Valero Energy’s ethanol plant at Aurora, S.D., about 90 km north of Sioux Falls. (Valero.com)

U.S. ethanol producers seek reforms as markets plunge, ADM sells

New York/Chicago | Reuters — U.S. ethanol producers stung by collapsing prices are seeking changes to the way benchmark values for the biofuel are established, arguing the current system used by exchanges is vulnerable to manipulation, according to sources. The push comes as the key farm belt industry struggles with weak demand growth, a loss […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Bunge CEO Schroder to step down amid investor pressure

Reuters — Bunge CEO Soren Schroder is stepping down after five years at the helm of the global agribusiness, following months of pressure from shareholders to shake up the company amid a prolonged grain market slump. The management change is the latest event to rattle the two-century-old commodities trader after a stretch of particularly weak […] Read more


The Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 3, 2018.
 Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

ADM profit tops estimates on export sales, oilseeds

Reuters – Archer Daniels Midland Co reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, as the U.S. grain merchant made export sales to buyers in countries other than China during an escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing. Strong margins for oilseeds crushing also boosted earnings. The United States and China have imposed tariffs on hundreds […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Fund raises stake in Bunge, reportedly pushing for change

Reuters — Hedge fund D.E. Shaw and Co. has raised its stake in Bunge and was working with Continental Grain to make operational improvements at the grain trader, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Bunge’s shares were up 2.5 per cent at US$70.64 on Monday. The firms, which together own […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

ADM ramps up ethanol sales in Chicago, irking rivals

New York/Chicago | Reuters — Archer Daniels Midland has sold unusually high volumes of ethanol into the Chicago market since late last year as export markets dried up, driving down prices in the U.S. Midwest and angering the company’s rivals, according to traders and regulatory data. The Illinois-based global commodities powerhouse, a major ethanol producer, […] Read more