While wet conditions hindered progress early on for #plant19, the pace eventually picked up to the delight of growers (and retailers) around the country, with the exception of states like Ohio. With crop conditions relatively steady now (for the most part), we thought the time was right to look at the developments that have most caught the attention of readers thus far this year.
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10 | Nutrien Acquires CropLife 100 Retailer Van Horn March 1: Nutrien Ltd. announces it has completed the acquisition of Van Horn, Inc., a leading U.S. retailer and agricultural services provider located in central Illinois. Van Horn is currently ranked No. 42 in the CropLife 100.
8 | Nutrien to Acquire Actagro for $340 Million February 5: Nutrien Ltd. enters into a definitive agreement to purchase 100% of the equity of Actagro, a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of environmentally sustainable soil and plant health products and technologies.
6 | Crop Protection Consolidation Pieces Finally Fall into Place March 25: Many of the industry’s largest companies have completed their post-acquisition moves, bringing a new shape of the market into much better view. Photo: The former Bayer facility in Research Triangle Park, NC, part of BASF’s acquisition.
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5 | Global Nitrogen Market: 6 Factors to Watch in 2019 February 25: Nitrogen remains a dynamic market whose prices are driven up or down by a number of factors. As you look ahead, these are the six you should watch most closely. Photo: CF Industries Port Neal (IA) Nitrogen Complex.
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4 | The Wrath of Consolidation in Ag Retail April 24: While the consolidation trend in the ag retail market space has continued in 2019, what makes it unique and different is the timing of these moves.
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3 | EPA: Glyphosate Is (Still) Not a Carcinogen May 1: EPA continues to find that there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label and that glyphosate is not a carcinogen.
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2 | The War on Glyphosate Spreads April 24: Although glyphosate has been in use in crop fields since 1974, debate over the safety and continued use of the herbicide has never been more intense than now. And the scope of these attacks is spreading.
The slideshow above shows the 10 most-read CropLife.com stories in the first half of 2019 in terms of views, unveiled in descending order. Not surprisingly, glyphosate and consolidation dominate the rundown.
015CropLife.com: Top 10 Stories from the First Half of 2019
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Matt Hopkins is Senior Online Editor for the Agribusiness Group at Meister Media Worldwide (MMW), including such brands as CropLife, CropLife IRON, AgriBusiness Global, Global Agtech Initiative, and Cotton Grower. He is responsible for managing an array of digital products, including newsletters, websites, video, and social media. Hopkins originally joined MMW in 1994 as an editor for Greenhouse Grower magazine before transitioning to Business Manager of its MeisterPro division. He has a Communications Degree from Cleveland State University. See all author stories here.