Reuters — ConAgra Foods said it would cut about 1,500 jobs and move its headquarters to Chicago from Omaha as part of a plan to save at least US$300 million in three years. The maker of Chef Boyardee pasta and Healthy Choice dinners is under pressure to cut costs and accelerate growth as consumers shift […] Read more
ConAgra to cut 1,500 jobs, shift base to Chicago from Omaha
Indonesia making no progress against hazardous haze
Pekanbaru, Indonesia | Reuters — Indonesia has sent nearly 21,000 personnel to fight forest fires raging in its northern islands, the disaster management agency said on Tuesday, but smoke cloaks much of the region with pollution readings in the “very unhealthy” region in neighbouring Singapore. Slash-and-burn agriculture has blanketed Singapore, Malaysia and northern Indonesia in […] Read more
Glencore reported moving ahead on ag stake sale
Commodities firm Glencore, the owner of Prairie grain-handling heavyweight Viterra, is reported as already moving forward on plans to bring minority investors into its ag business. Glencore announced earlier this month it plans to tame the debt it’s racked up in its recent major expansions, partly through sales of assets and new shares. Those assets, […] Read more
VW scandal might ‘hurt’ diesel prices, gas analyst says
CNS Canada –– The scandal gripping German automaker Volkswagen and its diesel-powered passenger cars could ultimately result in a glut of diesel coming onto the market, according to a fuel analyst. “I don’t think anybody sees diesel going away forever, but from a passenger vehicle (viewpoint) we really need to get more evidence. Is this […] Read more
Argentina halts Europe-bound rice ‘impregnated with cocaine’
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentine customs agents found about 30 kg of cocaine hidden in a way they had never seen before when drug-sniffing dogs found the drug had been absorbed into grains of rice headed for Europe via Africa, an official said on Wednesday. The bust underscores the role Argentina has come to […] Read more
Regrowth slowing Sask. canaryseed harvest
CNS Canada — Canaryseed regrowth in west-central Saskatchewan is posing a problem to farmers, and could stall harvest into the winter, according to one expert. The region — particularly near Kindersley — is the largest producer of canaryseed, but also experienced a lot of dryness throughout May and June. That means many crops didn’t germinate […] Read more
Peanut company CEO sentenced for salmonella outbreak
Albany, Ga.| Reuters –– The former owner of Peanut Corporation of America was sentenced in federal court on Monday to 28 years in prison for his role in a salmonella outbreak linked to nine deaths. In a rare case of criminal prosecution linked to food contamination, Stewart Parnell, the former owner of Peanut Corporation of […] Read more
Grain handler Scoular on hunt for more Canadian buys
Winnipeg | Reuters — U.S. crop handler The Scoular Co. is looking to acquire stakes in grain and oilseeds facilities in Western Canada, fresh off agreeing to its first major purchase in the crop-growing belt, the private company’s chief operating officer said Monday. Scoular last week agreed to pay $94 million for the special crops […] Read more
Mosaic cuts potash output as demand slumps
Reuters — U.S. fertilizer company Mosaic Co. said Monday it would cut potash production and maintain its reduced phosphate output pace, lowering its outlook for sales. Delayed fertilizer purchases in Brazil and North America have weakened markets, along with volatile currency and equity markets and lower crop prices, Mosaic said in a statement after markets […] Read more
Deal would let southern California buy surplus water from Nevada
Reuters — A US$45 million deal that would let southern California’s biggest water agency access a major supply of water that would normally go to southern Nevada won approval on Thursday from the Southern Nevada Water Authority. The board of the Metropolitan Water District, a wholesaler that supplies public utilities in heavily populated southern California, […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
