Viterra shareholders to vote May 29

Reuters / Shareholders in Viterra Inc. will vote May 29 whether to approve a $6.1-billion friendly takeover of Canada’s biggest grain handler by Swiss-based commodities trader Glencore International PLC. The vote will be taken at a special shareholder meeting in Calgary, Alberta, a Viterra spokeswoman said. The deal’s completion requires approval of two-thirds of the



Foreign traders vying for piece of North American grain-handling sector

The urgency to operate in the United States or Canada has grown because of increasing global demand for crops

For decades, the world’s leading grain traders like Cargill and Bunge enjoyed an unparalleled advantage: their smaller North American competitors lacked the flexibility and diversity of a global operation, and their foreign rivals lacked access to the biggest and most stable exporters in the world. That’s about to change. Large U.S. and Canadian grain companies

Richardson International’s rise to share top grain spot

The pending multibillion-dollar sale of Viterra demonstrates the value of patient capital and private ownership, says Richardson International president Curt Vossen. Last week publicly traded Viterra, Canada’s largest grain company, announced it was selling to the world’s No. 1 diversified commodities trader, Swiss-based Glencore, for $16.1 billion. But in a move believed aimed at getting


Who is Glencore International?

Who is Glencore International? A lot of people are asking as the giant, Swiss-based, publicly traded multinational firm prepares to buy Viterra and become a dominant player in Canada’s grain industry. Glencore describes itself as the world’s largest commodity trader — mostly in metals and minerals, but also crops. It employs more than 2,800 people

Canada’s Harper says Viterra bid not “primarily” foreign

reuters / Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said March 25 that the structure of Glencore’s $6.1-billion deal to buy No. 1 Canadian grain handler Viterra means it should not necessarily be seen as a full foreign takeover. Harper’s comments come as the Canadian government and regulators begin reviewing the offer by Swiss-based Glencore, already the


Big payday for Schmidt if Viterra sells

Viterra CEO Mayo Schmidt will earn millions of dollars if Glencore buys Viterra, according to the Globe and Mail. Citing security filings the Globe says Mayo Schmidt will be paid an estimated $37.5 million through “a combination of the value of his stock holdings and of the fully vested value of his outstanding options and



Rising canola futures find point of resistance

Canola futures on the ICE Futures Canada trading platform moved higher during the week ended March 16. Concerns about the record pace of usage and the resulting depletion of old-crop canola stocks stimulated some of the upward price action. Chart-related speculative fund buying interest also contributed to the price advances. Much of that buying was

Farmers fear consolidation, not foreigners, in Viterra bid

Reuters / For most of the past year, western Canadian farmers have braced for the rush of competition that will follow the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s 69-year-long monopoly on grain marketing in August. Now, they’re preparing for the possibility of seeing less than expected. The fertile region’s biggest grain handler, Viterra, said March