BASF starts production at southern China mega complex

German chemicals group BASF said Sept. 6 it has started production at a giant complex in southern China’s Zhanjiang. The first plant at the site will produce 60,000 tonnes of engineering plastic compounds a year for the automotive and electronics industries, the company said in a statement. It will be supplied entirely by renewable electricity.

Ukrainian chicken imports into the European Union have jumped 54 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter.

EU imports of Ukrainian chicken soar after quota lifted

The lifting of European Union customs duties on Ukrainian goods led to a jump in poultry imports that has benefited a single company rather than Ukrainian farmers, French poultry makers said Sept. 7. They asked that the temporary move not be renewed. The EU in June temporarily lifted tariffs to help the war-torn country and


Interest in local food grew after the onset of the pandemic in 2020, says the executive director of Direct Farm Manitoba.

Direct farm marketing makes gains in Manitoba

The pandemic shifted farmer and consumer habits, but may make data less representative of the norm, says Direct Farm Manitoba

The number of Manitoba farms that direct-market products grew by 12 per cent between 2016 and 2020, a new report indicates. The report, released this summer, used sources including the 2021 federal census of agriculture. It shows that in 2020, just over 1,000 farms were directly selling food to customers, up from 900 in 2016.

Fewer and larger dealerships aren’t necessarily in the best interests of farmers, some equipment insiders say.

Equipment dealer consolidation raises cost to farmers

Wave of consolidation began in 1980s, accelerated dramatically in recent years

Reuters – More farm equipment dealers are going out of business, leaving a handful of companies in control of a large swathe of the market and with greater ability to set prices for selling and repairing equipment, say farmers, equipment dealers and analysts. Buyouts of local mom-and-pop dealers have reduced farmers’ options for buying machinery


A worker walks at the Yara ammonia plant in Porsgrunn, Norway, in August 2017.

Yara cuts cast doubt on Europe’s fertilizer production

Skyrocketing natural gas prices have nitrogen producers wary

Reuters – Norway’s Yara, one of the world’s largest fertilizer makers, is slashing ammonia production due to soaring gas prices, raising questions about Europe’s ability to produce enough fertilizer for its crops. Ammonia plays a key role in the manufacturing of fertilizer. Without it, crop yields will deteriorate because nutrients removed from soil during harvesting

Nutrien beats profit estimates, lowers full-year forecast

Reuters – Nutrien beat second-quarter profit estimates, fueled by soaring prices of crop nutrients that more than offset higher natural gas costs and lower sales volumes. However, the world’s largest fertilizer producer lowered its full-year adjusted profit forecast as it expects higher natural gas costs to hurt its nitrogen business. Nutrien is the latest company


Letters: Time to redefine ‘progress’

I am a first-generation Canadian, born and raised on a Manitoba farm in the 1930s.  I did not take up farming as my livelihood, however I did learn to recognize that farm life can be extremely rewarding in so many different ways.  I also learned to appreciate and realize that water and the environment were

“We are reducing production at facilities that require large volumes of natural gas, such as ammonia plants,” Martin Brudermueller, BASF CEO.

BASF readies for another ammonia cut

The company cut ammonia output last September and will now reduce further

Reuters – BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, is cutting ammonia production again due to soaring natural gas prices, it said July 27, with potential value-chain ramifications ranging from farming to fizzy drinks. Germany’s biggest ammonia maker, SKW Piesteritz, and number four, Ineos, also said they could not rule out production cuts as the country grapples with



(Bayer.com)

Bayer’s agriculture unit, consumer health drive outlook hike

Frankfurt | Reuters – Agriculture and pharmaceuticals company Bayer BAYGn.DE on Thursday lifted its 2022 earnings guidance on strong demand from farmers for its seeds and crop chemicals and higher sales of consumer health products. Bayer is now targeting earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), adjusted for special items, of about 13 billion