t’s been a long election season all across the country, and as presidential candidates have answered questions from voters and media, very few of those questions have centered on the food supply. As the election nears, Penton Agriculture sought to engage the candidates in a discussion about agriculture, including their plans, potential farm bills, trade and more. With all that in mind, we posed the following set of questions to both candidates, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump. [node:read-more:link]

U.S. produce suppliers risk being left behind in key emerging markets if Congress fails to approve the Trans Pacific Partnership, a leading trade official told industry leaders.  [node:read-more:link]

Whole Foods Market says it has launched a series of new environmental efforts related to certain hazardous waste after announcing a settlement deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  The EPA said it fined the organic foods giant $3.5 million after finding about a year ago that it wasn’t properly documenting and disposing of returned items of hand sanitizer, vitamins and other products in several states, including Texas. [node:read-more:link]

Merger bids amid the top six seed and chemical companies have been giving farmers cause for worry for months. On Tuesday, Sept. 20, representatives from agribusinesses, farmer organizations and others participated in a Senate Judiciary Hearing on “Consolidation and Competition in the U.S. Seed and Agrochemical Industry.” Here are some highlights of the witness testimony at this hearing.  Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)“It’s no secret that I’ve long been concerned about concentration and competition in the agriculture sector. [node:read-more:link]

The recent wave of mergers and acquisitions in the agriculture and chemical businesses won't raise prices for farmers or stifle innovation, industry executives told the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Of the top six U.S. and European agribusiness companies, five are in talks for a merger or a buy-out. [node:read-more:link]

As was forecast, working capital on farms decreased during 2015. Given 2016 income prospects, further decreases in working capital should be expected. At the end of 2016, most of the working capital reserves built during high-income years from 2007 to 2013 will be gone. Working capital levels will again be at levels comparable to 1996 through 2006. In 2015 and 2016, working capital reserves were used to fund cash flow shortfalls coming from operations. If prices remain low through 2017, means other than reducing working capital likely will be needed to address cash shortfalls. [node:read-more:link]

Big corporations are having a hard time competing. And it’s costing them money. Now they need to consolidate. I feel so bad for them. Speaking as a farmer I know how tough it can be when returns don’t total enough to pay expenses. And I know Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow, DuPont, BASF, and Bayer have my best interests at heart. That’s why they kept raising prices on their patented seeds and pesticides even after prices of wheat corn and soybeans had sunk below green into red. Perhaps it was meant to give me hope–and some heavy expenses I could write off my taxes. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Bayer AG Chief Executive Werner Baumann defended the company’s planned $66 billion acquisition of U.S. seed maker Monsanto Co. to a gathering of investors and analysts, while laying out increased midterm sales and earnings targets for the crop and pharmaceuticals businesses. “There was a perception that this was something that came out of the blue and was completely off strategy,” Mr. [node:read-more:link]

Ohio's Republican voters and conservative independents are greener than state politicians might have believed. [node:read-more:link]