Zurich/Frankfurt | Reuters — Syngenta will sound out shareholders in the coming days for their views on the Swiss crop chemicals maker’s opposition to rival Monsanto’s US$45 billion takeover approach. Any takeover offer needs to be at a fair price and provide a high degree of certainty that it will clear regulatory hurdles, Syngenta chairman […] Read more

Syngenta tests investor support for Monsanto opposition

Groups urge tighter controls as U.S. considers GM crop regulation
Reuters — Dozens of consumer and food groups and businesses asked the U.S. government on Monday for tighter regulation of genetically engineered crops, calling the current system a “failure.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it was considering changes to the way it regulates biotech crops and set a public comment period that expired […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans hit six-week high on weather jitters
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures climbed to a six-week high on Monday on concerns about tightening old-crop supplies and excessive rains trimming new-crop yield prospects, traders said. Wheat and corn also rose. At the Chicago Board of Trade, the July soybean contract settled up 18 cents at $9.89-1/2 per bushel after reaching $9.90, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn falls on improving weather view
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures fell on Friday, setting back from a three-day rally on a round of profit-taking after prices hit their highest in more than a month, traders said. Corn futures also fell, pressured by forecasts for drier weather and rising temperatures that will foster corn development. CBOT […] Read more

Ont. books drop in bee death ‘incidents’ at planting
Early data from federal pesticide regulators appear to suggest Ontario’s bee yards are moving past a spell of unusually high death losses seen around the 2012 and 2013 planting seasons. Combining the numbers of acute honey bee mortality “incidents” by bee yard in Ontario in the 2015 pre-planting and planting periods, up to June 11, Health Canada’s […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy rallies on short-covering, planting woes
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose for the third day in a row on Thursday, touching their highest in more than five weeks on concerns that dry weather will arrive too late to allow for planting in rain-soaked areas of the Midwest, traders said. Traders said the excess moisture could force farmers to […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Weather issues dominate corn, soy in short term
CNS Canada –– Excess moisture across broad swaths of the the U.S. Midwest and southern Plains has dampened the outlook for U.S. corn and soybean crops in the near future. Both crops finished higher on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) to cap off the week ended Wednesday; however, the current outlook is dim, according […] Read more

U.S. grains: CBOT corn, soy, wheat rise on weather outlook
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. soybean futures rose on Wednesday as concerns about rain forcing some farmers to dial back their plantings sparked a round of short-covering, traders said. Corn and wheat futures also closed higher, supported by technical buying as well as some weather-related concerns. Soybeans, which notched a second straight day of double […] Read more

U.S. FDA to cut trans fats from foods
Washington/New York | Reuters –– The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday made good on its proposal to effectively ban artificial trans fats from a wide range of foods, from microwave popcorn to frozen pizza, saying they raise the risk of heart disease. Under new FDA regulations, partially hydrogenated oils, which have been shown […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans rally as planting slows, crop concerns emerge
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rose as much as 2.5 per cent on Tuesday, supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cut to crop ratings and its report showing planting has fallen behind the typical pace, traders said. Corn futures rose too, firming on bargain buying after posting a sharp […] Read more