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(JeanCoutu.com)
Markets

Metro in ‘advanced’ talks to buy Jean Coutu chain

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One of Eastern Canada’s major players in the grocery sector is in “advanced discussions” to take up one of the region’s major drugstore chains. Montreal-based Metro Inc. announced Tuesday it’s in “exclusive” talks with the Jean Coutu Group on the possibilities of a cash-and-stock takeover valued in some reports at around $4.5 billion. A non-binding […] Read more
(Dave Bedard photo)
Livestock

Strong beef demand lifts Cargill profit for quarter

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Chicago | Reuters — Global commodities trader Cargill reported a 14 per cent rise in quarterly profit on Wednesday as strong beef demand and ample supplies of cattle lifted earnings for its animal nutrition and protein segment for a fifth straight quarter. The gains in protein offset a weaker year-on-year result for Cargill’s origination and […] Read more
Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)
Crops

Alberta wheat, barley groups test merged management

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Already sharing an office and support staff, the Alberta Wheat Commission and Alberta Barley are taking the next step by sharing a manager. The two grower commissions announced Wednesday that the AWC’s general manager Tom Steve will now serve also as Alberta Barley’s general manager, replacing Rob Davies. With Steve on board, the two commissions’ […] Read more
(Dave Bedard photo)
Crops, Markets

Bunge leaves door open to selling itself

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Reuters — Bunge Ltd. kept the door open on Wednesday to a sale of the company as it reported a 34 per cent drop in quarterly earnings and cut its full-year outlook, but its chief executive officer predicted a grains market rebound that would reverse the slide. CEO Soren Schroder said planned cost cuts should […] Read more
(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)
Crops, Markets

U.S. grains: Soy down on harvest, worries about biodiesel

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Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell to a one-week low on Tuesday on technical selling combined with better-than-expected yield reports from the Midwest, analysts said. Wheat and corn futures followed the weak trend, with wheat retreating after climbing to a one-month high. Chicago Board of Trade November soybeans settled down 7-3/4 cents at […] Read more
(Cia.gov)
Markets

China delays deadline for implementing food import rules

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Beijing | Reuters — China plans to delay a deadline for implementing new food import regulations by two years until October 2019, a senior EU official said on Tuesday, following a lobbying effort by Europe and the U.S. amid concerns about disruption to trade. The extension comes just days before the new rules, which are […] Read more
(LouisDreyfus.ca)
Crops

Dreyfus shareholders agree to arbitration over stake sale

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Amsterdam/Paris | Reuters — Family shareholders of commodity trader Louis Dreyfus have agreed to arbitration talks to settle a long-running dispute over a share sale, sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters. The tussle concerns an attempt by minority shareholders to sell nearly 17 per cent of the group’s holding firm to Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, […] Read more
(FMC.com)
Crops

FMC deal for DuPont assets wins clearances

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The chemical company set to take up a significant chunk of DuPont’s crop protection work in Canada has picked up the last of the regulatory clearances it needs to close the deal. Philadelphia-based FMC Corp. announced Thursday it received the final approval needed, from the Competition Commission of India, to close the deal the company […] Read more
(VeikleAgro.com)
Crops

Independent ag retailers team up for group buying

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Over a dozen “indie” farm input retailers on the Prairies plan to centralize their purchasing using a model developed by Australians in the same line of work. The group of 14 independent Prairie ag input dealers on Sept. 15 announced a new organization, AgLink Canada, a buying group formed “in response to the growing global […] Read more

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