TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given news articles and you need to generate a highlight, i.e., a short summary, with a maximum length of 10 lines.
PROBLEM: BUCKLIN, Kansas (CNN) -- Rob Sellard's young wheat field is a stark reminder that no matter how bad the economy, farmers are always at nature's mercy. Rob Sellard and his wife, Sylvia, farm 14,000 acres, or about 22 square miles, in Kansas. "The fact is we don't have any moisture right now, and when we hit some warm days this wheat will deteriorate very rapidly," Sellard told CNN during a visit in March, pointing to places where the green wheat was starting to die from lack of rain. "Without moisture this wheat is going to continue to die," he said. Add in the high costs of planting last fall -- the spike in oil prices drove up the price of petroleum-based fertilizers, fuel and chemicals -- and the chances of making a profit this year look bleak. "Four or five years ago, we were buying $350 to $400 a ton fertilizer. This wheat crop here, when we fertilized last August or September, fertilizer was $1,100," Sellard says. "Even if we had a decent crop, even if we cut it decently, this wheat crop will be in the red."  Watch as Sellard examines the dry soil » . For generations, the Sellards have farmed near Bucklin, Kansas. Rob and his wife, Sylvia, now farm a whopping 14,000 acres -- nearly 22 square miles. Recent years have been good to the Sellards and other farmers. 2008 saw record wheat prices, and the Sellards also raise Black Angus cattle -- the ones that make those tasty steaks that corporate execs once spent so lavishly on. But cattle production, like the economy, is also suffering.  Learn more about what affects farm costs » . "With the fears on Wall Street, people have stopped eating out so much," he says. "Less beef is sold. Foreign countries, they are struggling too because of everything that has happened, so we don't have the exports." Exports are slowly improving, and farmers such as the Sellards do have the option of hanging on to their prized cattle until prices improve. Likewise, they can sit on their wheat harvest and hope prices go up -- although they'll have to pay to store the grain. Grain prices are low compared with last season, when record prices helped some farmers make a good profit in Kansas and across the country. According to the Kansas State University agricultural extension office, Kansas wheat sold for an average of $10.50 a bushel at its peak in 2008 -- largely a result of changing supply and demand. From 1999 to 2006, the average price was $3.16 a bushel. As of this week, wheat was selling for $5.39 a bushel at a local grain elevator in Bucklin, in southwestern Kansas. Sellard says that despite last year's high prices, not everyone made lots of money. "You can read all you want, the sensationalism of high prices a year ago," he says. "I don't know of very many people around here who got $10 or $11 wheat. In most people's case, when the grain started going up they sold it at $5, $6 ." By the time prices hit $11, few farmers had any wheat left to sell. Still, Kelly Estes -- president of BTI Inc. Bucklin Tractor & Implement, the local John Deere dealership -- has seen farmers with money to spend. "I think that farmers for the most part up our way, there is no question that net income has increased the last two years significantly to what it was, due to the commodity prices going up to what they did," he says. Estes has sold out of 2009 model farm equipment, much of which sells for more than a quarter-million dollars. Business has been so good that Estes is looking to hire more employees -- and he says the agricultural sector might be one answer to unemployment. "There is a real opportunity for even city kids that want to come out and work in rural North America," he says. "They are laying people off in the cites that might have opportunities here." Estes, however, says he does worry about the impact of the economic downturn on rural America as the effects of the recession start to hit home. "You know it always starts on the East Coast and West Coast and it kind of comes in. By the time it gets here we are hoping that the tidal wave is [reduced to] a ripple effect." He already has seen sales of used tractors slow. "For us '09 looks good, '08 was fantastic; '10 is a more cautious year for us. There is no question. Just due to what Mother Nature is doing, due to what the economy is doing." Kraig Lindsay says things also have slowed at the Offerle Cooperative Grain Elevator in Bucklin, which he manages. "There is less consumption going on, so [the grain is] not going to be moving out of here," he says. Some farmers are waiting, holding onto their grain, hoping for prices to go back up. So how will farmers and those who rely on them survive? "We are concerned," Sellard says. "But we hope in the good years we've saved up enough equity that we can go the next year. ... [that] we haven't blown it all in one year."

SOLUTION: Rob Sellard and his wife, Sylvia, farm 14,000 acres in southwestern Kansas .
High crop prices in recent years have yielded profits for farmers such as the Sellards .
But a lack of rain, falling prices and high planting costs could spell trouble this year .

PROBLEM: (CNN) -- I've written quite a bit about medical myths, so I'm always a bit skeptical about medical "knowledge." But one thing I, and I'm sure many of you, think we understand is obesity. After all, weight issues crop up in media constantly. Just last night, Gov. Chris Christie was joking about donuts and his weight on The Late Show with David Letterman, and the First Lady's weight is once again a subject of discussion in the Washington Post--even though by any objective standard she's in great shape. We know how people gain weight, and we think we know how to lose it. Except a study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine shows us that's just not right. Pretty much everything we "know" about obesity and weight loss is wrong. Let's start with some things that are true. More than a third of Americans are obese. Many more are overweight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that obesity-related medical costs were almost $150 billion in 2008, and the cost in health related expensed for an average person who was obese was more than $1,400. This doesn't count the physical, mental or quality-of-life toll that obesity can levy on a person. Few of us dispute that we need to do something about this problem. There are plenty of experts (present company included) who will tell you what needs to be done. The sad truth, though, is that lots of that advice (even mine) turns out to be mistaken. I know I've told people that making small, sustained lifestyle changes is the best way to lose weight over time. But it turns out that making such changes, say by deciding to walk a mile every day for five years, results in far less weight loss than you'd expect. Coca-Cola weighs in on obesity fight . I've lectured people about the importance of physical education in schools, and I've seen countless reports declaring that the decrease in PE nationwide is one of the reasons that more children are obese or overweight today. It turns out that studies don't show that's the case. My family loves watching "The Biggest Loser." But I've found myself telling my kids again and again that what's shown on TV isn't the best way to lose weight. I tell them that slow and steady works better in the long-run than rapid weight loss. I also tell them that setting unrealistic weight goals can actually sabotage your efforts. So imagine my shock to discover that what evidence exists in this new study hints towards ambitious goals being a good thing, and that quicker weight loss isn't less likely to be kept off in the long-term. People will say eating breakfast is a good idea when you're trying to lose weight, because it will keep you from binging later. But studies show that there's no protective effect from eating breakfast at all. People will say that eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to lose weight. But studies show that, on their own, eating more of them without making other behavioral changes doesn't result in any weight loss. There's no magic to fruits and vegetables. Eatocracy: Chefs with Issues: Farm-to-table should still be on the table . People will say that snacking in between meals can lead to weight gain. But studies don't show that to be the case either. In general, people compensate for snacking throughout the rest of the day. In other words, it's not necessarily bad to snack outside of usual meal times. It's all enough to cause one to despair. But just because so much of what we believe is wrong doesn't mean we still can't do something about the issue. Studies do show that you can absolutely overcome genetic and familial factors to lose weight. They show that significant physical activity can help with weight loss, and that it has the added bonus of making you healthier in general. Reducing your caloric intake works overall, especially if it's done in a way to change your overall eating habits. Getting the whole family involved is important. And finally, for some, bariatric surgery can result in life-changing outcomes. Over the past five years, my wife and I have lost quite a bit of weight. I'm down somewhere between 15% to 20% of my high of more than 200 pounds. My wife lost even more, although I'm not going to give you any numbers (I like being married). Now that I look back, if I'm going to be honest about it, I did it in bursts over a few months here and there, each time gaining back less than I had lost. 7 weight loss myths (sort of) debunked . Each time, I had ambitious goals of 15 pounds or more in two to three months, and each time I really restricted my caloric intake. But I've kept the weight off by radically changing my overall eating habits. My breakfast consists of just coffee, I eat very light lunches, such as salads, and dinner is usually a healthy home-cooked meal with the family. My wife cooks way more than she used to and is obsessed with finding ways to make meals healthier. I avoid fried foods almost entirely, and I can't remember the last time I ate in a fast food restaurant. I also get to the gym two to three times each week. I don't tell you this because I think this is what you should do, or because I think it's the key to getting thinner. I tell you this because more and more, I think that the journey to sustained weight loss is a very personal and individual path. Perhaps our problem is we're trying to find a one-size-fits-all solution. I'm not sure that exists. Lastly, what was left out of this new scientific paper was prevention. The single best way to fight obesity is to avoid it in the first place. That has to start when kids are young, and it's a lifelong journey. But one thing I doubt will ever be proved false is that it's much easier not to gain the weight in the first place than to take it off later. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Aaron Carroll.

SOLUTION: Aaron Carroll: I thought I knew all about obesity; a new study challenges that .
He says obesity a big problem, but weight loss not as simple as fruits, veggies and no snacks .
Studies do show that overall, vigorous exercise and watching calories help .
Carroll: Best tool against obesity is not to get there in first place .

PROBLEM: (CNN) -- Responding to an allegation by the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that Pakistan's main intelligence agency has a "longstanding relationship" with a Taliban-allied insurgent group that targets U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a senior Pakistani intelligence official said: "We do have a relationship: that of an adversary." "We have made our resolve very clear that (the Haqqani Network) is an enemy we need to fight together," said the official, who did not want to be identified discussing intelligence matters. In an interview that aired Wednesday on Pakistan's Geo TV, Adm. Michael Mullen spoke forcefully about the Haqqani Network, which he said "very specifically facilitates and supports the Taliban who move in Afghanistan, and they're killing Americans." "I can't accept that and I will do everything I possibly can to prevent that specifically," he said. Then Mullen said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence "has a longstanding relationship with the Haqqani Network. That doesn't mean everybody in the ISI, but it's there." "I also have an understanding that the ISI and the (Pakistani military) exist to protect their own citizens, and there's a way they have done that for a long period of time," Mullen said. "I believe that over time, that's got to change." Based in Pakistan's North Waziristan frontier, the Haqqani Network "has been at the forefront of insurgent activity in Afghanistan, responsible for many high-profile attacks," according to the United Nations. The group is believed to have three main sources of funds: donations from the Persian Gulf region, drug trafficking, and al Qaeda payments. Pakistani forces in December announced they had seized Nasiruddin Haqqani, son of the group's leader, Jalaluddin Haqqani. Other U.S. officials in recent months had expressed concerns that Pakistan has not been aggressively confronting militants operating in the tribal regions. The Pakistani intelligence official told CNN that "we have our hands full" fighting other Islamist militant groups along the border with Afghanistan, notably those under the umbrella of the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT)  "and once we are through with them we can turn on the other (the Haqqanis). We do not have the capacity to undertake simultaneous operations." The official said the "onus of providing proof of this" relationship was on the Americans and it was not up to the ISI "to start providing clarification." Asked if offense was taken by Mullen's remarks, the intelligence official said: "Not personally, no." Earlier in the Geo TV interview, Mullen was pressed on issues such as the arrest of CIA contractor Raymond Davis and unmanned drone strikes against targets within Pakistan, which have marked what he called a "rough patch" of increasingly complex relations between the two nations in recent months. The admiral traced the difficulties back to the 12-year period in which the two countries had severed diplomatic ties, then restored them in the midst of the global terrorism crisis that followed the attacks of September 11, 2001. "We can't snap our fingers and say all of the sudden we trust each other," he said, "and that's what we're trying to work our way through in the midst of these huge terrorist challenges that we both have." "It's the focus from the United States' perspective on the terrorist threat (in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas), the al Qaeda leadership which still lives there and still threatens to kill as many Americans as they possibly could, combined with what I would call this federation of terrorist organizations that are getting along more than they used to, and at least from my experience ... the complexity is increasing, not decreasing." As Joint Chiefs chairman, Mullen is the highest-ranking uniformed official in the U.S. military's chain of command. He has been part of recent discussions that have included CIA Director Leon Panetta and their Pakistani counterparts: Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the ISI's director, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha. Mullen's term is set to end this year. "It's been a very rough patch lately," Mullen said, "and I think the leaders, including Generals Pasha and Kayani, Director Panetta and myself and others are very committed to working our way through this because we see the need to solve this problem, and we just can't walk away from it." CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, Zarifmo Aslamshoyeva and Nasir Habib contributed to this report.

SOLUTION:
Adm. Mike Mullen said ISI has "longstanding relationship" with the Haqqani Network .
A senior Pakistani intelligence official says that relationship is "that of an adversary"
"Onus of providing proof on this" rests with the Americans, the official says .
Despite strain, Mullen says leaders "are very committed to working our way through this"