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Tag Archives seeds — page 2

Syngenta’s headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo courtesy Syngenta)
Crops

Syngenta’s Shanghai IPO to fund growth, acquisitions

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Hong Kong/Zurich | Reuters — Syngenta Group will use the proceeds from its US$10 billion initial public offering (IPO) to fund internal growth and an acquisition spree to snare more of the $100 billion market for seeds and sprays, the agrichemical giant said on Friday. The company’s prospectus to list on Shanghai’s Nasdaq-style STAR Market […] Read more
Soybeans. (Alfribeiro/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops

China building world’s largest seed bank

Larger facility a bid to boost food security

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Beijing | Reuters — China will complete a new national crop germplasm bank this year, the agriculture minister said Wednesday, to boost the country’s capacity to develop new crop varieties and enhance food security. The bank has a designed capacity of 1.5 million copies, almost four times the existing one, and will be the world’s […] Read more
Packages of unidentified seeds which appear to have been mailed from China to U.S. postal addresses are seen at the Washington State Department of Agriculture in Olympia, Washington on July 24, 2020.
News

Editorial: Seeds of mystery

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There’s been much made of the arrival in the mailboxes of Canadians and Americans of mystery plant material and seeds from China and other countries in that region. There are numerous reasons that this is an intriguing story and made a splash across all the major media shortly after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) […] Read more
A botanist with APHIS’ National Identification Services (NIS) examines the contents of an unsolicited package of seeds under a microscope on July 30, 2020. (Photo courtesy USDA/APHIS)
Crops

Unasked-for seed packets considered ‘low-risk’

But don't plant, flush or compost them, CFIA warns

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Federal inspectors say the unsolicited packages of seeds that have recently turned up in mailboxes across the country so far look to be “low-risk” — but still advise the public not to plant them. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have both reported […] Read more
Packages of unidentified seeds which appear to have been mailed from China to U.S. postal addresses are seen at the Washington State Department of Agriculture in Olympia, Washington on July 24, 2020.

U.S. warns against planting unsolicited seeds from China

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Chicago | Reuters – The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday warned residents against planting unsolicited packages of seeds arriving from China because they could harm the environment. At least eight states, from Washington to Ohio, have also told residents in recent days not to put the seeds in the ground, after they arrived apparently […] Read more
(SKHoward/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops, Machinery, Markets

Climate change has U.S. fund managers adjusting agriculture investments

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New York | Reuters — After historic floods devastated Midwestern agricultural states this spring, some fund managers are evaluating how climate change will affect the long-term value of companies that make or sell products ranging from tractors to fertilizer. The issue is not simply the unpredictability of weather. Instead, fund managers say, they are struggling […] Read more
Ripe soybeans near Morden, Man. on Sept. 14, 2017. (Allan Dawson photo)
Crops

Manitoba soybean yields disappoint

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CNS Canada — With Manitoba farmers starting to bring in their early-maturing soybeans between intermittent rains, they may start to see the toll from the dry summer. Many crop analysts see soybean yields below what farmers have enjoyed for the past couple of years, but they stress that fields are variable and that longer-season varieties […] Read more
(Dave Bedard photo)
Crops

EU starts in-depth probe of Bayer-Monsanto deal

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Brussels/Frankfurt | Reuters — The European Commission has started an in-depth investigation of Bayer’s planned US$66 billion takeover of U.S. seeds group Monsanto, saying it was worried about competition in various pesticide and seeds markets. The deal would create the world’s largest integrated pesticides and seeds company, the Commission said, adding this limited the number […] Read more

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