The Andersons Grain Group’s Toledo-area elevator at Maumee, Ohio. (AndersonsGrain.com)

The Andersons to pay debt, invest in core units after rail business sale

Renewable fuels, specialty foods investments considered

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain handler The Andersons plans to use US$550 million from the sale of its rail leasing business to pay down debt and invest in sustainable farming and low carbon initiatives in its core grain and fertilizer units, CEO Pat Bowe told Reuters on Tuesday. Maumee, Ohio-based Andersons sold its rail […] Read more


Glencore’s head office in Baar, Switzerland. (Glencore.com)

Glencore’s head barley trader leaves post

Paris | Reuters –– Glencore Agriculture removed head barley trader Mathieu Kleine from his post last week, market sources familiar with the matter said. The grain merchant, which is part owned by diversified commodity group Glencore, dismissed Kleine due to disappointing results, two of the sources said. It was not clear if Kleine was still […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Major grain traders face one-two punch from U.S. floods, trade war

Chicago | Reuters — Severe U.S. weather likely dented earnings for large grain companies including Archer Daniels Midland and Bunge for a second straight quarter, adding to headwinds from a still-unresolved U.S.-China trade war, analysts and economists said. ADM and Bunge, as well as peers Cargill and Louis Dreyfus, known as the ABCD quartet of […] Read more


A Bunge port facility in Vietnam. (Bunge.com)

Bunge names acting chief as new CEO

Reuters — Global grains trader Bunge on Thursday named Gregory Heckman as its chief executive officer, three months after he took the helm in an interim capacity. Heckman, a founding partner of private investment firm Flatwater Partners and the former chief executive of grains trader Gavilon Group, was appointed acting CEO in January after long-serving […] Read more



(ADM photo by Dave Bedard, Bunge photo via Bunge)

ADM reported making takeover approach to Bunge

Reuters — Top U.S. grains merchant Archer Daniels Midland has proposed a takeover of Bunge Ltd., the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, a move that could set up a battle for Bunge with London-based rival Glencore. Large grain traders which make money by buying, selling, storing, shipping and trading crops have struggled in recent […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

Bunge leaves door open to selling itself

Reuters — Bunge Ltd. kept the door open on Wednesday to a sale of the company as it reported a 34 per cent drop in quarterly earnings and cut its full-year outlook, but its chief executive officer predicted a grains market rebound that would reverse the slide. CEO Soren Schroder said planned cost cuts should […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Cargill profit jumps on beef demand, grain margins

Reuters — Global commodities trader Cargill reported a sharply higher quarterly net profit on Tuesday, helped by rising beef demand and stronger grain trading and processing margins. The privately held company’s net income rose 66 per cent to $852 million in the first quarter ended Aug. 31 from $512 million a year earlier (all figures […] Read more