Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 6862 The genome sequence of a 5,310-year-old maize cob provides new insights into the early stages of maize domestication. According to the University of Copenhagen, the specimen is important because it dates to a point in time approximately halfway between the beginning of maize domestication and today’s corn. In a gene-by-gene analysis, the ancient sample shows that many key genes had already been affected by human selection, including the lack of a hard seed coat and changes in flowering time. BUSINESS NEWS Bayer Inc. is excited to be recognized for the 10th time in a row as a Top 100 Employer in Canada. Bayer’s management team prides itself as having a stellar employee retention rate of some 96 per cent and employee satisfaction levels of 92 per cent and above. “A decade on the list shows we are not a flavour of the month,” explains Lynda Newcomb of Bayer, vice-president, Human Resources. “It does show we are constantly innovating and have a genuine commitment of helping people develop to their potential.” The secret to Bayer’s employment success is how each employee embraces the company’s values. It starts from a strong desire to make a positive difference in people’s lives first focusing on our customers. “People join Bayer because they want to make a difference in the lives of others,” Newcomb says. “It could be by developing and providing products for people’s well-being or helping to find ways of feeding the world’s growing population.” Thanks to Canadian farmers, 66 charities and non-profits that make life better in small towns across the country will receive $2,500 grants from the Monsanto Fund as part of the 2016 Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities program. Each non-profit was nominated by a local farmer who applied on behalf of their favourite cause. The Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities program received more than 500 entries this year. Winners were drawn by board members of the independent administrator, Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba, on October 6, 2016. Now in its fifth full year, the Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities program generated a wide variety of ideas from farmers on how local groups in their communities could benefit from the grants. BASF Canada has successfully completed a seventh re- verification of its Responsible Care management systems. As a member of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), the company participated in a third party re-verification that assesses BASF’s operations, product stewardship and environmental, health and safety performance from a sustainability perspective. “Responsible Care is integral to how we conduct our business and operate our facilities in Canada. We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our employees, communities and the environment,” said Marcelo Lu, President of BASF Canada. “It is important for us to maintain an open dialogue with community stakeholders, inform them of our progress and assure them of our continued dedication.” BASF was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2017. Mediacorp, the country’s largest publisher of employment periodicals, cited BASF Canada for offering 17 weeks parental leave top-up, employer contributions to a defined contribution pension plan, and health benefits. The panel also commended BASF for helping employees stay connected with virtual and physical resources including “eTV,” an employee television network, and internal resource groups. “BASF is committed to fostering an inspired and engaged workforce,” said Marcelo Lu, President of BASF Canada. “We are looking for the next generation of leaders and innovators to help bring our solutions to life and join us in our journey of creating chemistry for a sustainable future.” This is the third consecutive year in which Mediacorp recognizes BASF as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. Mediacorp has also named BASF one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for three consecutive years. The Climate Corporation announced the acquisition of VitalFields, a European farm management software company based in Tallinn, Estonia. The VitalFields team will join The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Monsanto Company, in strengthening its efforts to deliver industry-leading digital technologies to farmers around the world. Agragen, a Cincinnati-based plant sciences company, announced the licensing of a family of patents from DuPont Pioneer that focuses on technology for manipulating the fatty acid profile in plants. Agragen is developing a high-yield camelina, commonly known as false flax, which will produce the same bioactive omega-3 fatty acids as found in fish oil. INCOTEC, opened a new innovation center in the Netherlands. According to the company, this innovation center is the hub from which its research and development, sales and marketing teams will work in close collaboration on market-focused and groundbreaking innovations in seed enhancements for customers. Incotec improves and enhances seeds for food production and has facilities all over the world. Monsanto Company announced that leading independent proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co. have both recommended that Monsanto shareowners vote “for” the proposal to adopt the Agreement and Plan of Merger providing for the acquisition of Monsanto by Bayer Aktiengesellschaft. Under the terms of the merger agreement, which was submitted to a vote at a special meeting of Monsanto shareowners on Dec. 13, 2016, Monsanto shareowners will receive $128 per share in cash at the closing of the merger.