News from the week of August 15 - 21, 2010

News Topics

• Ag Biotech
  Soya & oilseed-related biotech and seed breeding
• Biobased Products
  Biofuels, polymers and other new, oilseed-based products
• Commodities and Trade
  International trade in soybean and oilseed commodities
• Grains
  Wheat, corn, rice, barley, oats and other grains
• Ingredients and Nutraceuticals
  Soya & oilseed-derived food and nutritional ingredients
• Soybean & Oilseed Processing
  Crushing, refining and other processing
• Soyfoods
  New food products, nutrition research and market trends

Ag Biotech top

Live Commodity Prices on Soyatech.com Grains - Oilseeds - Soybean Complex - Ethanol MORE

Federal Court Rescinds USDA Approval of Genetically Engineered Sugar Beets Federal district Judge Jeffrey White issued a ruling late Friday rescinding the United States Department of Agriculture’s approval of genetically engineered "Roundup Ready" sugar beets. The ruling came in a case brought … READ MORE »

GMOs More Acceptable if Consumers See Personal Gain, According to Study A study from the Netherlands, to be published in Food Quality and Preference, proposes that consumers are more accepting of genetically modified foods if they deliver some personal benefit. Researchers at the University of … READ MORE »

Monsanto Spent $2.18 Million Lobbying Government in 2Q Monsanto Co. spent $2.18 million in the second quarter to lobby the federal government on a proposed changes to U.S. patent law and other issues that could affect the world’s largest seed company, according to a … READ MORE »

Perspective: European Commission Allows Politics to Trump Science in GM Crops Decision The recent decision by the European commission to give its member states the power to ban genetically modified crops on a state-by-state and crop-by-crop basis means that the EC has failed science and failed itself … READ MORE »

Biobased Products top

Scientist IDs Genes That May Make Biofuel Production More Economical A University of Illinois metabolic engineer has taken the first step toward the more efficient and economical production of biofuels by developing a strain of yeast with increased alcohol tolerance. Biofuels are produced … READ MORE »

ASA Supports Changes in USDA's Biofuel Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that in response to comments received, it was making changes in the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program that will make biofuels produced in facilities located in non-rural areas … READ MORE »

Industrial Production of Algae-Based Biodiesel Feasible Within 15 Years, According to Researchers Within 10 to 15 years, it will be technically possible to produce sustainable and economically viable biodiesel from micro-algae on a large scale. Technological innovations during this period should extend the scale of … READ MORE »

BlueFire Ethanol Fuels Rebrands Itself as BlueFire Renewables, Inc. BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc., a company focused on changing the world’s transportation fuel paradigm through the production of renewable fuels from non-food cellulosic wastes, today announced that the company has change … READ MORE »

Koch Industries Subsidiary Buys 2 Ethanol Plants Koch Industries is getting into the ethanol business, with subsidiary Flint Hills Resources announcing on Tuesday that it has bought two Iowa ethanol plants. Flint Hills Resources, based in Wichita, owns and operates … READ MORE »

Mayor Bloomberg Signing NYC Biodiesel Heating Oil Legislation Into Law METRO Terminals, which is currently building one of the country’s largest biodiesel processing facilities adjacent to its biofuels and petroleum terminal in Brooklyn, expressed great excitement after Mayor Michael … READ MORE »

Pacific Ethanol Swings to Profit After Unit Emerges From Chapter 11 With its production divisions emerging from bankruptcy protection, Sacramento-based Pacific Ethanol Inc. saw its second-quarter earnings improve on increased sales and a sizable debt reduction. The company reported net … READ MORE »

Union of Concerned Scientists Propose Major Shift in Biofuels Incentives The Union of Concerned Scientists is floating a proposal to revamp the nation’s biofuels incentives that is sure to upset some corn growers. Senior Scientist Jeremy Martin of the Union of Concerned Scientists was in … READ MORE »

Isobutanol Maker Gevo Files for IPO Biofuels company Gevo Inc. filed for an initial public offering worth as much as $150 million. The Englewood, Colorado, company disclosed its plans Thursday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission … READ MORE »

Skateboards Go Green With Soy-Based Wheels Deltron, Inc. announced that its Elasco, Inc. manufacturing subsidiary has enabled Sector 9, a leading manufacturer of skateboards and apparel, to go green by supplying eco-friendly skateboard wheels. Elasco formulates and … READ MORE »

Commodities and Trade top

USDA Crop Report 'Good News' for Farmers, Consumers: Purdue University Ag Economist The U.S. Department of Agriculture is projecting a record corn crop in Indiana for the second consecutive year, pushing production beyond 1 billion bushels for the first time. It also forecasts a record crop nationally … READ MORE »

USDA Report Shows 1.7 Percent of U.S. Ag Land Owned by Foreigners A new publication released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides the latest information regarding the amount of U.S. agricultural land that is owned by foreign persons. There is approximately 22.2 million acres of … READ MORE »

Cargill Profit More Than Doubles as It Looks to Emerging Markets for Future Growth Cargill Inc.’s profits more than doubled during its fourth quarter, as the Minnetonka-based agribusiness giant saw strong performances in its agricultural services and financial services operations. The company on … READ MORE »

China, Argentina to Establish Working Mechanism for Soy Oil Disputes China is working with related authorities of Argentina to establish a bilateral working mechanism for addressing the soy oil trade disputes between the two countries, said the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday. The MOC did … READ MORE »

Gavilon to Acquire Wisconsin Elevator Gavilon Grain, LLC today announced it will acquire a 400,000-bushel grain elevator in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. Under the terms of the agreement, Gavilon will purchase the southern Wisconsin grain operation from Irv’s Feed … READ MORE »

Increase in Demand Should Offset Record U.S. Corn, Soybean Production: DTN Analyst Grain traders believe demand will outstrip supply providing some near-term marketing opportunities for Iowa farmers. Record corn and soybean production nationwide is expected this fall, according to Thursday’s U.S. … READ MORE »

Pressure on Crops Around the World Forces Further Rise in Food Prices in United Kingdom Dreaded "food inflation" has reared its ugly head again in recent weeks, especially in light of the Russian government’s banning of grain exports for the rest of the year. The price of a range of foods including bread, … READ MORE »

Taiwan Entrepreneur Calls for Asia-Pacific Food Safety System Amid talks among Asia-Pacific economies of establishing a regional food security mechanism, a Taiwanese businessman with operations in China said Wednesday that the problem of food safety in the Chinese market was worse … READ MORE »

No 'Fertilizer Wars' Repeat, Agrium Insists as It Pursues Australian Firm AWB Ltd. Agrium Inc. has a fresh takeover target in its sights but this time expects to avoid the sort of nasty, drawn-out battle it found itself mired in through much of last year. The Calgary-based farm products firm is now … READ MORE »

Land Reform Underfinanced and Failing in Southern Africa, Experts Say Mavis Muchena sits on the veranda of her mud hut, a middle-aged single mother of four with a face worn beyond her years and hands creased from working the soil. She should represent the future of a renewed farming boom in … READ MORE »

Grains top

Drought Could Force Russian Grain Imports The severe drought in Russia’s grain belt could make the country a net importer of grain for the first time in 11 years, The Moscow Times reported Thursday. Russia has not imported more grain that it exported since … READ MORE »

New Genetic Tool Developed by USDA Helps Improve Rice U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists have developed a new tool for improving the expression of desirable genes in rice in parts of the plant where the results will do the most good. Roger Thilmony, a geneticist with … READ MORE »

Egypt May Add Argentina as Wheat Supplier Egypt may resume wheat imports from Argentina after a hiatus of several years to help compensate for Russia’s ban on exports, Trade Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid said on Tuesday. A severe drought has sharply reduced … READ MORE »

USGC Sees Potential Sorghum Market in Egypt A statement by the US Grains Council says it is looking to open the Egyptian market to non-tannin grain sorghum. Last week the council tendered 60 metric tons (2,400 bushels) of the grain for commercial feed trials to be … READ MORE »

Jordan Buys 150,000 Tons European-Origin Barley Jordan bought 150,000 tons of European-origin barley at $298.90 C&F for shipment in September and October in the first purchase of non-Black Sea origin barley in several years, a grain official said. Three cargoes of … READ MORE »

Korean Millers Explore Whole Wheat Foods at North Dakota Short Course "As Korean consumers become more familiar with the health and nutritional benefits of whole wheat products, we are encouraging the Korean milling industry to produce whole wheat flour for making a variety of wheat-based end … READ MORE »

Ingredients and Nutraceuticals top

Practical "Hands-On" Short Course on Aquaculture Feed Extrusion, Nutrition & Feed Management Texas A&M University September 26 - October 1, 2010 MORE

Solbar Expands to U.S., Buying Defunct Processing Plant in Nebraska Solbar Industries Ltd. announced today that it was expanding its activity to the US, and its share price soared in response. The company makes soy protein and soy Isoflavone products. The company reported that its US unit … READ MORE »

Soybean & Oilseed Processing top

Viterra Closes Acquisition of 21st Century Grain Processing Viterra Inc. is pleased to announce that it has closed its acquisition of 21st Century Grain Processing, a U.S.-based processor of oats, wheat, and custom-coated grains. 21st Century operates two plants in the Central U.S. … READ MORE »

Corn Products International's Acquisition of National Starch Moves Forward Corn Products International, Inc. today announced that the Federal Trade Commission has granted early termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period with respect to the Company’s planned acquisition of National … READ MORE »

Keeping Tate & Lyle Plant a Priority for Decatur, Illinois, Mayor Assures Council All steps are being taken to convince Tate & Lyle to keep a crucial part of its operation in Decatur, according to Decatur Mayor Mike McElroy. "There has been a consistent monitoring of that for about six months," McElroy … READ MORE »

Success of Nano Refining System Pilot Program With Carolina Soya Paves Way for Commercial Deployment Cavitation Technologies, Inc. is pleased to announce that its Green D Plus Nano Refining System is now in commercial operation at Carolina Soya, LLC, a vegetable oil refining facility located in South Carolina. The System … READ MORE »

Food Processing Equipment Maker Corenco Expands on Strong Sales, Lower Investment Needs Its sales were up, real estate prices were down and the federal government was offering incentives to small businesses. Put it all together and Chris Cory decided it was the right time to buy his own building and expand his … READ MORE »

Soyfoods top

Consumer Recognition of Soy's Heart-Healthy Properties Up 7% Over 2009: Annual USB Study Americans increasingly recognize soyfoods’ ability to reduce the risk of heart disease and appear primed to embrace emerging biotech soybean oils with even more heart health benefits. The United Soybean Board’s 17 … READ MORE »

Silk Brand Soymilk Announces Enrollment in the Non-GMO Project's Product Verification Program Silk brand soymilk, the leading soymilk brand in the U.S., today announced it has enrolled in the Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program. The Non-GMO Project, launched in 2008, is a non-profit collaboration of … READ MORE »