Reading Time: 2 minutes Miami | Reuters — Cargill, one of the world’s largest privately held corporations and a top commodities trader, will likely remain private for at least another decade, its CEO said on Tuesday as he assessed challenges facing the 150-year old company. David MacLennan, who has led Cargill for the past 13 months, also revealed that […] Read more
Cargill likely to stay private, CEO says
China approves Syngenta’s Viptera corn: reports
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chinese authorities have informed some agriculture industry officials that the government has approved U.S. imports of a type of genetically modified corn that has sparked lawsuits against seed maker Syngenta, according to reports from Agri-Pulse and Bloomberg. Syngenta will make an announcement about Chinese government approval of Agrisure Viptera corn, known […] Read more
On the sidelines
Disease resistance isn’t a big corn or soybean issue today, but...
Reading Time: 6 minutes With so many stories about resistance hitting the farm news in the last five years, any new stories about chemical resistance on the farm now tend to generate one of two reactions: disinterest (approaching boredom) or a touch of hypersensitivity. Neither is the best reaction, especially with all the new learnings about the possibilities of […] Read more
Syngenta sees China approving contentious GM corn soon
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Syngenta expects to win Chinese government approval soon for imports of a type of genetically modified corn at the center of lawsuits over U.S. grain shipments rejected by Beijing, a company spokesman said Friday. Syngenta, one of the world’s largest seed companies, will make an announcement when it receives official documentation […] Read more
ADM suing Syngenta over rejections of GMO corn
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Archer Daniels Midland sued seed company Syngenta on Wednesday over sales of a genetically modified corn variety not approved for import by China, joining more than 100 farmers and exporters in pursuing damages from the Swiss company. The lawsuit alleges Syngenta commercialized the MIR162 corn variety, also known as Agrisure Viptera, without creating […] Read more
The biotech industry, two decades later
Biotechnology is ready to turn 20, but it still hasn’t won the public relations battle
Reading Time: 5 minutes Biotechnology has been part of the farm landscape for nearly a generation, becoming a staple of agriculture in North America and spreading around the world. Yet there is still a vocal minority of non-farmers who are opposed to biotechnology. And it can seem like their number and their power is growing. Now the question is, […] Read more
Syngenta suit against Bunge over GM corn revived on appeal
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters –– A federal appeals court has opened the door for Syngenta Seeds to revive a lawsuit it brought against Bunge North America in 2011 over the agribusiness company’s refusal of a type of genetically modified corn. An opinion in the case came on Monday as Syngenta and its parent company, Swiss-based Syngenta […] Read more
Do biotech traits still pay?
Input costs are up, soybean prices are down, but the biotech sector aims to convince growers that the economics of biotech are still in their favour
Reading Time: 8 minutes With lower commodity prices looming over the grain and oilseed sector, more farmers this winter are asking whether that expensive bag of seed is really the smartest buy. At the very least, they say, it’s time for a fresh look at trait economics. The companies that produce this seed charge top dollar for it, and […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
