Oct 3 (Reuters) – Global agribusiness group Monsanto Co
posted a fourth-quarter loss on Wednesday, as expected,
amid a seasonally sluggish sales period, and offered a
conservative outlook for the new year.

Shares slumped 3.1 percent to $88.13 in premarket trade
after Monsanto disappointed analysts with its fiscal 2013
earnings forecast ranging from $4.18 to $4.32 per share.
Analysts were looking for a high end of $4.38 a share for the
new year.

By Carey Gillam

(Reuters) – U.S. farmers are using more hazardous pesticides to fight weeds and insects due largely to heavy adoption of genetically modified crop technologies that are sparking a rise of “superweeds” and hard-to-kill insects, according to a newly released study.

Genetically engineered crops have led to an increase in overall pesticide use, by 404 million pounds from the time they were introduced in 1996 through 2011, according to the report by Charles Benbrook, a research professor at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) – Farmland values appear to be holding strong and farm balance sheets remain solid despite a devastating drought that wreaked havoc on corn and soybean crops, dried up waterways and scorched pastureland in parts of the United States, one of the largest lenders to U.S. agriculture said.

“We’re watching it pretty closely … but we’re certainly bullish on the industry,” Roger Sturdevant, executive vice president of Bank of the West and head of its agribusiness banking division, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

By Carey Gillam

(Reuters) – Farmland values appear to be holding strong and farm balance sheets remained solid despite a devastating drought that wreaked havoc on corn and soybean crops, dried up waterways and scorched pastureland, one of the largest lenders for U.S. agriculture said on Wednesday.

“We’re watching it pretty closely … but we’re certainly bullish on the industry,” Roger Sturdevant, executive vice president of Bank of the West and head of its Agribusiness banking division, told Reuters in an interview.

Sept 18 (Reuters) – Corn seed developers who have been
racing to build better varieties for low rainfall and high heat
say results have been encouraging despite the worst U.S. drought
in half a century.

Triple-digit temperatures (Fahrenheit) coupled with
historically dry conditions ravaged farm fields across the
nation, with some of the most severe conditions gripping the top
U.S. corn growing states in the Midwest and Plains states.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) – Hot and dry conditions continued to plague large parts of the U.S. Plains and southern states as the worst U.S. drought in over five decades expanded its grip on some key farming states.

At least “moderate” levels of drought have now enveloped more than 64 percent of the contiguous United States, up from 63.39 percent the week before, according to the Drought Monitor, a weekly compilation of data gathered by federal and academic scientists.

/KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) – Opponents of genetically engineered foods on Wednesday blocked shipments and deliveries at Monsanto Co’s vegetable seed company in California that developed a new genetically modified sweet corn that will hit stores this fall.

The protesters, who want to remove all so-called genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from the food supply, say their action is a preview of about five dozen other events planned for countries around the world next week.

Sept 12 (Reuters) -
O pponents of genetically engineered foods on Wednesday blocked
shipments and deliveries at Monsanto Co’s vegetable seed
company in California that developed a new genetically modified
sweet corn that will hit stores this fall.

The protesters, who want to remove all so-called genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) from the food supply, say their action
is a preview of about five dozen other events planned for
countries around the world next week.

Sept 11 (Reuters) – A U.S. farmer group said on Tuesday it
is dropping its opposition to efforts by Dow AgroSciences to
roll out a new biotech crop system in exchange for a series of
commitments by Dow, including help investigating any accidental
crop damage.

The deal calls for “several new safeguards” from Dow
AgroSciences related to use of a reformulated herbicide and
biotech crops that Dow has engineered to be used with the
herbicide, and could help speed regulatory approval for the unit
of Dow Chemical.

By Carey Gillam

(Reuters) – The Catholic Bishop who leads a large Kansas City diocese was found guilty Thursday for failing to alert authorities to a trove of child pornography found on a priest’s computer, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. clergyman convicted in the Roman Catholic Church child sex abuse scandal.

Bishop Robert Finn, 59, was found guilty of one misdemeanor charge of failing to report the wayward priest, Father Shawn Ratigan, to authorities. Ratigan pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges last month and admitted to taking lewd photographs of many young girls.