agribusiness
Meet the farmers who say NAFTA hasn’t helped them
Big Ag has long chanted the benefits of NAFTA to American farmers, pointing out that the free-trade deal with Mexico and Canada has quadrupled U.S. farm exports since it went into effect in 1994. “But despite the largely pro-trade drumbeat in the ag sector, there are plenty of farmers who feel otherwise,” say Kristina Johnson and Sam Fromartz in FERN’s latest story, published with NPR’s The Salt.
Justice Dept. approves Dow–DuPont merger, with conditions
Dow Chemical and E.I. DuPont can carry out their planned $130 billion merger if they agree to sell off some of their pesticide and petrochemical business, said the Justice Department. Justice’s antitrust division said the divestitures would preserve competition in the ag chemical sector.
Storm Lake Times wins Pulitzer for editorials challenging Big Ag in Iowa
Art Cullen, co-owner of the Storm Lake Times, published twice a week in northwestern Iowa, won the Pulitzer Prize "for editorials fueled by tenacious reporting, impressive expertise and engaging writing that successfully challenged powerful corporate agricultural interests in Iowa." The editorials criticized county officials for letting agricultural interests dictate their response to a lawsuit by the Des Moines Water Works over nutrient runoff and held agriculture responsible for polluted waters.
EU and U.S. regulators approve ChemChina takeover of Syngenta
The $43 billion purchase of Swiss-based Syngenta by state-owned ChemChina has the approval of U.S. and EU regulators, keeping in motion a wave of consolidation in the seed and ag chemical sector. ChemChina agreed to divest a large part of its European pesticide operations to satisfy the competition concerns of regulators on both sides of the Atlantic.
Hawaii nixes tougher pesticide regulations
Hawaiian lawmakers killed a bill that would have required agribusiness companies like Monsanto and Syngenta to notify nearby residents before spraying pesticides, says Civil Beat. “Reporting provisions requiring notifications for each application would be very onerous and difficult to carry out,” testified Warren Mayberry, DuPont Pioneer’s senior manager of government affairs.
Trump’s border tax will show up in your guacamole
If the Trump administration follows through on its threat to impose a 20 percent tax on all goods coming from Mexico, the price of certain imported foods like avocados could go up. But the tax will only be on the so-called dutiable value, which means the wholesale price of the avocado when it crosses the border, which runs around 50 cents. That means a Trump-era avocado might be around a dime more, says The New York Times.
Grassley to hold hearing on ag concentration
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Glassley of Iowa said he would hold hearings next month on "a wave of consolidation among seed and chemical producers, including the merger of Dow and DuPont," the Des Moines Register reported. The announcement came one day after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States approved the $43 billion merger of ChemChina and Swiss-based Syngenta, which has significant operations in the United States.
World Bank’s treatment of indigenous communities under fire again
Months after it assured protesters it would protect indigenous communities, the World Bank approved a $70-million loan for a massive agribusiness project in Tanzania and included a waiver of the need to consult with, and win broad support of, affected indigenous groups, reports the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
Biggest U.S. ag company picks Delaware for HQ
Delaware "beat out Iowa and Indianapolis to land the corporate headquarters for what will be the largest agriculture company in the nation, a spin-off that will be created after the merger of DuPont and Dow later this year," reports the Wilmington News Journal.
Chipotle stung by ad campaign
The Washington Post’s Roberto Ferdman reported Thursday on the launch of a new advertising campaign targeting the fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle. Kicking off with a full-page ad in the New York Post, the campaign, funded by the Center for Consumer Freedom, chastises Chipotle for selling high-calorie fare while marketing itself as a healthy alternative.
Wetjen resigns as CFTC commissioner
Commissioner Mark Wetjen announced his resignation from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission effective Aug. 28, nearly four years after he was confirmed by the Senate to serve on the regulatory agency.
Senate chairman asks for antitrust review of JBS-Cargill deal
Senate Judiciary chairman Charles Grassley asked the Justice Department for an antitrust review of an agreement for JBS, the giant Brazilian meatpacker, to buy the pork operations of agribusiness rival Cargill for $1.45 billion.
Farmer-owned co-op CHS earnings down 26 percent
The largest farmer-owned cooperative, CHS Inc., said earnings were down by 26 percent for the first nine months of its fiscal year, "primarily due to lower average prices for the refined energy products, grains and fertilizer that make up a significant portion of CHS business."
JBS in deal to buy Cargill’s pork farms and packing plants
The giant Brazilian meatpacker JBS, a relative newcomer to North America, will buy the pork operations of agribusiness rival Cargill for $1.45 billion, the companies announced.
Group says USDA researchers face industry harassment
A public-employee group petitioned the USDA to better protect its scientists from outside pressure and assure the integrity of its research, says DTN.
Pioneer, a “crown jewel,” affected by DuPont tussle
Fast-growing Pioneer, one of the largest U.S. seed companies, could face "long-term repercussions" from a proposal by a New York investor to break up corporate parent DuPont, reports the Des Moines Register.
Monsanto experiments again with GE wheat
More than a decade after pulling the plug on genetically engineered wheat, Monsanto is working again on biotech wheat, says the St Louis Post-Dispatch after visiting a research center run by the agribusiness giant.
US farm groups, ag leaders form Cuba trade coalition
Nearly three dozen farm groups and agribusinesses announced a joint effort as the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba "that seeks the end of the U.S. embargo on Cuba and to advance trade relations between both nations.