As promised, I’ve been reformatting the blog and Web site for a few weeks now. I’ve been pretty much absent from the blogging world for the last two years. I did a stint in public relations, working at agencies for crop protection companies such as Syngenta and BASF. I was never prohibited from blogging,... »

Another excellent blog from my friend Taco Tuinstra at Tobacco Reporter magazine. This time, Taco is back in Africa, following a shipment of Malawi burley tobacco as it makes it way from the Lilongwe auction floors to the port of Beira in Mozambique. Entertaining in itself, but also an interesting look at how a raw... »

One of my favorite sources for agricultural biotech information, Checkbiotech, has changed the appearance of its Web site and added new coverage to include news coverage of biofuels, alternative energy, life sciences (in Switzerland only, it appears) and orphan. While I like the look of the site, I hope that they continue their outstanding newsgathering... »

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the surge in corn demand, Monsanto has raised its annual profit forecast after second-quarter earnings rose 23 percent. Increased planting caused Monsanto to sell out of its “triple-stack” seeds. But, more surprisingly, is that Monsanto’s gain, the largest one-year gain ever, may allow the seed maker to pull even or pass DuPont’s... »

Bayer CropScience announced Friday the completion of two acquisitions that advance the company’s strategy in expanding its cotton seed business. In separate transactions, Bayer CropScience purchased the assets of California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors, Bakersfield, Calif., and the assets of Reliance Genetics LLC, Harlingen, Texas. The combined price for the related transactions amounts... »