Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it will require fuel companies to blend slightly more biofuels into the nation’s gasoline and diesel next year, angering oil refiners who view them as a competitive threat. The announcement follows weeks of lobbying by Midwestern lawmakers and representatives of the corn industry who wanted […] Read more
U.S. EPA ups biofuel targets slightly
ICE weekly outlook: Big canola supply counters big demand
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts fell to their lowest levels in a month earlier this week, but appear to have found some support from a chart standpoint. Solid demand on the one hand is being countered by large supplies on the other. “The demand component is powerfully strong,” said Mike Jubinville of […] Read more
Monsanto halts U.S. seed treatment launch after complaints of rashes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Monsanto put on hold the launch of a seed treatment on Wednesday, following reports it causes rashes on people, in the latest instance of complaints about a company product that was approved by U.S. environmental regulators. Monsanto froze plans for commercial sales of the product called NemaStrike, which can protect corn, […] Read more
Monsanto, BASF herbicides strain states with damage complaints
Reading Time: 4 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers have overwhelmed state governments with thousands of complaints about crop damage linked to new versions of herbicides, threatening future sales by manufacturers Monsanto and BASF. Monsanto is banking on herbicides using dicamba — and seeds engineered to resist it — to dominate soybean production in the U.S., the world’s […] Read more
U.S. EPA abandons changes to biofuel program
Reading Time: 3 minutes New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has backed off a series of proposed changes to the nation’s biofuels policy after a massive backlash from corn-state lawmakers worried the moves would undercut ethanol demand, according to a letter from the agency to lawmakers seen by Reuters. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy sag under weight of harvest
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures neared contract lows on Friday and soybeans fell to the lowest levels in a week, pressured by active harvest progress in the heart of the Midwest crop belt, analysts said. Wheat fell to a near two-month low on technical selling, extending losses in the last hour of trade. […] Read more
Dicamba label sufficient, Health Canada says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Health Canada will not be further regulating the use of dicamba herbicide sprayed on growing crops, as has happened in the U.S. The government agency that regulates pesticides issued a statement to Glacier FarmMedia reiterating its support for the current Canadian labels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week increased restrictions on the use […] Read more
U.S. EPA gives dicamba ‘restricted use’ label for 2018
Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled new restrictions on Friday on the use of dicamba herbicide, which has caused widespread crop damage in the U.S. Midwest for the past two years. The EPA said in a statement that certain formulations of the substance will be classified as a restricted-use pesticide, […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola facing uphill climb
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Bearish headwinds facing the canola market may have gotten slightly worse, after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it was considering cuts to biofuel requirements in U.S. fuel. The EPA said Tuesday it was looking for feedback on proposed reductions to the renewable fuel obligations in the 2018 and 2019 Renewable Fuel […] Read more
Several U.S. scientists to skip Monsanto’s dicamba summit
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Monsanto invited dozens of weed scientists to a summit this week to win backing for a controversial herbicide but many have declined, threatening the company’s efforts to convince regulators the product is safe to use. Monsanto faces a barrage of lawsuits over its dicamba herbicide and risks of tighter restrictions on […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
