div><h2>'A homegrown tomato is a little slice of heaven'</h2>Jim Perkins from Los Angeles was inspired to make his urban lifestyle more sustainable after seeing the film "An Inconvenient Truth". The 64-year-old has been growing produce most of his life but more consistently in recent years. Perkins used to shop at Ralph's, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. For him, making the switch was about embracing "permaculture". He also prefers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-start-growing-your-own-food-like-homesteaders-2022-4?r=US&amp;IR=T#or-raise-livestock-like-goats-3">the taste:</a> "A homegrown tomato is a little slice of heaven, tasting so juicy and flavorful. Store-stocked tomatoes taste like cardboard." <div type="image" title="Photograph of tomatoes growing." height="2274" width="3024" msid="92633631" hostid="261" sizebytes="744480"></div>It can take a substantial amount of patience to wait to eat the fruits of your labor, though. "It's an ongoing commitment of time," Perkins said. "Initially it took me less than an afternoon to prepare the soil and sow the seed. Radishes can go from seed to harvest in 4 to 6 weeks, tomatoes in about 10 to 12 weeks. Most plants produce a yield within 90 to 100 days of seeding." He grows seven varieties of heirloom tomatoes, green beans, a Japanese variety of squash, lettuce, cucumbers and watermelon among other fruits and vegetables.

These people are growing their own fruit and vegetables to cut the cost of living and ditch grocery stores

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The war in <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> has lifted <keyword id="13561385" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fertilizer" source="Orion">fertilizer</keyword> prices, leading to concerns of a global food shortage.</li><li>Many low-income countries were struggling with hunger and pricey fertilizer before the invasion.</li></ul>In an era of abundant economic worries, the chaos in the world's fertilizer market is one of the most concerning.The war in Ukraine has boosted already high fertilizer prices. Russia serves as the world's top fertilizer exporter, selling <a href="https://oec.world/en/profile/hs92/fertilizers#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20the%20top%20exporters,and%20France%20(%241.83B).">some $7.6 billion worth of fertilizer</a> in 2020, according to data from the French research organization CEPII. Russia's invasion of Ukraine slammed both countries' abilities to trade, and in early March the Russian government called on fertilizer producers <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-04/russia-calls-on-domestic-fertilizer-producers-to-halt-exports">to suspend exports entirely</a>.The new supply pressures have lifted prices at a stunning clip. The <a href="https://fertilizerpricing.com/priceindex/">Green Markets North America fertilizer-price index</a> — which tracks the costs of urea, potash, and diammonium phosphate — has soared by 42% since the invasion began in late February.Higher fertilizer prices may not seem worrisome for the average American — potash and urea don't show up on most people's grocery lists. But the prices of food staples like wheat are also soaring, risking hunger crises in low- and middle-income countries. Persistently higher fertilizer costs could turn food inflation into a lasting problem and plunge the world into a new kind of economic turmoil."I am deeply concerned that the violent conflict in Ukraine, already a catastrophe for those directly involved, will also be a tragedy for the world's poorest people living in rural areas who cannot absorb the price hikes of staple foods and <keyword id="11994879" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="farming" source="Orion">farming</keyword> inputs that will result from disruptions to global trade," said Gilbert Houngbo, the president of the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development."We are already seeing price hikes, and this could cause an escalation of hunger and poverty with dire implications for global stability."<h2>Soaring fertilizer prices escalate food-shortage concerns</h2>The world was already short on food before Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. A <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/cb4474en/online/cb4474en.html#chapter-executive_summary">UN report on food security</a> estimated that between 720 million and 811 million people faced hunger in 2020 — an increase of as many as 161 million from 2019 — as the coronavirus crisis and economic recession hobbled poorer countries.The Russia-Ukraine conflict has only worsened the problem. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/wheat-price">Wheat prices</a> have soared by 27% since the invasion began, with markets bracing for supply from both Russia and Ukraine to fade. While advanced economies can absorb higher costs and turn to alternatives, developing countries are stuck with few options aside from footing a larger bill.Fertilizer prices are also up about 260% from prepandemic levels, having been dented by higher energy costs and new export-licensing mandates imposed by major exporters like Russia and China.These higher costs are forcing farmers to scale back production or use less fertilizer and risk harvesting smaller yields. Some <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/manure-big-business-high-demand-russia-ukraine-war-fertilizer-prices-2022-4">are clamoring for animal manure</a> to replace commercial nutrients. Even if the Russian invasion were to end soon and food inflation cooled, soaring fertilizer costs would have a delayed effect on the market and leave supply strained well into the future.Expensive crop nutrients hinder advanced economies' ability to fill the hole in the world's food supply. The US Department of <keyword id="11963490" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="agriculture" source="Orion">Agriculture</keyword> <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/2022/03-31-2022.php">said in late March</a> that it expected farmers in the US to plant less corn but a record amount of soybeans in 2022. Soybeans require less commercial fertilizer than corn, and a shift signals that farmers are gearing up for prolonged disruption in the fertilizer market.The uptick in fertilizer prices could even spark civil unrest in countries with unstable food supplies. Food-price shocks triggered riots in Haiti, Bangladesh, and Mozambique in 2007 and 2008, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-russia-bread-food-prices-civil-unrest-arab-spring-egypt-2022-3">Insider's Jason Lalljee reported in March</a>. Food scarcity also played a role in the Arab Spring protests of the early 2010s as people struggling with hunger and poverty mobilized against their governments.Intense damage has already emerged in the world's most vulnerable countries. The UN's World Food Programme <a href="https://www.wfp.org/news/countdown-catastrophe-begins-yemen-funding-food-assistance-dwindles">said in late February</a> that it had been forced to halve food assistance for 8 million people facing hunger in Yemen. The program's executive director, David Beasley, said the combination of dwindling funds and soaring prices risked pushing millions of Yemenis into famine conditions."We have no choice but to take food from the hungry to feed the starving," Beasley said, adding, "This will be hell on earth."<h2>Pricey fertilizer worsens the world's inflation problem</h2>The fertilizer-price surge is also a major obstacle in the fight against inflation. Food prices are a major component of headline inflation measures; the category has a 14% weighting in the consumer price index, for example. If fertilizer prices don't fall back to earth, it could weigh on future crop yields and keep food supply well below US demand.The price surge also strikes at a weakness in the Federal Reserve's plan to quell price growth. The central bank <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/federal-reserve-hikes-interest-rates-inflation-higher-costs-loans-mortgages-2022-3">started raising interest rates in March</a> partly in an effort to ease inflation. Higher borrowing costs help rein in demand for a range of goods, but people need to eat, and the Fed's plan to fight inflation can't do much to close the gap between food supply and demand.Inflation in other pockets of the <keyword id="11893570" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy" source="Orion">economy</keyword> is worsening the fertilizer problem. Energy prices have soared more than any other major CPI category, leaping by nearly 26% over the past year. Natural gas is one of those surging energy commodities and a crucial component in the production of commercial fertilizers. Rising natural-gas prices have already forced European fertilizer factories <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/09/business/food-costs-fertilizer-yara/index.html">to scale back production</a>, threatening an even bigger nutrient shortage in the months ahead.The world is adjusting somewhat to combat the new price pressures. The USDA announced in March that it would make $250 million available in the summer <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/03/11/usda-announces-plans-250-million-investment-support-innovative#:~:text=USDA%20will%20make%20available%20%24250,production%20to%20supply%20American%20farmers.">to boost domestic fertilizer production</a>.But last-minute adjustments aren't likely to fully counter a fertilizer shortage. The world is already struggling to shoulder rising food costs, and there's little indication that the war in Ukraine will end soon. As farmers make do, elevated fertilizer prices loom over hungry countries and inflation-rattled economies.

The war in Ukraine is sending fertilizer prices through the roof. That could spark food shortages in countries already struggling with widespread hunger.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The AI boom could change or eliminate millions of American jobs.</li><li>Experts say many of those workers will need to be retrained for new jobs to avoid being left behind.</li></ul>The US economy will face a big test in the years ahead — one it has struggled with in the past: helping workers adjust when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-jobs-at-risk-replacement-artificial-intelligence-ai-labor-trends-2023-02">jobs change or disappear</a>.Emerging generative AI technologies like ChatGPT could eliminate or change the nature of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-survive-ai-jobs-revolution-skills-experts-2023-11">millions of jobs</a> over the next decade. Many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-radically-reshape-job-market-global-economy-employee-labor-innovation-2023-8">knowledge-worker occupations</a> could be impacted, including those in marketing and sales, software engineering, research and development, accounting, financial advising, and writing roles.Even workers in the jobs that remain could eventually become vulnerable. That's because AI could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ai-change-jobs-chatgpt-pay-remote-work-productivity-2023-6">change their work tasks</a> — automating some, tweaking others, and creating entirely new ones. While this landscape could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-chatgpt-at-work-job-save-time-ai-2023-2">bring opportunities</a> for workers who learn to use new technologies, those who struggle to adapt could be replaced not by AI — but by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-wont-take-your-job-someone-who-uses-it-might-2023-5">fellow humans who know how to use it</a>."AI won't take your job. It's somebody using AI that will take your job," economist <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-wont-take-your-job-someone-who-uses-it-might-2023-5">Richard Baldwin</a> said earlier this year.Both scenarios point to a growing need for retraining — or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sc/how-a-reskilling-program-helps-keep-top-employees">reskilling</a> — workers impacted by the coming AI boom. This includes training displaced workers for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/job-disruption-ai-future-careers-blue-collar-desk-work-2023-11">jobs less impacted by AI</a> and giving others the skills they need to work in one of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-ai-will-not-take-jobs-create-future-work-opportunities-2023-2">millions of new jobs</a> that could be created <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-artificial-intelligence-job-replacement-worries-losses-microsoft-excel-atms-2023-10">due to these technologies</a>. It also means helping workers develop AI skills in their current roles so they don't get left behind."Over the long term, labor disruptions could herald an unprecedented demand for reskilling displaced workers and require a significant increase in capacity for retraining," Seth Carpenter, Global Chief Economist for Morgan Stanley, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/generative-ai-future-of-work">said</a> in a note in early November. Retraining and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-will-government-help-during-recession-unemployment-checks-parents-biden-2022-12">government safety net programs</a> like unemployment insurance he added, are more likely to help displaced workers than policies like a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deepmind-founder-universal-basic-income-needed-ai-job-losses-2023-5">universal basic income</a> — which some have posed as a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-universal-basic-income-physical-work-choice-2021-8">solution to AI job displacement</a>.But even if retraining is the solution, executing this transition is easier said than done. The US has seen job displacement before, and the aftermath hasn't always been pretty.<h2>Retraining workers in certain age groups and industries can help the US avoid the mistakes of the past</h2>In the early 2000s, expanded global trade led to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/made-in-america-products-more-expensive-2022-12">cheaper products</a> for American consumers. But this contributed to the loss of as many as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/publication/botched-policy-responses-to-globalization/#:~:text=From%201998%20to%202021%2C%20the,European%20Union%2C%20and%20other%20countries.">five million</a> US manufacturing jobs and the subsequent economic hardships faced by many communities — particularly smaller <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-manufacturing-factories-save-america-economy-future-crappy-service-jobs-2022-7">cities and towns in the Midwest</a>.When Donald Trump promised to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/there-is-a-huge-hole-in-trumps-promise-to-bring-back-us-manufacturing-jobs-2017-3">bring back manufacturing jobs</a> before the 2016 election, he was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/counties-exposed-to-trade-voted-for-trump-in-the-republican-primaries-2016-7">speaking to the Americans</a> who had been left in the lurch."The mismanaged integration of the United States into the global economy has devastated US manufacturing workers and their communities," the Economic Policy Institute <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/publication/botched-policy-responses-to-globalization/#:~:text=From%201998%20to%202021%2C%20the,period%20(1998%20to%202019).">wrote</a> last year, referring to the wave of globalization between 1998 and 2021.Efforts to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/made-in-america-companies-bringing-manufacturing-back-to-us-2022-7">bring supply chains closer to home</a> have led to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-is-experiencing-factory-boom-but-finding-workers-is-difficult-2023-7">manufacturing uptick</a> in the US in recent years. But many overseas jobs aren't likely to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/business/economy/coronavirus-globalization-jobs-supply-chain-china.html">return</a> anytime soon, among the reasons job retraining was — and remains — necessary for impacted workers.If and when AI poses a new disruption to many Americans' jobs, avoiding the mistakes of the past will require <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-at-risk-from-ai-replace-change-chatgpt-automation-study-2023-7">significant retraining investments</a> by US companies, schools, and governments, Michael Chui, a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute who has researched the impact of new technologies on businesses, previously told Insider.In the "glass-half-full" scenario, Chui said, retraining could help many workers transition to higher-paying jobs. While the US has far from a perfect track record in navigating economic disruptions, he said he had confidence the US could make the transition."There was a time when a vast majority of the workers in the United States were involved in agriculture," he said. "And then years later, far more people were working in factories, for instance. But we didn't end up with 50% unemployment. We have historically been able to do this."Young workers, who are more likely to have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ai-can-help-gen-z-succeed-workplace-2023-7">experimented with technologies like ChatGPT</a>, may have an easier time adapting to the AI future — but extra retraining resources may be needed for older workers. When telephone operators, for instance — then a common profession for women — were automated in the late 19th century, older workers struggled most, Ethan Mollick, an associate professor of entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rise-of-ai-artificial-intelligence-how-to-prepare-history-productivity-2023-7">told Insider</a>."When you got rid of operators, then basically young women were able to adjust, find new jobs and were able to adapt," he said. "But older women took a lifelong hit to wages — were never able to find as good a job again."<h2>Companies, schools, and governments have a role to play in retraining</h2>On a practical level, retraining can happen in a few different ways: at colleges and universities, through independent programs, or within companies themselves. But it's not yet clear who will be — and should be — responsible for executing the needed training.Some companies have already taken steps to ensure their workers keep up with AI.The accounting and consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers, for instance, has plans to provide <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pwc-training-workers-ai-usage-quickly-2023-9">AI training for 75,000 workers</a> in the US and Mexico. The training is designed to teach employees about new technologies and how they can safely incorporate them into their work. In an IBM <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/report/augmented-workforce">survey</a> of 300 global corporate executives conducted in May, the executives estimated that 40% of their respective workforces would need reskilling over the next three years due to the implementation of AI and automation.It's not just about helping workers keep their jobs. Given AI's potential to help businesses <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/artifical-intelligence-could-boost-sp-500-profits-goldman-sachs-2023-5">increase productivity and boost profits</a>, there's arguably plenty of reason for them to invest in AI training.Some college professors, like UPenn's Mollick, have encouraged their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wharton-mba-professor-requires-students-to-use-chatgpt-ai-cheating-2023-1">students to use AI like ChatGPT</a> in some of their studies. They say knowing how to use these tools could someday be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/education-experts-teachers-generative-ai-chatgpt-classroom-2023-1">important in the workforce</a>. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=ai+training+courses&amp;oq=Ai+training+courses&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgAEAAYgAQyBwgAEAAYgAQyBwgBEAAYgAQyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEAAYgAQyBggGEEUYPDIGCAcQRRg90gEIMjE4NGowajSoAgCwAgA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">Schools</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=7eefd3671696e6f2ba7571419576eee50c6d231bdf65ff9b777161e9fad68d2e&amp;postID=655252a2b0b368bea747ff57&amp;postSlug=jobs-ai-chatgpt-career-change-reskilling-tech-training-workers-disruptions-2023-11&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.coursera.org%2Fcourses%3Fquery%3Dartificial%2520intelligence">EdTech platforms</a> have also begun offering more AI-focused courses.Government investments are <a target="_blank" href="https://hbr.org/2023/09/reskilling-in-the-age-of-ai">another piece</a> of the puzzle. In addition to directing funding toward retraining programs, Congress could also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/democrats/issue-briefs?id=48D820DF-15B9-4EB7-952D-DF93E12B296C">adopt tax policies</a> that encourage companies to retrain their workers — rather than replace them."It is true that some workers will need support and retraining as we make this transition into an AI-powered workplace," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-comments-about-ai-risks-workers-will-need-retraining-2023-7">Bill Gates</a> wrote in a July blog post. "That's a role for governments and businesses, and they'll need to manage it well so that workers aren't left behind."

You Searched For "new agricultural bills" and got 6 results

Bill Gates's farmland produces McDonald's fries — and 4 other fascinating facts from a new book on the ex-Microsoft CEO

Sarah Jackson,Jordan Hart

The COVID-19 relief bill includes $5 billion in aid for farmers of color who have long faced discrimination by federal officials

John L. Dorman

DeSantis signed a bill into law that creates new hurdles for undocumented workers and patients in Florida. It provides $12 million to relocate migrants to blue states

Kimberly Leonard

These people are growing their own fruit and vegetables to cut the cost of living and ditch grocery stores

Jyoti Mann

The war in Ukraine is sending fertilizer prices through the roof. That could spark food shortages in countries already struggling with widespread hunger.

Ben Winck

AI is going to force millions of workers to train for new jobs. The US has historically been terrible at this.

Jacob Zinkula

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides