Sydney | Reuters — A pioneering Australian scheme to improve the management of water in the world’s driest inhabited continent is facing its first real test as an intensifying El Nino threatens crops and builds tensions between farmers and environmentalists. The three-year old management plan for the Murray-Darling basin, an area twice the size of […] Read more
Drought exposes cracks in Australia’s acclaimed water market
Russia defends crop data reliability
Moscow | Reuters –– Russia’s agriculture ministry defended the reliability of its crop data on Thursday, after a farmers’ lobby said regional officials were pressuring farmers to report bigger grain crops to the ministry than they actually harvested this year. The ministry said its numbers, compiled by its regional departments which send “operational information” to […] Read more
Labatt owner AB InBev seeks US$275B tie-up with SABMiller
Brussels/London | Reuters — Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, has approached rival SABMiller about a takeover that would form a colossus producing a third of the world’s beer. A merged group would have a market value of around US$275 billion (C$363 billion) at current prices, and would combine AB InBev’s dominance of Latin America […] Read more
PotashCorp says not actively discussing K+S takeover
Reuters — PotashCorp is not actively discussing its takeover proposal with Germany’s K+S, but remains interested in a combination of fertilizer producers that would aid North American potash sales and offer new access to Europe, CEO Jochen Tilk said Wednesday. PotashCorp’s standing offer of 7.9 billion euros (C$11.75 billion) or 41 euros per share is […] Read more
Russian farm lobby says crop reports artificially high
Moscow | Reuters — Russian regional officials are pressuring farmers to report more grain crop than they actually harvest this year, the head of farmers’ lobby the Grain Union said on Tuesday. Arkady Zlochevsky said the difference between the actual harvest and the declared figures was not significant. However, his comments could be troubling for […] Read more
Legumex to sell processing plants, wind down company
Winnipeg | Reuters –– Prairie special crops firm Legumex Walker said Monday it has agreed to sell its pulse and special crop processing plants and expects to sell its U.S. canola-crushing facility, allowing it to wind down the company. Winnipeg-based Legumex plans to sell its special crops division, which includes 14 plants in Canada, the […] Read more
Farm managers seek a few good aggies for awards
Agriculture students may be eligible for financial encouragement to improve their communication, critical thinking and leadership skills through Farm Management Canada’s national awards program. FMC and the Canadian Association of Diploma in Agriculture Programs (CADAP) recently opened the 2015-16 edition of their Excellence Award for Agricultural Students, with a top prize of $1,500. The awards […] Read more
Management changes at Farm Business Communications
Laura Rance has been appointed editorial director of Farm Business Communications (FBC), a division of Glacier FarmMedia, effective Sept. 1, Glacier FarmMedia president Bob Willcox has announced. Rance replaces John Morriss, who continues as associate publisher of Farm Business Communications and who will be working in a new capacity developing Glacier FarmMedia’s online grain and […] Read more
Glencore to rein in debt as commodity slump persists
Reuters — Mining and trading company Glencore acknowledged on Monday the severity of the global commodity market slump as it suspended dividends and said it would sell assets and new shares to cut heavy debts built up through years of rapid expansion. The London-listed company came under pressure to cut its net debt of US$30 […] Read more
PotashCorp reported preparing to make hostile K+S bid
Reuters — PotashCorp is prepared to launch a hostile takeover offer for German potash mining rival K+S under certain conditions, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported Tuesday. Handelsblatt cited financial sources as saying Saskatoon-based PotashCorp had talked to brokerages in Canada about such plans. PotashCorp declined to comment. K+S shares jumped as much as 10.3 per cent […] Read more
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