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600,000 acres. The acreage acquired is expected to produce 15,000 barrels of oil and other hydrocarbons per day in the second half of this year. Exxon can increase production with new drilling in the future.
• Oil production in the Bakken has soared in recent years, recently passing 600,000 barrels per day, or about 10 percent of total U.S. production. That's helped fuel the biggest jump in domestic oil production in more than 40 years. North Dakota recently passed Alaska and California to become the second biggest oil producing state in the U.S., behind Texas.
• The deal is relatively tiny for Exxon, which produced an average of 4.2 million barrels of oil and other hydrocarbons per day in this year's second quarter. But even small additions help because oil and gas giants such as Exxon struggle every year to secure enough new resources to replace all that they've sold.
• The purchase increases Exxon's U.S. oil production by about 3 percent. It also makes the Irving, Texas company one of the biggest leaseholders in the Bakken. Other big leaseholders in the region include Continental Resources Inc., EOG Resources Inc., Hess Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp.
• Shares of Denbury, which is based in Plano, Texas, rose 62 cents, or 3.7 percent, to close at $17.34 Thursday. Exxon shares rose 95 cents, or 1 percent, to $91.52.
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• OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The economy in rural parts of 10 Midwest and Western states continued to look weak in September as the drought weighed down agricultural businesses.
• A new survey of bankers in the region released Thursday showed that the overall economic index remained in negative territory at 48.3 in September.
• That was slightly better than August's 47.1 and July's 47.9, but any score below 50 on the 1-to-100 index suggests that the economy will contract in months ahead.
• Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the drought is already hurting businesses linked to agriculture like ethanol and farm equipment dealers.
• The survey covers rural areas of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
• The confidence index was also weak at 43 in September, up from August's 39.6.
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• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- A Waubay taxidermist has pleaded guilty to two

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