File photo of a Mississippi soybean field with glyphosate-resistant amaranth. (Yanbo Huang photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Bayer scraps plans for U.S. dicamba production

Move unrelated to court ruling, company says

Chicago | Reuters — Bayer said on Tuesday it will scrap a nearly US$1 billion project to produce dicamba in the United States, but said the move is unrelated to a federal court decision that blocked sales of dicamba-based herbicides. The German-based company is moving to save cash as it wages an expensive legal battle […] Read more

Bayer’s cross symbol hangs in a terminal at Frankfurt International Airport. (Typhoonski/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

Elanco gets EU’s conditional antitrust OK for Bayer deal

Approval calls for sale of Vecoxan brand, among others

Reuters/Staff — Elanco Animal Health secured antitrust clearance on Monday from the European Union to buy Bayer’s veterinary drugs unit, after pledging to sell some products to address competition concerns about the US$7.6 billion deal. The European Commission said the companies will sell either Elanco or Bayer’s products or those in the pipeline, including licenses, […] Read more


(Leonid Eremeychuk/iStock/Getty Images)

Court blocks sales of dicamba in U.S.

Bayer says it's seeking new EPA registration for 2021

Updated — Reuters — A U.S. appeals court has blocked Bayer from selling an agricultural weed killer in the United States, the latest setback for a business already fighting an expensive legal battle over another product. A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) substantially […] Read more



Bayer’s cross symbol hangs in a terminal at Frankfurt International Airport. (Typhoonski/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

Proxy advisers split over endorsing Bayer management

Chemical giant to host AGM April 28

Frankfurt | Reuters — Shareholder advisory groups are divided over whether to endorse the management and directors at German drugs and pesticides company Bayer, according to recommendations submitted by proxy voting firms. Bayer is due to host its annual general meeting on April 28 but the company still faces potentially huge litigation risks stemming from […] Read more

Farmers Grow Communities accepting applications

Reading Time: < 1 minute A program that gives farmers a chance to help their favourite community charity or not-for-profit receive a $2,500 grant is now accepting applications. Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities Program gives out two grants in each of the country’s 33 grain-growing regions each year — for a total of $165,000. Nine of those regions are in Alberta. […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Bayer reported inching toward glyphosate settlement

Reuters — Bayer has agreed on draft settlement terms with half a dozen law firms representing tens of thousands of plaintiffs alleging that its Roundup herbicide causes cancer, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of the German drugs and pesticides company have come under immense pressure since […] Read more

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Ag chem industry watching COVID-19’s spread

MarketsFarm –– China is a major producer of agricultural chemicals — and disruptions to production would have a ripple effect on North American supplies of crop protection inputs, such as herbicides and insecticides. Plant closures and transportation issues due to the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus are being followed closely, but the Canadian industry is reportedly […] Read more


Bayer CEO Werner Baumann speaks on May 25, 2018 during the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Bonn. (File photo: Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay)

Pressure on for Bayer CEO to fix legal problems as chairman quits

Frankfurt | Reuters — The departure of Bayer chairman Werner Wenning will turn up the heat on CEO Werner Baumann to resolve the healthcare to agriculture group’s legal problems, two of the firm’s biggest German shareholders said on Wednesday. Bayer’s shares have plunged about a quarter in value since August 2018, when the company lost […] Read more