Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell to a two-month low on Monday as favourable U.S. crop weather and worries about trade disputes triggered fund-driven long liquidation, analysts said. Soybeans and wheat followed the weak trend that spread across commodity markets. Chicago Board of Trade July corn settled down 10-3/4 cents at $3.80-3/4 per […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy slide on crop weather, trade jitters
With deal to close this week, Bayer to retire Monsanto name
Frankfurt | Reuters — Germany’s Bayer will wrap up the US$63 billion takeover of Monsanto on Thursday and also retire the U.S. seed and chemical firm’s 117-year-old name. The German drugmaker had received all required approvals from regulatory authorities, it said in a statement on Monday. “Bayer will remain the company name. Monsanto will no […] Read more
Heavy factory, dealer discounts fuel U.S. truck price war
Reuters — Heavy discounts of up to US$16,000 per vehicle are fueling a “truck war” among full-size pickups sold in the U.S. by the Detroit Three, a Reuters analysis shows. Strong U.S. sales this year of the highly profitable big trucks have helped offset lagging passenger car sales. But it is not clear how much […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn sags on long liquidation, favourable crop conditions
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell on Friday on technical selling including fund-driven long liquidation along with strong crop prospects amid mostly favourable weather in the U.S. Midwest, analysts said. Wheat futures also declined as the U.S. winter wheat harvest began while soybeans closed firm as traders awaited news from U.S.-China trade talks […] Read more
Deere sues Precision Planting, claiming patent infringement
Reuters — U.S. farm equipment maker Deere and Co. on Friday sued Precision Planting and Agco Corp., accusing them of infringing on 12 of its patents. In filings to the U.S. district court in Delaware, Deere alleged that products made or sold by Precision Planting, including vSet seed meters along with SpeedTube products, infringed on […] Read more
Flea beetles take advantage of late seeding
CNS Canada — A heat wave in late May and a slow start to the planting season have created some ideal conditions for flea beetles. Pest specialists in Saskatchewan and Manitoba say farmers have already begun to spray for the beetle in certain locations. “They’ve been getting good conditions to feed under, they like it […] Read more
Canada to impose tariffs on U.S., challenge at WTO
Reuters — Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on $16.6 billion worth of U.S. exports and challenge U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs under the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization (WTO), Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Thursday. The Canadian tariffs are set to go into effect on July 1 and […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans turn lower on trade tensions
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures ended lower on Thursday on worries about global trade tensions threatening exports, analysts said, while wheat and corn firmed on bargain-buying and ideas of tightening global supplies. Chicago Board of Trade July soybeans settled down 4-1/2 cents at $10.18-1/2 per bushel (all figures US$). July wheat ended up […] Read more
Canada clears Bayer’s Monsanto play, with conditions
Canada’s Competition Bureau says it’s “actively reviewing” BASF’s suitability as a buyer of the crop seed and chemical assets Bayer has to sell to get the bureau’s blessing to buy Monsanto. The Competition Bureau said Wednesday it has an agreement with Bayer to deal with “concerns that the proposed transaction would have significantly harmed competition […] Read more
CWB class action suit takes step forward
A proposed class action lawsuit against the federal government and G3, alleging farmers’ money helped privatize the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), is another step closer, says Anders Bruun, one of the lawyers working on the suit. In a written ruling released Monday, Master Shayne Berthaudin of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench ruled against the […] Read more
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