Insights and Stories of Tom Polansek

U.S. developing bird flu vaccine, no distribution plans yet

Mar. 23, 2015 at 8:25 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government is developing a vaccine to protect poultry from new strains of avian flu that have recently killed birds from Arkansas to Washington state. Within two months, scientists at a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research lab in Georgia will test the vaccine on […]

U.S. may impose tougher curbs to contain bird flu in Arkansas

Mar. 16, 2015 at 8:11 pm CDT

By Tom Polansek

U.S. bird experts mystified by Midwest avian flu spread

Mar. 13, 2015 at 4:00 pm CDT

By Tom Polansek

U.S. exports at risk as bird flu enters heart of poultry country

Mar. 12, 2015 at 10:02 am CDT

By P.J. Huffstutter Tom Polansek

U.S. grains: Soybeans set five-week high on predicted drop in plantings

Feb. 19, 2015 at 4:50 pm CST

By Tom Polansek

CME Group to close most open-outcry futures trading pits

Feb. 4, 2015 at 7:00 pm CST

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group will shutter most of its open-outcry futures pits by July 2, the world’s largest futures market operator said Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on a once-raucous tradition that has been in decline since the rise of computerized trading. The decision ousts traders of products […]

By Tom Polansek

Cargill begins selling GM corn seed at centre of lawsuits

Feb. 2, 2015 at 7:31 pm CST

Reuters — Cargill has started selling a variety of genetically modified Syngenta corn seed that previously disrupted U.S. grain trading, now that China has approved imports of the biotech crop. Cargill, one of the top U.S. grain exporters, began selling seed containing the Agrisure Viptera trait last month and scrapped […]

By Tom Polansek

U.S. grains: Markets sag under pressure from hefty global supplies

Feb. 2, 2015 at 5:59 pm CST

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures dropped to a four-month low on Monday while corn and soybeans hovered near multi-month lows as large crop inventories kept a lid on prices. Traders focused on hefty grain supplies as crop weather improved in South America, with scattered showers in Brazil easing […]

By Tom Polansek

Cargill likely to stay private, CEO says

Jan. 27, 2015 at 1:36 pm CST

Miami | Reuters — Cargill, one of the world’s largest privately held corporations and a top commodities trader, will likely remain private for at least another decade, its CEO said on Tuesday as he assessed challenges facing the 150-year old company. David MacLennan, who has led Cargill for the past […]

By Tom Polansek

Deere to cut over 900 U.S. workers as ag economy weakens

Jan. 23, 2015 at 3:11 pm CST

Chicago | Reuters — Deere and Co., the world’s largest maker of farm equipment, will lay off more than 900 employees at plants in Iowa and Illinois in the latest round of job cuts spurred by a decline in grain prices that is hurting demand for agricultural machinery. The layoffs, […]

By Tom Polansek