Regional News  More favorable weather patterns have developed over Europe and western Ukraine in recent weeks. Last week saw widespread rainfall across the UK, western and central Europe, and western Ukraine. Parts of northern Germany and southeast Romania and Bulgaria missed these rains, however. The rains will benefit recently planted winter crops and may encourage some modest expansion in winter crop acreage.  While Europe has benefited from recent rains, southern Russia and eastern Ukraine have not. The region has been afflicted with above average temperatures and below average rainfall. Only light showers have reached southwestern Russia and cumulative precipitation deficits range from 5-25 mm over the past month. The curre...