CME Group authorizes $750 million share buyback program
CHICAGO, Ill. — CME Group, Inc. announced Monday its board of directors has authorized a return of capital to shareholders through a share buyback program of up to $750 million of CME Group Class A common stock, subject to market conditions. The buyback program will take place over a period of up to 12 months.

Under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules, CME will not be able to repurchase shares during certain restricted time periods. The share repurchase plan does not obligate CME to repurchase any specific dollar amount or number of shares of its Class A common stock.

CME intends to conduct any such repurchases in compliance with the applicable provisions of Rules 10b-5 and 10b-18 and Regulation M of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any other applicable laws and regulations.

Kentucky farmers’ market competitive grants available
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Applications are available for the 2011 Farmers’ Market Infrastructure Competitive Grants program. Applicants may request up to $25,000 in state funds, not to exceed 50 percent of the total project, for construction of new market facilities.

The deadline for applications is June 24. The application is available online at http://agpolicy.ky.gov/funds/award_programs_farmersmarkets.shtml
AGROTAIN announces launch of its new PLUS website

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — AGROTAIN International has launched a new website for one of its flagship agricultural products: AGROTAIN PLUS. A triple-action product, AGROTAIN PLUS is added to UAN before application, to protect nitrogen from losses caused by volatilization, leaching and denitrification. The N remains available for the plant, leading to bigger yields and ultimately a better bottom line.

The new www.AGROTAINPLUS.com allows growers to find out how AGROTAIN PLUS controls against these types of losses. They can also view testimonials from other growers as well as retailers and university experts. The site also allows growers to request AGROTAIN PLUS data specific to their crops and growing conditions and practices.

Also available is a value estimator for corn and wheat, which allows growers to plug in their nitrogen cost along with the commodity price and average yield to figure out the net potential advantage that AGROTAIN PLUS holds for their specific situation. The site also features an easy-to-use tool for growers to find their local AGROTAIN sales representative, as well as an “Ask the Experts” function that allows growers to submit questions about using AGROTAIN PLUS.

Gypsoil selling gypsum from ADM Decatur plant
DECATUR, Ill. — Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) has signed an agreement with the Gypsoil Division of Beneficial Reuse Management LLC (BRM) to market gypsum (calcium sulfate) produced at ADM’s Southport, N.C., citric acid plant. The product is marketed as Gypsoil.

Gypsoil is used by Midwestern agricultural producers to loosen tight clay soils. Over time, applying Gypsoil neutralizes the metals and chemical salts that bind to clay particles and cause poor soil structure. Gypsum produced at ADM’s Decatur lactic acid facility is a co-product of lactic acid production from corn fermentation.

Farm Credit Services reports year end results
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Farm Credit Services of Mid-America has reported strong financial results for 2010. The ag lender topped $17.5 billion in owned and managed assets, growing 5.9 percent in 2010. At nearly $214 million, earnings were good, up 51 percent compared to 2009.
Additionally, special programs such as equipment loans and financing through equipment dealerships added more than $237 million in volume, about 12 percent of the market. Crop insurance, a key risk management strategy for FCS, also grew in 2010, with the association insuring more than 1.2 million acres representing $33 million in premiums.
Complete financial results can be found by going online to http://services.e-farm credit.com/wp-content/uploads/ 2010/04/2010AnnualReport.pdf

Marrone and Syngenta sign agreement for Regalia

DAVIS, Calif. — Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (MBI), a leader in natural product innovation for pest management, announced the signing of a major distribution agreement with Syngenta Crop Protection AG, a leader in crop protection. Syngenta will exclusively distribute MBI’s award-winning biofungicide Regalia in specialty crop markets throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Regalia will complement Syngenta’s comprehensive fungicide portfolio, providing growers with an innovative new tool for disease resistance management with a product that leaves no residues in the harvested produce. MBI is achieving rapid adoption  of Regalia in specialty crop markets in the United States.
Regalia will be submitted for the European Union’s Annex 1 inclusion this spring.

Bayer to acquire Hornbeck Seed Co. in Arkansas
DEWITT, Ark. — Bayer CropScience announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase Hornbeck Seed Co., Inc., a privately-held company headquartered in DeWitt, Ark. Hornbeck supplies soybean, rice, and wheat varieties in the southern U.S. market, with an in-house soybean breeding program and proprietary soybean germplasm.

Bayer CropScience will acquire the seed businesses and gain access to quality soybean germplasm for future variety and trait development. Financial details were not disclosed. For Bayer, the acquisition is a step in a series of investment decisions addressing the needs of Southern growers, in particular soybean farmers.

Bayer’s proprietary traits will be introgressed and commercialized via Hornbeck’s soybean germplasm base and high quality breeding program. Hornbeck varieties with the LibertyLink trait will continue to be a key near-term area of focus of the breeding program to help address weed resistance in the southern U.S. soybean market.

Novus honored with first AFIA IT Innovation Award

ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Feed Industry Assoc. (AFIA) is proud to announce the first AFIA Information Technology (IT) Innovation Award was given to Novus International, Inc. of St. Charles, Mo. The runner-up was awarded to Feed Energy Co. of Des Moines, Iowa.

In 1993, Novus pioneered a vendor-managed inventory for bulk liquid feed ingredients with the introduction of a patented automated remote monitoring system known as AIMS. This system provided improved inventory management of Novus’s bulk liquid ingredients via the telecommunications system. The new platform is Internet-based and provides precise, dependable and instantaneous inventory readings for any customer 24/7, and has been implemented at over 500 locations across North America.

Feed Energy Co. recently developed a computational-based stochastic model, the Nth Load, to help the company in decision making and optimization of inventory management for ingredient procurement, processing and finished goods inventories. The Nth Load has helped Feed Energy ensure it has the proper supply to meet the demands of its livestock and poultry customers.
The award was sponsored by AgGateway and Feed & Grain magazine. A donation will be made to the Global 4-H Knowledge Platform Project on Novus’ behalf.