Reuters — Seed company Monsanto, which rejected Bayer’s buyout offer in May, is exploring various transactions, including the acquisition of BASF’s agriculture-solutions unit, news service Bloomberg reported. In return, BASF would likely receive newly issued shares in Monsanto, Bloomberg said, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions are at an early stage, and no […] Read more
Monsanto reported exploring BASF ag unit buy
Monsanto, DuPont sign supply deal for dicamba
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. seed and agrochemical companies Monsanto and DuPont said on Thursday they have signed a multi-year supply agreement for the weed killer dicamba in the U.S. and Canada. Under the deal, whose terms were not disclosed, Monsanto will supply its farm seeds and chemicals rival with the herbicide, which will be […] Read more
Monsanto, Microsoft to invest in ag technology in Brazil
Sao Paulo | Reuters — U.S. biotech company Monsanto and U.S. software and tech firm Microsoft announced on Monday a partnership to invest in agricultural technology startups in Brazil. Monsanto will join a Brazilian investment fund with up to 300 million reais (C$118 million), managed by Microsoft, evaluating ideas for new digital tools to be […] Read more
Monsanto in talks with Bayer, others about ‘strategic options’
Chicago | Reuters — Monsanto is in talks with Bayer and other companies regarding “alternative strategic options,” a month after it rejected the German company’s US$62 billion takeover offer, the U.S. seed producer said on Wednesday. Monsanto’s options include combinations with other companies and businesses in the sector beyond Bayer. Potential deals could involve BASF […] Read more
EU officials to decide on Roundup after political impasse
Brussels | Reuters –– An impasse between EU nations on whether to allow Monsanto’s Roundup and similar herbicides to continue to be sold means that the European Commission, rather than national politicians, will decide the issue next week. With most EU attention focused on Britain’s shock decision to quit the bloc, everyday work continued in […] Read more
Bayer ex-CEO reportedly opposed Monsanto deal
Frankfurt | Reuters — Bayer ex-chief executive Marijn Dekkers opposed the company’s plans for a US$62 billion takeover of U.S. seeds firm Monsanto, German magazine Der Spiegel reported. Dekkers warned Bayer non-executive board chairman Werner Wenning against going ahead with the offer, Der Spiegel said in an excerpt of an article to be published on […] Read more
Bayer waiting for Monsanto to engage after spurned bid
Reuters — Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, has still not opened its books more than two weeks after it rejected Bayer AG’s US$62 billion acquisition offer but left the door open to a possible deal, according to people familiar with the matter. The impasse shows that little progress in negotiations has been made since […] Read more
Agrium sees opportunities from major merger talk
Reuters — Agrium, North America’s largest retail seller of products for crop producers, could benefit if some of the biggest makers of seed and agricultural chemicals merge, CEO Chuck Magro said on Wednesday. Responding to a question during a company investor day in Toronto about how possible tie-ups of ChemChina and Syngenta, or of Bayer […] Read more
BASF says not backed into corner by Bayer’s Monsanto swoop
Ludwigshafen, Germany | Reuters — BASF, which has so far kept out of a consolidation push among global seeds and pesticides groups, said its business model was not affected by rival Bayer’s plans to buy Monsanto. “We are not backed into a corner by what is happening in the market,” the group’s deputy chief executive […] Read more
Coexistence plan for GM alfalfa won’t eliminate risk
Expert says stopping the spread of the glyphosate-tolerant trait is virtually impossible, but levels can be kept ‘very, very low’
Reading Time: 3 minutes The recently released “coexistence plan” for genetically modified alfalfa in Western Canada doesn’t offer any guarantees that conventional and organic crops won’t be contaminated, says an expert on gene transfer. “It really depends on what you’re trying to achieve,” said Rene Van Acker, a professor of plant science at the University of Guelph. “If it’s […] Read more
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