Agribusiness Update for Thursday 7/11/13

This is the Agribusiness Update...I’m Greg Martin...

The first round of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations are underway between the U.S. and European Union. On Monday - negotiators focused on the importance of the talks and started to lay out plans for the round. Issues from investment to government procurement to textiles to energy were discussed by the negotiating teams.

Ag Senator Chuck Grassley says a rare scolding by the House GOP Leader of Chairmen who voted against the farm bill last month is a sign the GOP Leadership is chafing over its failure to pass the bill - and is now desperate for a solution. But one may be at hand. The Hill paper Roll Call reported Tuesday GOP Leaders decided to drop food stamps from the farm bill and were now whipping the farm-only part of the bill to see if there were enough votes for possible action this week.

Monsanto is working on a new technology intended to control a tiny insect, called the varroa mite, that has been a major factor in the decimation of honey bees. If Monsanto successfully brings the technology to market, it could be a blockbuster. Monsanto must gain the trust of beekeepers who worry that any new technology could make them dependent on yet another chemical.

That’s today’s Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network.