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Farmers ask U.S. Justice Department to probe fertilizer price spikes

Reuters — Farmers have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether recent spikes in fertilizer prices are attributable to market manipulation by fertilizer companies, according to a letter sent Wednesday by the Family Farm Action Alliance. The group, which has more than 6,000 farmer and rural members, alleges fertilizer companies are setting prices […] Read more

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U.S. indicts Pilgrim’s Pride CEO for alleged chicken price-fixing

Allegations cover period from 2012 to 2017

Washington/Chicago | Reuters — The CEO of Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., a major U.S. poultry company, was indicted along with three other current and former industry executives on charges of seeking to fix the price of chickens, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday. A grand jury in Denver indicted Jayson Penn, the president and CEO […] Read more


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U.S. launches criminal probe into alleged chicken price fixing by Tyson, rivals

Reuters — The U.S. Department of Justice has begun a criminal probe into allegations that Tyson Foods and other poultry processors including Pilgrim’s Pride and Sanderson Farms colluded to fix poultry prices, court documents show. The DOJ filed a motion to intervene and stay discovery of evidence in an antitrust lawsuit involving the companies and […] Read more

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Bayer gets U.S. approval to buy Monsanto: report

Reuters — German drugs and pesticides group Bayer has reached a deal with the U.S. Justice Department for antitrust approval for its US$62.5 billion bid to acquire Monsanto by agreeing to sell additional assets, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The Justice Department reached an agreement in principle with the two companies in recent days, […] Read more


A hemp plant in Alberta. (Jennifer Blair photo)

Cannabis firm Aphria mulls sale of U.S. unit

Reuters — Canadian cannabis company Aphria said Thursday it was exploring “strategic alternatives,” including a sale, for its U.S. business, amid tightening enforcement of federal cannabis laws in the country. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice revoked an Obama administration policy that discouraged federal prosecutors from pursuing marijuana-related crimes in states that had […] Read more



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Deere challenges U.S. federal block on Precision Planting bid

Reuters — Deere and Co. said its proposal to buy Precision Planting, an agricultural equipment and technology company, will increase consumer choice and directly benefit growers, in a response filed on Wednesday to the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit to block the acquisition. Deere announced its planned acquisition of Precision Planting in November 2015, for […] Read more



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Rush for ag chem megadeals clogs regulatory path, worries farmers

Reuters — As Bayer joins the agricultural sector’s scramble to consolidate, its bid for Monsanto may be a tipping point for U.S. farmers, federal lawmakers and regulators concerned the tie-ups may harm the farm economy. If Monsanto accepts Bayer’s unsolicited offer, experts say, the deal would inevitably trigger a review by federal antitrust regulators. But […] Read more