Mergers and tractors made headlines this year
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
As 2017 approaches, it’s time to look back on 2016 and the headlines that impacted agriculture in the U.S. and abroad.
Here are five of the top stories from the United States on Farms.com in 2016.
1) President Trump
He hasn’t even officially taken office yet, but President-elect Donald Trump’s stance on trade and international relationships could impact farmers. During his campaign, Trump said he would renegotiate NAFTA and withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Following the election, Farms.com’s media team traveled to Michigan to get reaction from local farmers.
Read the full story here:
Michigan's ag community reacts to Trump victory (Nov 09, 2016)
As of Dec. 29, Trump has yet to name his Secretary of Agriculture.
2) Bayer/Monsanto Merger
On Dec. 12, Monsanto and Bayer announced they agreed to a merger, worth about US$66 billion. In a joint press release, the companies said the merger allows them to “do even more together to benefit growers around the world and to help address broad global challenges like climate change and food scarcity.”
The merger has been in the works for a while; in July, Monsanto rejected Bayer’s bid of about $64 billion, and rejected a $62 billion offer in May.
Read the full stories here:
Monsanto approves merger with Bayer (Dec 13, 2016)
Bayer ups its bid for Monsanto (Jul 18, 2016)
Monsanto may not accept Bayer’s acquisition offer (May 24, 2016)
3) Autonomous Tractor
During this year’s Farm Progress Show in Iowa, CNH Industrial turned heads when it autonomous New Holland and Case IH tractor prototypes. The demonstration showed prototypes allowing farmers to enter coordinates into CNH’s system and the tractor would follow the desired path. It could even adjust its route based on implement widths and allow farmers to control one or more tractors at the same time. No commercial release date has been announced.
Read the full stories here:
Autonomous Tractor Concept At Farm Progress
New Holland Concept Autonomous Tractor (Sep 08, 2016)
Autonomous tractors on display at Farm Progress Show (Sep 01, 2016)
4) Farmers Helping Farmers
Farmers are always looking out for one another, and 2016 was no different as farmers throughout the United States came to the aid of friends in need.
Read the full stories here:
Iowa farming community rallies around injured friend (Oct. 25, 2016)
Illinois farmers put others first as they help a friend in need (Oct. 21, 2016)
Farmers come together to help with final harvest (Oct. 11, 2016)
Farmers come together to help friend in need (Oct. 06, 2016)
5) Avian Flu
Avian influenza is always on the mind of poultry farmers, given the potential damage it can have on their livelihood. In 2016, farmers again were forced to manage avian flu, and some government officials tried to secure funding to battle future outbreaks of the disease.
Read the full stories here:
Iowa Secretary of Ag asks for funding to help prepare for and respond to animal disease (Nov. 29, 2016)
39,000 turkeys destroyed in Missouri (May 04, 2016)
Avian influenza confirmed in Indiana (Jan. 18, 2016)