Bloomberg reports that negotiations between Bayer AG and Monsanto Co. are entering the final stretch as both sides move closer to an agreement to create the world’s biggest maker of seeds and pesticides also that The Food and Drug Administration is considering setting limits on how long some antibiotics can be given to livestock and poultry for treatment of infections. There are currently no time limits on some uses of the drugs.The agency is soliciting industry and public input on what the limits should be. But Steve Roach of the consumer advocacy group Food Animal Concerns Trust said it could take several years for FDA to finalize the restrictions.

The latest Farmer Speaks research study conducted in August, 2016 by Millennium Research and commissioned by J.L.Farmakis, Inc. reveals farmers are holding off on equipment purchases and trying less expensive inputs to reduce costs. Among the findings:

*The number of farmers making no new equipment purchases nearly doubled over their own projections of 36% from February 2016 to 67%. The one bright spot: Precision ag equipment .

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