New York | Reuters –– Even as the El Nino weather phenomenon continues to impact global temperatures and crops, its counterpart La Nina is increasingly expected to emerge in the coming months for the first time in four years. The return of La Nina, Spanish for “the girl” and characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures, […] Read more
First La Nina since 2012 expected in coming months
ChemChina said close to striking deal for Syngenta
Reuters — China’s state-owned ChemChina is nearing a deal to buy Swiss seeds and pesticides group Syngenta for around 43 billion Swiss francs (C$59.4 billion), two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The deal, for roughly 470 Swiss francs (C$649) per share, would be the biggest cross-border deal involving a Chinese buyer and […] Read more
Cruz’s Iowa victory could show Big Corn’s waning influence
New York | Reuters — U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s victory on Monday in corn-rich Iowa could represent a major blow to the country’s controversial biofuels program, reflecting its waning influence over politicians even in the U.S. farm heartland. Cruz, a conservative senator from Texas and outspoken opponent of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), […] Read more
N.S. fruit, maple syrup producers get AgriRecovery
The federal and Nova Scotia provincial governments will put up AgriRecovery funding for tree fruit growers dealing with fire blight, and maple syrup producers dealing with snow damage. The two governments on Tuesday announced separate AgriRecovery programs, budgeted at up to $2.69 million for fruit growers and up to $950,000 for maple syrup producers. The […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus ring-fences some units, considers options
London | Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Commodities is ring-fencing its crop inputs, metals, juice and dairy units and is considering options ranging from joint ventures to the sale of certain assets, a senior company source said. In December, Reuters reported the trade house had been seeking buyers for its juice and fertilizer units for some […] Read more
German regulator investigates possible tractor cartel
Duesseldorf | Reuters –– Germany’s anti-trust regulator said Friday it was investigating a possible cartel of companies making agricultural machinery, particularly tractors. It did not name any targets of the probe. German agricultural trading group Baywa said the cartel office had searched its headquarters earlier this week on suspicion that some of its employees were […] Read more
Vessel demand concerns extend Baltic index fall
Reuters — The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying industrial commodities, extended its record low run to a 14th straight session on Friday on persistent vessel glut and weak demand. The overall Baltic Dry Index, which gauges the cost of shipping dry bulk including iron ore, cement, grain, coal […] Read more
CP’s Norfolk bid riles U.S. railroads
Chicago | Reuters –– A legal protest by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) over a meeting among big U.S. railroads about mergers in their industry has highlighted manoeuvring in the sector to cope with a rapid downturn and possible consolidation. Calgary-based CP on Tuesday asked the U.S. Justice Department to look into statements by U.S. railroads, […] Read more
PotashCorp mine closure may see Canpotex port shelved
Reuters — PotashCorp’s decision this week to suspend production at its last New Brunswick mine may lead it to shelve plans to build a new West Coast shipping terminal with partners Mosaic Co. and Agrium, CEO Jochen Tilk said on Thursday. Canpotex Ltd., owned by the three companies, has been considering construction of the terminal at […] Read more
Hurdles still ahead for food-approved canary seed
CNS Canada — Canary seed has been ruled fit for human consumption by Health Canada — a victory for an industry working toward that goal for years — but it’s just one step of many to get canary seed onto plates. Canary seed, until now used almost exclusively as birdseed, has received novel food approval […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
