Deere & Co. says the Department of Justice is unfairly accusing the company of trying to monopolize a market that does not exist. Deere responded last week to a DOJ challenge to the companies planned purchase of Monsanto’s seed planting equipment line, Precision Planting. The Wall Street Journal reports the government aims to block Deere from buying Precision Planting on grounds the deal would suppress competition for technology that allows farmers to plant crops at accelerated rates. Deere already offers high-speed components for its own planters. Deere denied that the purchase would give the company 86 percent of all precision-plating system sales in the United States. The DOJ filed a lawsuit against the deal at the end of August. Deere responded last week and repeatedly challenged the government’s attempts to distinguish high-speed planting systems from slower, conventional planting equipment. Deere also says products from Precision Planting would be widely available for non-Deere equipment after the deal is finalized. Precision Planting’s U.S. sales were about $100 million in 2015, while Deere’s U.S. sales of planter-related equipment last was near $900 million.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s office in China expects the nation will likely import a record 86 million metric tons of soybeans during the current marketing year, up 3.5 million metric tons from last year. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today reports a recovery in swine production and steady growth in the poultry sector has boosted demand for feed and protein meal in China. However, USDA expects the rate of growth for soybean imports to slow as the country’s soybean production recovers and China unloads soybean and oilseed product reserves. Meanwhile, lower imports of distillers dried grains due to China’s antidumping duties should boost soymeal demand and thus soybean imports, according to USDA. That’s welcome news for U.S. soybean farmers as a recent USDA report forecasted another record soybean harvest for the current growing season.

Lawmakers in Japan are starting to discuss legislation to implement and ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership. DTN reports the current administration in Japan wants to approve the trade agreement before the U.S. presidential election next month. Japanese lawmakers have paved the way to consider TPP, after approving a supplementary Fiscal 2016 budget that was standing ahead in line of TPP. That leaves TPP related legislation as the next and effectively only remaining legislation to be debated by lawmakers. Deliberations began Friday as Japan’s government urged the nation’s parliament to quickly pass the deal to pressure the U.S. into approving TPP. Japan says there is “absolutely no intention” of renegotiating the trade deal. However, Japan must overcome its own opposition, as an opposition group cites the U.S. presidential candidates opposition as a reason to not support the trade agreement.

CME Group officials last week indicated the group is considering switching to a cash settlement process for its live cattle futures. Traders continue to complain to CME regarding the extreme volatility in the live cattle futures, and are looking to CME group to bring some control back to the market. Sharp declines in price last fall led to the scrutiny. If implemented, the change would be a major attempt to restore confidence in the market by adjusting the way it operates. CME’s Dave Lehman says discussions about the new settlement procedure were part of an all-encompassing review of the market by CME. He told Reuters “it’s on the table,” adding that CME was also looking at potential modifications to the physical delivery process. Feeder cattle and lean hog futures are already cash-settled, leaving live cattle as the remaining physical delivery settled market. Lehman says volatility is getting worse and farmers have been selling cattle to packer’s months in advance, rather than negotiating shortly before slaughter. Producers say that has led to questionable pricing systems and price discovery for the market.

The Renewable Fuels Association is getting into the outdoors, announcing it will be a co-sponsor of the Crappie Masters Tournament Trail with Bass Pro Shops. The goal of the sponsorship will be to educate boaters and outdoors enthusiasts about the benefits of ethanol and its uses in boats and other marine applications. The RFA said it is pleased to co-sponsor the Crappie Masters with Bass Pro Shops, saying it gives them an opportunity to spread the word about ethanol’s benefits to boaters. “There’s been a lot of misinformation perpetuated by biofuels opponents regarding boating and ethanol,” said RFA V.P. of Industry Relations, Robert White. “For the past 30 years, 10 percent ethanol has been used in all types of marine engines and the blend is approved by all major manufacturers.” Bass Pro Shops Crappiemasters Owner and President Brian Sowers said, “We aim to dispel myths and educate the public regarding the safe use of E10 in outboard engines.”

Northeast Brazil poultry producers will not be buying any U.S. corn in the short term as they have most of what they need booked. This is in spite of the government’s decision to allow some genetically modified corn shipments from the U.S. into the country. Many producers already had deals in place to ship corn from Argentina even though freight costs to ship corn from the U.S. Gulf Coast are less than bringing it in from Argentina. Brazil officials haven’t ruled out shipments coming in from the U.S. Some of the trade talk says Argentina can only supply Brazil with corn through February of 2017. 15 total shipments are booked to come into Brazil, but officials say another 12 shipments may be needed before Brazil begins harvesting its own crop.

The plant’s electric supplier said Smithfield Foods Inc. hopes to reopen its Tar Heel, North Carolina facility on Thursday. The plant is the largest hog processing facility in the world. This will hinge entirely on whether or not employees can make it into work safely. It will also depend on whether or not farmers can deliver hogs as well. Hurricane-related disruptions are still causing problems in the pork industry. Through Tuesday of this week, hog slaughter is 101,000 head behind last week’s numbers. Kill numbers are also 52,000 behind last year. Buying interest outside of corrective trade in the industry probably won’t pick up until the supply backlog is worked through.

Estimates are that flooding has killed tens of thousands of livestock in North Carolina as a result of Hurricane Matthew. Governor Pat Mcrory said officials would work to clean up the carcasses as fast as possible to avoid freshwater contamination and a potential public health threat. A Washington Post article says the state is trying to avoid a similar problem it experienced back in 1999 when thousands of dead hogs and chickens floated for days in the floodwaters from Hurricane Floyd. The Governor added that a “lot of animals have died, in the thousands.” Matthew Starr of the Waterkeeper Alliance said photos show floodwaters up to the roofs of barns and, in his words, “the flooding is quite terrible.” Brian Long of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture said they have not received any reports of waste lagoons breached by floodwater, but it is a huge concern. It’s not just bad news for livestock farmers. Crop farmers lost millions of dollars in crops for the second year in a row. Ten straight days of rains in 2015 ruined the harvest in eastern North Carolina.