Monsanto says it has received import approval from China for its Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, meaning growers in Canada and the U.S. will have access to Xtend varieties for the 2016 growing season. “We are pleased to bring Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans to the market,” said Brett Begemann, Monsanto’s President and Chief Operating… Read More

One of the giants in the seed and crop input industry is looking to cut costs as it responds to slumping sales. In its year-end and fourth quarter report published Wednesday, Monsanto said it will cut approximately 2,600 employees — approximately 12 percent of its workforce — in the next 18 to 24 months. The company reported a net… Read More

Swiss-based Syngenta has rebuffed a second $45 billion purchase offer from U.S.-based Monsanto, calling it “unsolicited” and a “reputational risk.” Initially, Syngenta cited worries over global regulatory approvals as one of the main reasons behind the first refused offer. And, though Monsanto saw “no legitimate basis for the regulatory concerns” outlined in Syngenta’s refusal, the second… Read More

Monsanto has announced $4 million in funding to protect monarch butterfly populations, mainly through the restoration of milkweed habitat in North America. The company on Tuesday committed $3.6 million over three years to the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, as well as $400 thousand in funding for universities and non-profit organizations involved in monarch conservation. It’s estimated… Read More

Four additional seeds per plant can result in a five to ten percent bump in soybean yield — every little bit adds up. That was the message from Tony White, St. Louis-based technology development lead with Monsanto, speaking at the Southwest Ag Conference in Ridgetown earlier this month. “When you look at where we’ve come over the… Read More

Perhaps compelled by the Christmas spirit (although unlikely), two seed industry heavyweights have decided to settle their differences and drop their remaining legal challenges against each other. DuPont and Monsanto announced Tuesday that they have agreed to dismiss patent infringement lawsuits against each other over seed-related technologies. Monsanto had claimed DuPont infringed on certain Monsanto seed chipping patents, while DuPont claimed… Read More

Seed companies have big plans for the expansion of corn acres in Western Canada, but whether farmers plant more corn will depend on two key factors: maturity and yield. Monsanto Canada announced just over a year ago that it’s spending more than $100 million over 10 years on developing varieties suitable for the Canadian prairies. The company’s… Read More

As Ontario farmers get home from Southwest Ag Conference and FarmSmart, everyone is probably getting itchy for spring. The only thing maybe holding us back is the horrible snow storms that we have been getting. Planting does seem far away but like always at this time of year it is closer than we think. In… Read More