Tag: Monsanto

June 9, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Monsanto Company Announces $1 Billion Share Repurchase Program, Declares Dividend

Company Continues to Leverage Strong Cash Position to Bring Value to Shareowners

ST. LOUIS, June 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Reaffirming its continuing effort to deliver value to shareowners, Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a new three-year share repurchase program and declared a quarterly dividend.

Monsanto’s board authorized a new three-year share repurchase program, effective July 1, 2010, for up to $1 billion of the company’s common stock.

The Board of Directors also declared a quarterly dividend of 26.5 cents per share on its common stock. The dividend relates to the company’s third quarter of its 2010 fiscal year and is payable on July 30, 2010 to shareowners of record on July 9, 2010.

Monsanto executives have said the company is positioned for earnings growth in the mid-teen percentages beyond the current fiscal year.  The company also has said it is working on a revitalized product strategy to bring more choices to farmer customers, offering them the premium opportunity the company’s products create.

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June 7, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

As U.S. Approves GM Soybean, DuPont and Monsanto Gird for Cooking-Oil War – New York Times

By PAUL VOOSEN of Greenwire

Published: June 7, 2010

The Agriculture Department will approve for broad use tomorrow a genetically modified soybean engineered to contain healthier oils, the opening salvo in a biotech oil fight between DuPont Co. and its rival, Monsanto Co.

The high-oleic soybean, developed by DuPont and pending deregulation since 2006, is one of the first in a wave of bioengineered cash crops that are being altered for nutritional purposes. Currently, nearly all biotech crops grown in the United States have been altered for resistance to weedkiller or insects, traits that are rarely felt by consumers or commercial businesses.

The USDA deregulation is the "final step" in the approval process for Dupont’s soybean, which has already been approved in Canada and Mexico, said Bridget Anderson, a spokeswoman for Pioneer Hi-Bred, DuPont’s biotech seed business. The crop and its oil will continue commercial testing this year and should be ready for global use by 2012, she added.

The USDA approval is also the first play in a coming oil war between DuPont and Monsanto.

Currently, Monsanto has two varieties of biotech soybeans pending approval with USDA that also seek to modify the nutritional value of soybean oil, promising to eliminate trans fats and produce oil with omega-3 fatty acid — fish oil — for use in yogurt, granola bars and spreads.

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June 5, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 06-04-2010

Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 06-04-2010
hawaii-agriculture-logo

The annual charts have bee updated. CLICK HERE to view.

The 360 day comparative price, line and histogram charts, page has been updated also. CLICK HERE to view.

Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP) 06-04-2010
Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP)

Whole Food Markets (WFMI) 06-04-2010
Whole Food Markets (WFMI)

ML Macadamia Orchards LP (NNUT) 06-04-2010
ML Macadamia Orchards LP (NNUT)

Alexander and Baldwin (ALEX) 06-04-2010
alexweek060410

Monsanto (MON) 06-04-2010
Monsanto (MON)

Syngenta (SYT) 06-04-2010
Syngenta (SYT)

DUPONT E I DE NEM (DD) 06-04-2010
Syngenta (SYT)

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May 29, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 05-28-2010

Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 05-28-2010
hawaii-agriculture-logo

The annual charts have bee updated. CLICK HERE to view.

The 360 day comparative price, line and histogram charts, page has been updated also. CLICK HERE to view.

Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP) 05-28-2010
Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP)

Whole Food Markets (WFMI) 05-28-2010
Whole Food Markets (WFMI)

ML Macadamia Orchards LP (NNUT) 05-28-2010
ML Macadamia Orchards LP (NNUT)

Alexander and Baldwin (ALEX) 05-28-2010
alexweek052810

Monsanto (MON) 05-28-2010
Monsanto (MON)

Syngenta (SYT) 05-28-2010
Syngenta (SYT)

DUPONT E I DE NEM (DD) 05-28-2010
Syngenta (SYT)

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May 22, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 05-21-2010

Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 05-21-2010
hawaii-agriculture-logo

The annual charts have bee updated. CLICK HERE to view.

The 360 day comparative price, line and histogram charts, page has been updated also. CLICK HERE to view.

Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP) 05-21-2010
Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP)

Whole Food Markets (WFMI) 05-21-2010
Whole Food Markets (WFMI)

ML Macadamia Orchards LP (NNUT) 05-21-2010
ML Macadamia Orchards LP (NNUT)

Alexander and Baldwin (ALEX) 05-21-2010
alexweek052110

Monsanto (MON) 05-21-2010
Monsanto (MON)

Syngenta (SYT) 05-21-2010
Syngenta (SYT)

DUPONT E I DE NEM (DD) 05-21-2010
Syngenta (SYT)

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May 19, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Agribusiness Bulls Led to Slaughter | TheStreet.com

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Through the first months of 2010, the Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF(MOO) has been punished as a storm of bad earnings reports and sliding food prices pressures the fund below its 200-day moving average, but this slide may not be over.

At the close of 2009, MOO was lauded by many as the go-to fund for investors looking for a chance to play a fertilizer industry turnaround in 2010. At the time, the global economy was well on the road to recovery and growth forecast in China’s markets was seen as a catalyst for food demand. In order to keep hungry mouths fed, farmers would need to step up yields, providing the fertilizer industry with an ideal window for growth.

Agricultural chemical companies make up more than 45% of MOO’s total portfolio, and with Potash of Saskatchewan(POT) and Mosaic(MOS) in the top-10 holdings, MOO appeared well equipped for any such windfall.

Unfortunately the first months of the year have passed with no such boost. Although names including Terra Industries(TRA), CF Industries(CF), Bunge(BG) and Vale(VALE) grabbed headlines when M&A activity heated up early in the year, any benefits from their respective deals have long been wiped away as investors focus on debt issues coming to a head in the eurozone and economic tightening in China.

Rather than living up to the optimistic forecasts for the fertilizer industry, POT and MOS have tumbled 6% and 19%, respectively, in 2010. Once bright, MOO’s future is now clouded in uncertainty.

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