Monsanto announced Wednesday that it will cut 2,600 jobs as part of a cost-savings strategy prompted by a decline in its global seed and herbicide sales. The job cuts will come throughout the next two years.
Posted inEnvironment
Researchers weigh in on water quality, agricultural runoff
Researchers, students and agriculture industry leaders from around the world came to central Illinois this week to attend a conference focused on one of the most basic human needs — water.
Posted inAgribusiness, Climate Change and Agribusiness
U.S. Ag secretary talks food insecurity challenges
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke about global food insecurity and hunger on Thursday at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During his speech, Vilsack highlighted a recently released USDA report that found roughly 14 percent of Americans are food insecure.
Posted inUncategorized
Ag Secretary Vilsack announces major USDA biofuel investment
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced on Thursday that his department will award nearly two dozen states with millions of dollars to build the gas pumps and other infrastructure needed to supply American drivers with more renewable fuel.
Posted inAgribusiness
Former U.S. rep recruits farmers for corn lawsuit
Nearly a year after China re-opened its doors to imported U.S. corn, one former U.S. representative is recruiting Illinois farmers into a mass-action lawsuit as plaintiffs.
Posted inUncategorized
Monsanto drops bid for Swiss rival Syngenta
Last week, Monsanto dropped a nearly $47 billion bid for its Swiss competitor Syngenta after months of pursuit and a recently upped offer. The merger would have combined Monsanto’s portfolio of seeds and genetically engineered traits with Syngenta’s portfolio in agricultural chemicals.
Posted inUncategorized
RFS displaced 1.9 billion barrels of foreign oil in 10 years, report finds
The federal renewable fuel policy has had a big impact on carbon emissions, according to an industry report. In its report released on Aug. 24, the Biotechnology Industry Organization estimated that the policy has reduced more than 580 million metric tons of carbon emissions over 10 years.
Posted inClimate Change and Agribusiness, Uncategorized
Monsanto’s Climate Corporation selling crop insurance business
Monsanto subsidiary The Climate Corporation announced last month that it would sell its crop insurance business to AmTrust North America.
Posted inEnvironment
BP cuts funding for ‘most promising’ biofuel
With major cuts in funding, the future is unclear for cellulosic biofuels, an energy source researchers have called “the most promising” of all biofuels. Biofuels are an alternative energy source to petroleum fuel and can be produced from corn, oil or plant material. The fuels are appealing to those looking to reduce carbon emissions and decrease reliance on foreign oil.
Posted inEnvironment
Three things you may not know about ethanol
Every time you put gas in your car, you’re adding a bit of renewable fuel to your tank, as well. You may not notice since renewable fuels are government-mandated, and they only save you a few pennies per gallon of gasoline, according to industry experts. But behind the scenes, there is complex policy that goes into adding that renewable fuel into your gasoline. Here are some pieces of information that break down how renewable fuel production works.
