Headlines:
Monsanto Case Reaffirms That Robotics Will Shape the Future of Agrochemicals
On August 10, a U.S. court held Monsanto’s glyphosate responsible for causing cancer in a groundskeeper, awarding $289 million in damages. This is a critical verdict in that it demonstrates that glyphosate – as one of the most popular nonselective herbicides worldwide – is on shaky ground. For some time now, this agrochemical has managed only to just about retain its legal permits in the face of mounting concern over its toxicity. This verdict, even if subject to appeal, will surely have sounded the alarm bells in the board rooms of agrochemical companies worldwide. You might wonder what the link between this verdict and agricultural robotics is? The answer is everything. In a previous article authored two years ago, I had argued that agricultural robots are the long-term future of the agrochemical business. The verdict only serves to reinforce this argument, demonstrating that agrochemical businesses need to urgently start reinventing themselves as being in the business of controlling weeds and not just agrochemical supplies. Inevitably, robots, AI, and smart agricultural tools will come to form a major part of a weed-control (not chemical) focused business.
Brazil presidential election thrown into chaos after front-runner stabbed
Brazil’s presidential race was thrown into chaos on Friday with the far-right front-runner Jair Bolsonaro in serious but stable condition in an intensive care unit after being stabbed at a rally one month before the vote. Bolsonaro, a congressman, was knifed in the stomach while being carried atop supporters’ shoulders in a street rally on Thursday and was being treated at a Sao Paulo hospital. A Tweet posted on Bolsonaro’s verified account said he was “doing well and recuperating.” The attack further clouds Brazil’s most unpredictable election in three decades. Corruption investigations have jailed scores of powerful businessmen and politicians in recent years, and alienated infuriated voters. Bolsonaro, 63, has for years angered many Brazilians with extreme statements, but is also seen by his many supporters as a politically incorrect gust of fresh air in a rotten system. He has repeatedly said the country’s notoriously violent police should increase their killing of suspected drug gang members and armed criminals. That plays well with wealthier voters, but is terrifying for the 50 percent of Brazilians who said in a 2017 Datafolha poll they feared being victims of police violence. Surveys consistently give Bolsonaro around 22 percent in simulated first-round votes. However, those polls find he would badly lose to most rivals in the likely event of a runoff, which takes place if no candidate wins a majority in the first ballot.
Summary:
Corn finished slightly higher on the day on continued demand despite projections calling for a big crop yield this harvest. Weekly export sales came in at a strong 1.063mmt. Harvest activity is expected to gain some ground next week in the Midwest as the rains taper off over the weekend. Soybean market traded higher off of key support levels and ahead of the upcoming USDA report Wednesday. The weekly soybean export sales came in 673k mt. The top delivery destinations were Iran, Spain and Pakistan. Wheat futures continues to melt under the weight of weak demand and huge world supplies. Russia continues to show no signs of backing off of their large export volume. Weekly wheat export sales came in at 380k mt. The top delivery destinations this week were Korea, the Philippines, Mexico and Thailand.
