Three Farm Credit organizations received stockholder approval to merge their businesses together into one organization. As of July first, Farm Credit Services, AgStar Financial Services, and Badgerland Financial will become Compeer Financial. The boards of directors of each organization first began looking into the possibility of merging assets back in February of last year. Each recommended moving forward with the idea in August of 2016. The new organization will do business in 144 counties across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. They’ll have 47 offices, nearly 50,000 clients, and $18.6 billion in assets. AgStar President and CEO Rod Hebrink has been selected to lead the new Compeer Financial. The merger will help draw on the strengths of each organization, but it also will provide expanded capital for Compeer to invest in new technologies and other resources to support the client base. It also allows the group to diversify its portfolio, which creates additional stability and gives the organization a much better chance to share earnings with their stockholders through a cash patronage program.

The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Free Markets and Regulatory Reform wrote an op-ed piece for the National Review Dot Com on agricultural subsidies. The piece by a senior research fellow refers back to higher than expected costs for the Ag Risk Coverage (ARC) and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs in the 2014 farm bill. The piece says those costs are almost double the original estimates, $32 billion over five years rather than the projected $18 billion first forecast. The Foundation says agribusiness groups are after even more handouts as lawmakers prepare to develop the next Farm Bill. The Heritage Foundation is calling on Congress to keep the interests of the taxpayer in mind when developing the upcoming Farm Bill. They want Congress to get rid of the ARC and PLC programs in the next Farm Bill. In the meantime, they’d like to see caps on those programs, ensuring that they aren’t open-ended programs and give taxpayers at least some protection. They note that a House amendment when the programs were first written would have capped outlays but the amendment was removed by legislators during final Farm Bill negotiations.

In a Fox Business interview, President Donald Trump put a priority on health care reform before he’ll turn his attention to tax reform. The President said in the interview, “I have to do health care first. I really want to do it right.” He says tax reform is critical to the economy and to large and small businesses. However, he says healthcare reform could potentially save hundreds of millions of dollars, which would then help tax reform. “We’re saving tremendous amounts of money when we get this done,” Trump said, “and all that savings will go into tax reform.” The biggest tax reform that agriculture would like to see is a repeal of the estate tax. Over 30 Ag organizations like the American Farm Bureau sent a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican, and ranking Democrat Richard Neal of Massachusetts. The letter called the estate tax “especially damaging to agriculture because it’s a land-based, capital-intensive industry with few options for paying the estate tax when it comes due.” The groups also asked lawmakers to make sure the benefits of estate tax repeal aren’t undermined by eliminating or restricting the use of the stepped-up basis.

The ChemChina takeover of Syngenta continues to march through the approval process this month as China has now green-lighted the deal. The acquisition received approval from the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, according to Syngenta. The approval from China follows approval from Mexico earlier this week, and approval with conditions by the European Union and the United States last week. The $43 billion takeover of Syngenta by the state-owned company, ChemChina, was announced in February of last year. It’s expected to close by July of this year. The acquisition still needs approval from India. The acquisition is one of three major mergers in the crop protection and seed industry, which includes the Bayer-Monsanto and Dow-DuPont merger agreements.

Reebok will begin making shoes from corn and organic cotton later this year. The initiative is an effort to create more sustainable products. A Reebok spokesperson says: “Reebok is trying to clean up the entire life cycle of shoe making.” Reebok says the sole of the new shoe will be made with petroleum-free, non-toxic industrial-grown corn, while the body of the shoe will be made with 100 percent organic cotton. The line is part of the company’s Corn + Cotton initiative. Both the cotton and corn in Reebok’s new shoes are compostable and that by composting the shoes after use, the compost can become part of the soil to grow new materials for the next “range of shoes.” Currently, most shoes are made with oil-based plastics. Both Nike and Adidas have similar initiatives to create sustainable and recyclable shoes.

The World Trade Organization says world trade is on track to expand 2.4 percent this year, although there is “deep uncertainty” about economic and policy developments in the United States. The WTO says clarity is needed on President Donald Trump’s trade policies. The WTO pushed against trade protectionism in comments, as a spokesperson said: “We should see trade as part of the solution to economic difficulties, not part of the problem.” Trump has already removed the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement that was worth more than an estimated $4 billion to U.S. agriculture. Trump also intends to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, which could cause tensions between the U.S. and Mexico and Canada. Mexico is the number one customer for U.S. corn and corn-based products.

Together with No-Till Farmer, Syngenta is now accepting nominations for its 22nd class of No-Till Innovators through August 1. The 2017 No-Till Innovator Awards honor farmers, researchers, organizations and others who have identified ways to no-till more effectively, more economically and with better impact on the environment. “We’re proud to partner with No-Till Farmer again to seek out a new class of innovators of sustainable farming methods,” said Melissa Lord, customer event & tradeshow lead at Syngenta. “Year over year, growers, educators and organizations alike continue to highlight how their advancement in the no-tillage industry are making a positive impact on the environment and their local communities.” Nominations are open to individuals or groups, who have significantly contributed to advancing no-till farming in the U.S. or Canada, regardless of the crop grown, brand of equipment used, or crop protection or seed products used. The No-Till Innovator Awards recognize excellence in each of the following four categories:Business and Service: A business or service representative who promotes the environmental and economic advantages of no-till or who encourages the adoption of no-till practices. Potential nominees include certified crop consultants, agronomists, professional farm managers and retailers; fertilizer, agrichemical, seed and equipment dealers; or individuals who have designed an innovative modification to existing equipment, created new no-till equipment or developed a new method to improve no-till farming. Crop Production: A grower who has increased the economic viability of no-till on his or her farm. Criteria include innovation, creativity, willingness to share findings with others and creating a positive image for no-till farming. Organization: A group that has actively promoted no-till farming through activities, programs, clubs or educational seminars.Research and Education: A university researcher, educator, center of influence or extension specialist who tests and evaluates no-till concepts, products or equipment, and who promotes the benefits of no-till farming. “As a sponsor of the National No-Tillage Conference for 25 years, Syngenta is dedicated to the continued progression of no-till farming. We look forward to learning more about the groups and individuals who are committed to making no-till farming more effective and economical,” Lord said.The 2017 winners will be announced at the National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, January 9-12, 2018. Winners will receive complimentary registration and lodging for the duration of the conference, as well as a special token of appreciation to commemorate the honor.For more information on the 2017 No-Till Innovator Awards, visit www.syngentaus.com/NoTill. Join the conversation online – connect with us at social.SyngentaUS.com.

Farm Credit Canada announced this week farmland prices in Canada increased 10 percent last year as the nation’s property boom is spreading to agriculture. A report by Farm Credit Canada found the average price of farmland across Canada increased 10.1 percent in 2016 as low-interest rates and strong crop income helped maintain demand. The 2016 increase, according to the report, follows part of a continuous uptrend in farmland prices in Canada that started in 1993. The gains, however, are lower than in recent years, as 2013 saw a 22 percent increase and 2014 recorded a 14 percent increase. The agricultural finance group says prices aren’t going up evenly across Canada. Despite the higher average nationally and in every province, many more regions across the country saw price declines in 2015 than saw them in 2014. In a news release, Farm Credit Canada said: “There appears to be greater volatility with a higher number of locales where values decreased,” advising farmers to prepare for a potential softening of the market as lower crop prices have an impact.