Reuters — Top U.S. grains merchant Archer Daniels Midland has proposed a takeover of Bunge Ltd., the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, a move that could set up a battle for Bunge with London-based rival Glencore. Large grain traders which make money by buying, selling, storing, shipping and trading crops have struggled in recent […] Read more
ADM reported making takeover approach to Bunge
Fertilizer producer Nutrien to keep Saskatchewan base, says Wall
Winnipeg | Reuters – Nutrien Ltd, the fertilizer company formed this week by a merger of Potash Corp of Saskatchewan and Agrium, has committed to establishing its head office in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and increasing corporate office jobs there, Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall said on Thursday. Wall said that in recent meetings, Nutrien’s […] Read more
Price spike in sulphur leaves farmers, fertilizer makers sour
Winnipeg | Reuters — Phosphate fertilizer producers such as Mosaic Co. and PotashCorp are paying the highest prices in two years for sulphur, a key ingredient in their farm products, but farmers are the ones absorbing the extra cost. Higher sulphur costs, the result of tight global supplies and strong Chinese demand, come as fertilizer […] Read more
Trade expecting bigger canola, wheat numbers from StatsCan
Reuters — Canadian farmers harvested the biggest canola crop on record, slightly larger than was expected in September, a Reuters survey of 15 traders and analysts showed ahead of a key government report. Wheat production is also seen higher than earlier expectations, as favourable weather produced big yields. Statistics Canada will release its final crop […] Read more
China’s Cofco seeks larger Canadian canola volumes
Winnipeg | Reuters — State-owned Chinese agribusiness Cofco Corp. looks to buy 2.5 million tonnes of Canada’s canola crop next year, a boost of more than one-third over its expected purchases this year as its Canadian office gets established, said the company’s global head of softseeds on Wednesday. Cofco opened its Canadian trading office in […] Read more
Agrium sells U.S. plants to ease Potash Corp merger concerns
Winnipeg | Reuters – Canadian fertilizer producer and farm supplier Agrium Inc said on Tuesday it will sell its Idaho phosphate production facility for $100 million to fertilizer company Itafos, to address concerns of U.S. regulators about its merger with Potash Corp of Saskatchewan. Separately, Agrium will sell its North Bend, Ohio, nitric acid plant […] Read more
Saputo woos Australia farmers in Murray Goulburn rebuild
Winnipeg | Reuters — Saputo, one of Canada’s largest dairy producers, aims to return Australia’s Murray Goulburn Co-operative to profit by aggressively pursuing more of the country’s milk supply, its CEO said on Thursday. The Montreal-based company agreed last week to buy the co-operative for C$1.3 billion including debt, and has already planned 15 meetings […] Read more
PotashCorp Q3 profit disappoints ahead of merger
Reuters — Canada’s PotashCorp, set to merge with rival Agrium to withstand a fertilizer slump, reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly profit Thursday and narrowed its full-year forecast, pressuring its stock. Prices of crop nutrient potash have leveled off this year after hitting eight-year lows late last year due to low crop prices and excessive production capacity. […] Read more
Mosaic shares tumble on disappointing fertilizer guidance
Reuters – U.S. fertilizer producer Mosaic Co on Tuesday forecast slower phosphate sales and weaker prices for the current quarter, causing shares to plunge as much as 9 percent. The Minnesota-based company predicted third-quarter phosphate sales of 2.2 million to 2.5 million tonnes, down from 2.6 million in the second quarter. Mosaic forecast third-quarter diammonium […] Read more
Global buyers of quality wheat face disappointment in Canada
Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — Buyers looking to Canada for high-quality wheat to make bread as drought roils output in the northern U.S. may be thwarted, as dry weather has also hit crops there. Wheat plants with the high protein content needed to bake bread have shrivelled in the U.S., one of the world’s top exporters, […] Read more
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