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Monsanto Co, the world's largest seed company, reported a better-than-expected profit for the third quarter on Wednesday but warned of market challenges ahead, and said it continues to pursue the acquisition of Swiss rival Syngenta AG. Monsanto, known for its genetically engineered corn, soybeans and other crops as well as its popular Roundup herbicide, said for the quarter it made $1.14 billion, or $2.39 a share, up from $858 million, or $1.62 a share, a year earlier.

A widely used farm chemical used as a key ingredient in a new herbicide developed by Dow AgroSciences "possibly" causes cancer in humans, a World Health Organization research unit has determined.The classification of the weed killer, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, known as 2,4-D, was made by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Dozens of consumer and food groups and businesses asked the U.S. government on Monday for tighter regulation of genetically engineered crops, calling the current system a "failure."The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it was considering changes to the way it regulates biotech crops and set a public comment period that expired Monday.

The World Health Organization is set to examine a widely used pesticide and agribusiness is bracing for bad news, less than three months after the group classified another popular herbicide as "probably" cancer-causing.Twenty-four scientists representing WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) are set to analyze scientific findings regarding links between cancer in humans and the herbicide known as 2,4-D at a June 2-9 meeting in Lyon, France.

U.S. environmental regulators on Thursday proposed a rule that would create temporary pesticide-free zones to protect commercial honeybees, which are critical to food production and have been dying off at alarming rates.The restrictions would cover times when specific plants are in bloom and when commercial honeybees are being moved through certain areas, EPA officials said.

Monsanto Co, the world's largest seed company, is also known for the popularity of its Roundup herbicide, a weedkiller beloved by farmers and homeowners alike for its speed and deadly assault on tough weeds.But Monsanto's ongoing efforts to try to take over Swiss agrochemicals firm Syngenta, a rival whose product portfolio offers an array of agricultural chemicals, could spark a sell-off or de-emphasis of a product line that last year brought in roughly $5 billion, or a third of total revenues for Monsanto, according to industry sources.

Monsanto Co., the world's largest seed company, said on Wednesday it plans to divest all of Syngenta Ag's seeds and traits businesses as well as some overlapping chemistry assets to get regulatory approval for a takeover of its Swiss rival.Monsanto President Brett Begemann said in a statement that U.S.-based Monsanto sees an acquisition of Syngenta as a move toward "redefining the future of agriculture," and is confident it can address regulatory concerns about a combination of the two agrichemical and seed giants.

Monsanto Co, the world's largest seed company, said on Wednesday it plans to divest all of Syngenta AG's seeds and traits businesses as well as some overlapping chemistry assets to get regulatory approval for a takeover of its Swiss rival.The $45 billion transaction would create an industry giant with combined sales of over $31 billion before any divestitures and a market capitalization of nearly $100 billion, based on current share prices. It would likely attract scrutiny from regulators in Europe and the United States.

As seed and chemical maker Monsanto Co. woos Swiss agrochemicals firm Syngenta, Monsanto also is trying to win over consumers in key international markets, rolling out social media and marketing campaigns.U.S.-based Monsanto said it has recently launched interactive consumer-oriented websites in China, France, India, Argentina and Brazil, in addition to a lead site launched for U.S. consumers late last year.

Honey bees, critical agents in the pollination of key U.S. crops, disappeared at a staggering rate over the last year, according to a new government report that comes as regulators, environmentalists and agribusinesses try to reverse the decline.Losses of managed honey bee colonies hit 42.1 percent from April 2014 through April 2015, up from 34.2 percent for 2013-2014, and the second-highest annual loss to date, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report issued on Wednesday.