Poland To Campaign For GMO-Free European Union

Poland will propose to the European Union that it introduces a complete ban on cultivating, feeding or trading any genetically modified agricultural products, Farm Minister Marek Sawicki said Sept. 23. The biggest ex-communist EU member does not have a proper overall GMO legal regulatory framework after attempts failed to reach a political agreement in the

Pioneer Plans To Raise Corn, Soy Seed Prices

Pioneer s seed unit plans to raise prices in the mid-single- digit range next year as it takes U.S. corn and soybean market share from Monsanto and other rivals. The price increase would be in line with a similar move the company undertook for the 2011 North American planting season and comes as corn prices


Monsanto Awards University Scholarships To Farm Kids

Nine Manitoba high school students are among 51 from farm families across Canada who have secured $1,500 entrance scholarships to pursue studies in agriculture thanks to the Monsanto Opportunity Scholarship program. The program received almost 200 applications this year. The winners were selected by a panel of judges based on their academic performance, leadership capabilities

In Brief… – for Sep. 15, 2011

Dryness dims Argentine wheat outlook:Much of Argentina s wheat belt is getting dry, with frosts hampering the healthy development of 2011-12 crops in some northern areas, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said last week. Without moisture on surface soils, the outlook for wheat yields is gradually deteriorating in the western crop belt, the exchange said


New Soybean Variety Promises Earliest Maturity

Pekko, a new soybean from Elite Seeds distributed in Manitoba by BrettYoung, is being touted as the earliest Roundup Ready 2 variety in the world. We re pretty sure it s as early as it gets, Jrme Auclair, a plant breeder with La Coop fdre, which owns Elite Seeds, said during a plot tour here

Soybeans Chasing Canola’s High-Stability Oil Markets

High-stability canola oil is gaining market share in food services and food manufacturing, but the soybean industry is fighting back. In 2010 the United States Department of Agriculture granted Monsanto’s new Vistive Gold soybean “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) status. Now companies can test Vistive Gold’s high-oleic oil in food, a prerequisite to commercialization. And


Dow Introduces Triple-Resistant Soybean

Dow AgroSciences is launching a genetically altered soybean seed aimed as a direct assault on the dominance of global seed leader Monsanto. Dow submitted a regulatory package on Aug. 19 seeking government approval for a glyphosate-tolerant soybean that the company says would be the “first-ever, three-gene,” herbicide-tolerant soybean. The new soybean will be tolerant of

Viterra Outlines Structure Along Three Business Lines

TORONTO/REUTERS Viterra Inc. outlined Aug. 8 a global organizational structure around three business lines – grain, processing and other agricultural products – and named senior executives to head each unit. The Canadian agribusiness company, which has expanded recently in Australia and New Zealand, said the moves would support growth and improve internal efficiencies. Fran Malecha,


Effect Of Climate Change Hard To Predict

Climate and food production is a subject that needs more study in coming years but for now even the U.S. Agriculture Department finds it almost impossible to estimate the effects of one on the other. “They are very elaborate models,” said USDA’s chief economist Joseph Glauber. “Take into account all the fundamentals on crops and

Herbicides Can Set Back Stressed Crops

Herbicides are designed to help crops but they can also hurt them when they’re under stress as many are this year. Herbicide-tolerant groups are no exception, Anastasia Kubinec, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives’ (MAFRI) oilseeds specialist told the 16th annual Crop Diagnostic School organized by MAFRI and University of Manitoba July 5. “If your