Representatives from the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, and National Farmers Union testified Tuesday at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on consolidation in the agribusiness industry, which is poised to cut the number of major companies in the seeds, chemicals and crop nutrients market in half. AFBF Chief Economist Dr. Bob Young told the committee that farmers …
#Agribusiness Executives Defend Consolidation
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this morning on “Consolidation and Competition in the U.S. Seed and Agrochemical Industry,” executives of DuPont, Dow AgroSciences, Syngenta, Bayer and Monsanto defended the current spate of mergers and acquisitions as being important to continue to deliver on the innovation that farmers need to feed a growing global population. Bayer CropScience President and CEO …
Senate Committee Hearing on Ag Consolidation
Some of the biggest names in agribusiness are on Capitol Hill this morning at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Consolidation and Competition in the U.S. Seed and Agrochemical Industry.” The committee chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) will hear from head executives of DuPont, Dow AgroSciences, Syngenta, Bayer and Monsanto, as well as representatives from agricultural organizations such as …
Global Update on BASF Maglis
BASF held the global launch of Maglis at the 2016 Commodity Classic and the global media got an update on the online agricultural platform during a press event last week in Germany. Dr. Matthias Nachtmann, head of BASF’s agIT project team, says they had a good initial launch of the Maglis Customer Navigator in North America. “We’re really excited by …
New Deadline for GROWMARK Essay Contest
2017 is the 24th year for the essay contest sponsored by GROWMARK and participating FS member cooperatives. The contest is for active high-school FFA members in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Missouri. “Essays will be due now at the end of October, instead of in the spring like we’ve done in the past,” said Karen Jones, GROWMARK Youth and Cooperative Education …
#FutureFarming Dialog With @Bayer Execs
The Bayer Future of Farming Dialog held in Germany the week before the Monsanto deal was announced was all about dialogue – or dialog – however you want to spell it. Bayer CropScience division president Liam Condon was joined by three of his Executive Committee members – Marc Reichardt, Dr. Adrian Percy, and Bernd Naaf – and opened up to …
I AM @USFRA – Janna Stubbs of Texas
Janna Stubbs from Alpine, Texas is a cow-calf operator who serves on the Cattlemens’ Beef Board executive committee and is all about telling agriculture’s story to the general public. “I married into this 14 years ago and I really enjoy being a part of agriculture and the cattle industry,” Janna says. “I feel like I’m always my husband’s voice because …
Reaction to Bayer-Monsanto Deal
Reaction from agricultural organizations on new of a deal between Bayer and Monsanto on Wednesday expressed some concern about what this trend of consolidation will mean for farmers in the long run. From Capitol Hill where National Farmers Union members have been meeting this week, NFU President Roger Johnson “condemned” the merger and called for a “critical review” of consolidation …
ZimmCast on Big Bayer-Monsanto Deal
After months of negotiations, Bayer AG and Monsanto Company today signed a definitive merger agreement to create a “Global Leader in Agriculture.” The $128 per share all-cash transaction, represents a 44 percent premium to Monsanto shareholders and an aggregate value of $66 billion – so it’s a really big deal. Following a one hour global press conference, Liam Condon of …
Bayer and Monsanto Officials Discuss Agreement
Officials with Bayer AG and Monsanto Company held a press conference this morning on the announced merger agreement. Participants in the press conference included Werner Baumann, CEO of Bayer AG; Hugh Grant, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Monsanto (both pictured here); and Liam Condon, head of the Crop Science Division. Download and listen here: Most of Q and A: