Insights and Stories of P.J. Huffstutter

Oct. 1, 2015 at 8:25 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — Starbucks will switch to using only eggs laid by cage-free chickens at its North American locations within five years, the company told Reuters on Thursday. The company said it has been steadily working on making the switch since it began buying cage-free eggs in 2008. The […]

By P.J. Huffstutter

Sep. 30, 2015 at 6:26 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rebounded on Wednesday, after a government report showed that wheat production was less than traders had expected. Meanwhile, corn futures lost ground, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s quarterly grain stocks report showed that both corn and soybean supplies were plentiful and U.S. […]

By P.J. Huffstutter

Sep. 29, 2015 at 5:51 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean and corn futures rebounded on Tuesday as traders covered short positions on concerns that the U.S. Agriculture Department would reduce its estimate for last year’s soybean crop. Wheat prices eased back, despite being bolstered earlier in the day by steadying equity and oil prices, […]

By P.J. Huffstutter

Aug. 27, 2015 at 10:01 am CDT

Chicago | Reuters –– Monsanto, having ditched an audacious US$46 billion offer for Syngenta, may downshift to a humbler strategy of beefing up its crop protection portfolio through other acquisitions, partnerships and licensing agreements. The deal’s collapse leaves Monsanto, Syngenta and other agrochemical sector companies facing a bleak landscape of […]

By P.J. Huffstutter

Aug. 24, 2015 at 4:03 pm CDT

New York/Chicago | Reuters — U.S.-based Monsanto sweetened its offer to buy Switzerland’s Syngenta, valuing the company at around US$47 billion as it tries to lure the Swiss firm to the negotiating table, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday. Monsanto, which wants to combine its world-leading seeds […]

By Mike Stone, P.J. Huffstutter