Buenos Aires | Reuters — A late-season corn planting flurry in No. 4 world exporter Argentina could push output to the same level as the previous crop year, thanks to the policies of the new government, the director of the local maize industry chamber said Friday. Growers across the Pampas farm belt applauded the November […] Read more

Argentine corn sowing booms on optimism over new government

Salford buys tillage equipment maker AerWay
Southwestern Ontario vertical tillage and pasture equipment maker AerWay has become part of another well-known Ontario ag equipment manufacturer. Salford Group announced in December it has bought the AerWay advanced aeration products line from the Canadian trailer systems arm of German truck, bus and trailer axle and suspension manufacturer SAF-Holland. AerWay, which operates a manufacturing […] Read more

Brazil soy growers seek WTO complaint against U.S.
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian soybean growers have asked their country to file a complaint against the U.S. at the World Trade Organization, alleging U.S. farm subsidies give an unfair advantage to the world’s top soybean producer. Brasilia-based farm group Aprosoja says those subsidies might be costing Brazilian farmers $1 billion a year in […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat surges on short covering
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures firmed on Friday on technical buying and short-covering as investors squared positions before a key government crop report due to be released on Tuesday. Stabilizing global equities markets following steep losses to start the year offered underlying support to grains. Wheat futures notched the strongest gains […] Read more

Campbell Soup to label U.S. products for GMOs
Reuters — Campbell Soup said it will label all its U.S. products for the presence of ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms, becoming the first major food company to respond to growing calls for more transparency about ingredients. The world’s largest soup maker also said it supports the enactment of federal legislation for a single […] Read more

U.S. cracks down on intake of added sugar, saturated fat
Chicago | Reuters — New U.S. dietary guidelines on Thursday urged Americans to cut their added sugar and saturated fat intake to less than 10 per cent of daily calories, but consumer advocates criticized the recommendations for not providing clear guidance on the need to reduce consumption of meat. The government guidelines, which are issued […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn approaches seven-month low on poor exports, big supply
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures neared a seven-month low on Thursday on concerns about poor export demand and large world supplies. Soybean futures also traded mostly lower, while wheat futures jumped on technical buying. Corn traders focused on exports and stockpiles before the release next week of U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Analysts […] Read more

Regulatory reviews show slim risk to bees from imidacloprid
Label directions and rules for foliar and on-seed use of imidacloprid pesticides should either prevent or limit the risks to honeybees and other pollinators from the chemical, Canadian and U.S. regulators say in a new early-stage risk assessment. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday released […] Read more

Chinese farmers illegally growing GMO corn, Greenpeace says
Beijing | Reuters — Farmers are illegally growing genetically modified (GMO) corn in China’s northeast, said environmental non-profit Greenpeace on Wednesday, in a report that may generate further distrust of the government’s ability to ensure a safe food supply. Beijing has spent billions of dollars to develop GMO crops that it hopes will ensure food […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Weak soybeans, corn watch energy, USDA for direction
CNS Canada — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade trended down over the past two weeks, testing some contract lows in the process. While the potential for a short-covering bounce is there, further losses are also a distinct possibility, depending on what happens in outside energy markets. “Unless we see an […] Read more