Houston — DuPont got a boost from US farmers as it closes in on the historic $75bn merger with Dow Chemical next month. Seed sales climbed in the second quarter as DuPont introduced new varieties of soybeans in North America, while pesticide revenue jumped on demand for new fungicides and insecticides, the company said in a statement Tuesday. DuPont is benefiting as North American farmers sow a record soybean crop after enduring years of low corn prices. US growers are on course to increase soybean acreage 7% this year, according to the Department of Agriculture. Seed gains drove an 11% increase in farm-related earnings, accounting for more than half of total profit at DuPont. CEO Ed Breen is poised to close the merger of equals with Dow next month after prior delays in gaining antitrust clearances pushed back the original completion date from December 2016. Breen struck the deal in December 2015, the month after taking the helm at Wilmington, Delaware-based DuPont. "We are down to ...
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