Louis Dreyfus’ oilseed processing plant at Yorkton, Sask. (LDC.com)

Grain trade regional tie-ups seen more likely over mega-deals

Paris | Reuters — The agricultural trading industry can expect more consolidation at a regional level in an effort to improve margins, but big deals between global merchants are becoming more difficult, Louis Dreyfus’ CEO said. Merchants have been grappling with lower profits from sourcing and shipping commodities such as grain and oilseeds, prompting cutbacks […] Read more


(ADM photo by Dave Bedard, Bunge photo via Bunge)

ADM reported making takeover approach to Bunge

Reuters — Top U.S. grains merchant Archer Daniels Midland has proposed a takeover of Bunge Ltd., the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, a move that could set up a battle for Bunge with London-based rival Glencore. Large grain traders which make money by buying, selling, storing, shipping and trading crops have struggled in recent […] Read more

(AGCanada.com, Bunge.com photos)

Bunge shares jump on report of Glencore standstill agreement

Reuters — Shares of U.S. commodities trader Bunge surged on Friday after the Wall Street Journal reported that Glencore had a standstill agreement that temporarily prevents the Swiss company from making a hostile bid for Bunge. Bunge had rebuffed a takeover approach by Glencore in May. Speculation has swirled for months that Glencore would make […] Read more

Lansing Trade Group’s elevator at Delhi, Louisiana, about 220 km east of Shreveport. (LansingTradeGroup.com)

U.S. grain handler Lansing buys Interstate

Chicago | Reuters — Grain handler Lansing Trade Group LLC is buying Interstate Commodities, marking another step in consolidation that is rippling through the U.S. agriculture sector as persistently low prices keep pressure on profits. The combined companies could handle as much as seven per cent of the U.S. corn supply of over 15 billion […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Ag census logs more younger and female farm operators

While people age 55 and over still make up the fastest-growing segment of farmers in Canada, the latest Census of Agriculture shows slightly more producers under age 35 for the first time in five censuses. Statistics Canada’s 2016 Census of Agriculture, released Wednesday, counted 271,935 farm operators — that is, people who make management decisions […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. agribusiness deal not a priority for Glencore

Lausanne | Reuters — Glencore does not see further consolidation in agricultural commodities as straightforward and views a U.S. acquisition as less crucial than in the past, the group’s agriculture chief said Tuesday. The diversified trading and mining group had pointed to the possibility of making bolt-on acquisitions after posting improved results for 2016 and […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

Agrium sees opportunities from major merger talk

Reuters — Agrium, North America’s largest retail seller of products for crop producers, could benefit if some of the biggest makers of seed and agricultural chemicals merge, CEO Chuck Magro said on Wednesday. Responding to a question during a company investor day in Toronto about how possible tie-ups of ChemChina and Syngenta, or of Bayer […] Read more

(Bayer.com)

Monsanto rejects Bayer bid

Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, has rejected Bayer AG’s US$62 billion acquisition bid as “incomplete and financially inadequate” but hasn’t slammed the door on further talks. Reuters on Tuesday quoted two unnamed sources as saying Monsanto can see the logic of combining with the German drugs and crop chemicals group, as per Bayer’s proposal […] Read more