CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts saw a bit of a corrective bounce on Wednesday but their overall trend remains pointed lower, with the winter highs possibly in for now, according to an analyst. “The technical and the fundamentals are pointing down,” said Errol Anderson of Pro Market Communications in Calgary, pointing to […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Canola pointed lower

Four food firms said preparing bids for Weetabix
London | Reuters — The third-biggest U.S. cereal company, Post Holdings, and the U.K.’s Associated British Foods are among a group of four bidders vying for British cereal brand Weetabix, sources familiar with the matter said Friday. The 84-year-old business could fetch at least 1.5 billion pounds (C$2.48 billion), based on a valuation of more […] Read more

Canada to Mexico on NAFTA: You might be on your own
Calgary | Reuters — Canada will focus on preserving its U.S. trade ties during talks to renegotiate NAFTA and may not be able to help Mexico avoid being targeted by the Trump administration, Canadian government sources say. “We love our Mexican friends. But our national interests come first and the friendship comes second,” a source […] Read more

Struggling U.S. farm sector faces new threat as TPP dies
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to back out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, a US$62 billion market for U.S. farmers, provides a fresh threat to a slumping agricultural economy that has grown increasingly dependent on exports. Agricultural groups expressed disappointment over the move and urged the new administration to […] Read more

DuPont expects Dow merger to close later than expected
Reuters — Chemicals and seeds producer DuPont indicated on Tuesday that its $130 billion merger with Dow Chemical will take longer to wrap up than previously expected as the companies await regulatory approvals. This is the second time that the two companies, which are in talks with the European Union’s antitrust regulators, have had to […] Read more

Pulse crop strategy aims to broaden pulse demand
A new market development goal for Canada’s pulse crop industry hopes to create demand in use categories where pulses aren’t yet a major player. Pulse Canada’s board on Wednesday released a new target dubbed “25 by 2025,” under which the Canadian pulse crop grower/processor industry “will marshal its resources to create new demand in new […] Read more

ChemChina seeks U.S. antitrust approval for Syngenta deal
Beijing | Reuters –– China National Chemical Corp., or ChemChina, said Friday it has sought the U.S. antitrust regulator’s approval for its planned US$43 billion acquisition of Swiss crop protection and seed group Syngenta. “We have filed an HSR Act with the FTC after good communications with the case team. We believe the U.S. anti-trust […] Read more

Bayer, Monsanto confirm spending plans after meeting Trump
Frankfurt | Reuters –– Bayer and Monsanto said Tuesday they would spend at least half of their agriculture research and development budget in the U.S. over the next six years, following a meeting with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump last week. The two companies, which are awaiting approval of their agreed US$66 billion deal from Trump’s […] Read more

Syngenta sees no sale of ChemChina’s Adama to smooth merger
Davos, Switzerland | Reuters –– Syngenta, the Swiss pesticides and seeds group being taken over by ChemChina, does not expect antitrust regulators to force the Chinese state-owned company to put its subsidiary Adama up for sale, Syngenta’s CEO said on Tuesday. “Adama will not need to be sold. There will be some remedies in both […] Read more

Canola acres seen rising on high prices
Brandon | Reuters — Canadian canola plantings may rise slightly in spring as farmers seek to cash in before an expected drop in vegetable oil prices as palm crops recover from drought that hit major Southeast Asian producers, German oilseed analysis firm Oil World said Tuesday. Plantings will rise by less than 10 per cent […] Read more