(Monsanto.com)

Michigan Sugar beet co-op scoops up cane refiner

Miami | Reuters — Beet sugar co-operative Michigan Sugar has agreed to buy the assets of AmCane Sugar, one of the cane companies hardest hit by a trade deal with Mexico limiting U.S. imports of the sweetener, according to a company official and statement. The sale comes as AmCane is embroiled in litigation in the Court […] Read more

Averaged sea surface temperatures and sea surface temperature anomalies worldwide for the week centred on Feb. 3. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

First La Nina since 2012 expected in coming months

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


The Big River Resources ethanol plant at West Burlington, Iowa, about 120 km southwest of Davenport. (Steven Vaughn photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

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




(EPA.gov via Flickr)

U.S. EPA launches probe into benefits of biofuels program

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s in-house investigators have launched a review of the environmental benefits stemming from the country’s decade-old program requiring the use of corn-based ethanol in gasoline. The investigation, to be conducted by the Inspector General for EPA, will examine whether the agency has complied with reporting requirements and […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

ADM cuts biodiesel output as industry hit by weak margins

Winnipeg/New York | Reuters — Archer Daniels Midland , one of the world’s top biofuels producers, has slowed North American biodiesel output, the latest sign the industry is battling uncertainty over U.S. renewable fuel policy while the oil rout curbs demand. The Chicago-based agri business has “temporarily” shifted production at its Velva, N.D. oilseeds processing […] Read more


U.S. forecaster says El Nino expected to begin soon

New York | Reuters –– The El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to occur in the next one to two months and last into next spring in the Northern Hemisphere, though it will likely be weak, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) agency of the National Weather Service said on Thursday. While the forecast marks the […] Read more