Chicago | Reuters — Bunge Ltd. appointed the CEO of agrichemicals company Syngenta to its board on Wednesday as part of an agreement with activist investors D.E. Shaw and Continental Grain Co. The global grains trader named J. Erik Fyrwald as a director, as it navigates low crop prices and the trade war that has […] Read more
Bunge names Syngenta CEO to board under deal with activist investors
U.S. EPA lifts 2019 biofuels mandate
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday lifted its annual blending mandate for advanced biofuels, drawing praise from the U.S. biofuels industry, but disappointment that the government had not done more to protect the agricultural market. Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, oil refiners must blend increasing amounts of biofuels into […] Read more
U.S. government report says climate change will batter economy
Reuters — Climate change will cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century, hitting everything from health to infrastructure, according to a government report issued on Friday that the White House called inaccurate. The congressionally mandated report, written with the help of more than a dozen U.S. government […] Read more
Abstain from romaine: Canada, U.S. warn on E. coli in lettuce
Reuters — Public health officials in the U.S. and Canada on Tuesday warned against eating romaine lettuce while they investigate an outbreak of E. coli that has sickened 50 people in the two countries, including 13 who were hospitalized. The alerts, issued as millions of Americans plan their Thanksgiving Day menus, covered all forms of […] Read more
Japan considers scrapping age limit on U.S. beef imports
Tokyo | Reuters — Japan is considering scrapping import restrictions on U.S. beef purchases that were put in place after the first case of BSE in the U.S. in 2003, local media reported on Thursday. Both the Nikkei business daily and Mainichi newspaper said officials are discussing removing the curbs that currently only allow beef […] Read more
Barilla to buy second-largest Italian pasta plant
Milan | Reuters — Food group Barilla said on Wednesday it had presented an offer to buy the second-largest pasta plant in Italy from domestic rival Pasta Zara to boost its production capacity. Family-owned Pasta Zara has started court proceedings to get creditor protection after its debt spiralled out of control. The factory, which is […] Read more
Kellogg explores sale of cookie, fruit snack businesses
Reuters — Kellogg Co. said Monday it would reorganize its North American division and explore a sale of its cookies and fruit snacks units, which include brands such as Keebler and Stretch Island, as it sharpens focus on its core businesses. Like other packaged food makers, Kellogg has struggled to boost sales as consumers shift […] Read more
EU clear to start talks to increase U.S. beef imports
Brussels | Reuters — European Union countries agreed on Friday to allow negotiations to start with Washington on increasing U.S. beef imports into Europe, in a move that could ease transatlantic trade tensions. The Commission, which negotiates on behalf of the 28 EU nations, said it would open formal talks in the coming days on […] Read more
Scotland identifies ‘classical’ BSE case
London | Reuters — Scotland’s government said on Thursday that a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been discovered on a farm in Aberdeenshire, the first in Britain since 2015. A quarantine area has been put in place around the farm while inspectors try to identify the origin of the disease. “I have activated […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures drop on plentiful supplies, demand concerns
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures fell on Friday, pressured by ample supplies and rising concerns about demand amid weakness in global equities markets, traders said. Flat cash markets also cast a bearish tone on the markets. Cash cattle have traded at $111/cwt for five weeks in a row (all figures US$). Most-active CME […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
