New York | Reuters — Global commodities trader Cargill said on Tuesday it will increase its offerings of starch product options, seeking to capture rising demand for simpler ingredients and to meet changing consumer tastes. The Minneapolis-based agribusiness will now sell new “native starches” produced from plants such as corn and wheat, as an alternative […] Read more

Cargill expands food starch line-up in ‘clean label’ push

U.S. proposes cutting biofuels requirements due to ‘market realities’
New York | Reuters — The U.S. government on Wednesday proposed reducing the volumes of biofuel required to be used in gasoline and diesel in 2018, in a move that could mark the first step towards a broader overhaul to the controversial energy policy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal marked a slight decline […] Read more

Ethanol group, Icahn clash over details of U.S. biofuel negotiation
New York | Reuters — The head of the Renewable Fuels Association says billionaire investor Carl Icahn told him last week U.S. President Donald Trump was about to issue an order overhauling the U.S. biofuels program — something both Icahn and the White House have denied. Confusion over Trump’s plans for the Renewable Fuel Standard […] Read more

White House denies Trump order on biofuels program
Reuters — The White House on Tuesday denied that U.S. President Donald Trump planned to issue an executive order to change the national biofuels program, after the U.S. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) said Trump’s team had informed the group an order was pending. Trading in U.S. refinery shares, fuel futures and corn prices was turbulent […] Read more

U.S. farmers race to ready for Hurricane Matthew’s blast
New York | Reuters — Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, roiled commodities markets and forced companies from cane refiners to orange juice makers to shutter as it whipped its way toward the southeastern U.S. on Thursday. Southeastern companies were closing down operations ahead of a storm that could threaten some […] Read more

Trump biofuel proposals echo those of backer Icahn
New York | Reuters — Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to weigh into a debate over a controversial U.S. biofuels program with a proposal that would back the position of billionaire investor Carl Icahn, one of his wealthiest backers. In a factsheet on economic policy, the Trump campaign slammed a system of […] Read more

U.S. GMO food labeling bill passes Senate
UPDATED, July 7, 2016 | Reuters — The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would for the first time require food to carry labels listing genetically-modified ingredients, which labeling supporters say could create loopholes for some U.S. crops. The Senate voted 63-30 for the bill that would display GMO contents with words, pictures or […] Read more

Gavilon names former ADM exec as CEO in management reshuffle
Reuters — Gavilon LLC has hired a former executive from rival Archer Daniels Midland to take the helm following a big reshuffle at Gavilon, a major U.S. grain merchant, in the latest sign that the commodities rout is upending global merchants. In a statement, the company, owned by Japanese trading house Marubeni, named Lewis Batchelder […] Read more

Michigan Sugar beet co-op scoops up cane refiner
Miami | Reuters — Beet sugar co-operative Michigan Sugar has agreed to buy the assets of AmCane Sugar, one of the cane companies hardest hit by a trade deal with Mexico limiting U.S. imports of the sweetener, according to a company official and statement. The sale comes as AmCane is embroiled in litigation in the Court […] Read more

First La Nina since 2012 expected in coming months
New York | Reuters –– Even as the El Nino weather phenomenon continues to impact global temperatures and crops, its counterpart La Nina is increasingly expected to emerge in the coming months for the first time in four years. The return of La Nina, Spanish for “the girl” and characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures, […] Read more