ROSARIO, Argentina/CHICAGO (Reuters) – On the banks of the Parana River, machines hum 24 hours a day in Argentina’s grain ports, churning out soy-based animal feed and shooting it straight into the hulls of ships bound for buyers worldwide. The wind stirs up fine meal dust, creating a protein-filled haze. Rosario is the biggest soy-crushing […] Read more
Tag Archives mergers and acquisitions — page 2
Agrium, Potash Corp merger shouldn’t have much of an impact yet
WINNIPEG (CNS) – Farmers shouldn’t be too concerned yet that the recent Agrium, Potash Corp of Saskatchewan merger will cause an increase in the price of fertilizer, at least according to the president of one provincial producer group. “(The merger is) a hard one to find a whole bunch of negatives or positives about it. […] Read more
Autoparts maker buys MacDon; sees ‘growth potential’ in ag
An Ontario company is buying MacDon Industries, a Winnipeg manufacturer of agricultural equipment known for its windrowers and headers, for $1.2 billion. Linamar, based in Guelph, Ont., manufactures auto parts, Skyjack lift equipment and since 1992 with the acquisition of Hungarian farm machinery builder, Mezogep, has produced combine headers under the Harvestec brand. “MacDon is […] Read more
Ont. manufacturer buys MacDon for $1.2 billion
An Ontario company is buying MacDon Industries, a Winnipeg manufacturer of agricultural equipment known for its windrowers and headers, for $1.2 billion. Linamar, based in Guelph, Ont., manufactures auto parts, Skyjack lift equipment and corn and sunflower headers under the Harvestec brand. “MacDon is an innovative market leader.… They have number one market share in […] Read more
BASF to acquire LibertyLink from Bayer
BASF is getting into the seed business in a big way. “It’s an exciting step that further demonstrates our long-term commitment to Canadian agriculture,” said Ron Kehler, business director, crop protection, at BASF Canada. The chemical company has agreed to buy almost all of Bayer’s seed assets, its LibertyLink trait and its glufosinate herbicide business […] Read more
Mergers reduce competition, innovation
Producers have a right to be concerned that the mergers of Monsanto with Bayer and PotashCorp with Agrium, if they go through, will eliminate competition and drive up input prices. If you compare farm cash receipts in Manitoba with the federal government’s Farm Input Price Index, starting in 2004 (which is the base line year), […] Read more
U.S. farm groups unfazed by recent mergers
Some of the bigger organizations actually see benefits in the proposed consolidation in the chemical and seed sector
Some of the biggest farm organizations in the United States are surprisingly at ease with all the mergers going on in the crop input business. A number of them testified last week at the U.S. Senate judiciary committee’s hearings on consolidation in the seed and agrochemical industry. The American Farm Bureau, which is the largest […] Read more
Monsanto takeover faces tough road
Bayer’s US$66 billion bid for the American company faces opposition among grower groups in Canada and the U.S.
CORRECTION – This story has been edited from its original format. This story contained proprietary information that was inadvertently provided to the Western Producer. That information has been removed. Bayer’s takeover of Monsanto would create a near-monopoly player in the canola industry, drive up seed prices and stifle innovation, say farm groups and analysts. The […] Read more
Bayer to buy Monsanto for $66 billion
Canola was often cited as an example of what a merged Bayer and Monsanto will look like as the companies announced Bayer’s US$66 billion purchase of Monsanto at a New York press conference this morning. Bringing the two farming inputs companies together as one larger entity is hoped to allow them to offer a full […] Read more
Potash Corp, Agrium to merge to create $36 billion company
Sept 12 (Reuters) – Canada’s Agrium Inc and Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc agreed to combine in a deal that would create a fertilizer giant with an enterprise value of about $36 billion but also draw scrutiny from U.S. regulators. Potash Corp, the world’s biggest crop nutrient company by capacity and Agrium, North America’s largest […] Read more
