(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. grains: Wheat rallies 1.5 per cent

Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. wheat, corn and soybean futures all firmed on Thursday on support from better-than-expected export sales reports for all three commodities, traders said. Gains in soybeans were limited by a huge global supply base following bumper harvests across the U.S. Midwest as well as improving crop weather in South America. Wheat […] Read more


(Syngenta.com)

Syngenta ready to play role in sector shake-up

Frankfurt | Reuters — Syngenta and other major seeds and crop chemicals companies are intensively discussing tie-ups, the Financial Times quoted the Swiss firm’s chairman as saying Wednesday, adding to a chorus of voices predicting a sector shake-up. Conversations among the leading players in the industry are “extremely active,” the newspaper quoted Michel Demare as […] Read more

(Keith Weller photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. grains: Soybeans, wheat close lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Wednesday in a technical setback following two days of modest gains, traders said. Wheat futures also weakened as a bleak fundamental picture, highlighted by plentiful global stocks, cast a bearish tone across the agriculture sector. Corn was mixed, with some contracts edging higher on a late […] Read more



(CropScience.Bayer.ca)

Ag chem division not for sale, Bayer says

Frankfurt | Reuters — German drugs and pesticide maker Bayer on Wednesday reaffirmed it would hold on to its crop chemicals business as talk of consolidation in the industry continued. Asked for a comment on remarks by Monsanto executives that the U.S. seeds giant was in internal discussions about tie-ups in the industry, a Bayer […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Syngenta still among options for Monsanto takeover bids

St. Louis | Reuters — Monsanto executives are discussing whether the world’s largest seed company should acquire agrochemical rivals, including top pesticide maker Syngenta, Monsanto president Brett Begemann said Tuesday. “Everybody’s talking now. There’s multiple ways things can occur,” he said. Monsanto abandoned a $45 billion bid for Syngenta in August (all figures US$). Begemann […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle finish strong after wild ride

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts closed higher on Tuesday amid massive short-covering spurred by higher wholesale beef values that overcame selling led by lower cash price expectations for later this week, traders said. Spot December finished at 128.025 cents/lb., up 0.35 cent, and February 0.925 cent higher at 130.575 cents […] Read more



(NSCorp.com)

Running rights on table in CP bid for Norfolk Southern

Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) says it hopes to unclog one of the most infamous rail traffic bottlenecks in the U.S. with a bid to buy railway Norfolk Southern. Confirming a recent news report on its plans, CP announced Tuesday it has sent an offer letter to Virginia-based NS. The Calgary company didn’t disclose any financial […] Read more