Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Drought pressures will increase in California and western areas of the U.S. this spring even as the dry season begins, the government’s Climate Prediction Center said Thursday. “Periods of record warmth in the West and not enough precipitation during the rainy season cut short drought relief in California this winter and […] Read more
No relief in sight for U.S. West’s drought in spring outlook
U.S. farmers seen cutting back on pricey fertilizers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers will likely use less nitrogen fertilizer this season with the cost sky-high even though the price of natural gas, the key ingredient to make it, is down 40 per cent from last year. The reduction in usage should hit corn plantings more than other crops, since nitrogen is the […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat hits week high on crop worries
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures rallied nearly three per cent on Friday after falling to three-week lows this week as another arctic blast across the U.S. winter wheat belt raised worries about the dormant crop, traders and analysts said. That spurred technical buying as Chicago wheat rose to a one-week high. “We pressed […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy climbs on Brazilian truck strike
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures rose on Thursday on uncertainty over Brazil’s trucker strike, which threatens to stall movement of the new harvest of the grain onto the world market, traders and analysts said. Chicago corn and wheat also ended higher, tracking the strength in soybeans. Chicago Board of Trade March soybeans ended […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans slide on easing concerns about Brazil truck strike
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybeans retreated on Wednesday from a six-week high earlier this week, on prospects for an imminent end to the Brazilian truck drivers’ strike which had threatened exports just as the country’s massive soybean crop was entering world markets. CBOT wheat also fell as U.S. wheat remains too […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans rise to six-week high on Brazil, weather woes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybeans rose to a six-week high on Tuesday on the potential for increased U.S. demand as world buyers worry about supply disruptions in Brazil because of a trucker strike and rains stalling harvest, traders said. Additional support stemmed from a tight supply of soybeans at U.S. Gulf […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat slide to near three-week lows as dollar firms
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. wheat and corn futures fell to near three-week lows on Monday as a strong dollar loomed over export demand along with aggressive competition from overseas suppliers, traders said. Soybeans, which remain underpinned by a tug-of-war for nearby supplies between processors and exporters, ended mostly unchanged after bouncing from session lows. […] Read more
Arctic blast hits U.S. Midwest, some wheat at risk of winterkill
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters –– An arctic blast hitting the heart of the U.S. Midwest soft red winter wheat belt this week will put 10 to 15 per cent of the dormant crop at risk of winterkill damage, agricultural meteorologists said Tuesday. While most of the northern Midwest wheat crop is protected by snow from frigid […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans fall as dollar rises on jobs data
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybeans ended lower on Friday as a jump in the dollar on strong employment data spurred technical selling, traders said. Additionally, forecasts of record soybean production in South America hung over prices. Corn and wheat closed slightly firmer on a pre-weekend short covering bounce. Wheat was underpinned by a pickup […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans slip as dollar firms, crude oil falls
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell 1.5 per cent on Wednesday, retreating from a three-week high notched Tuesday as the dollar rose, traders said. Outlooks for the driest areas of Brazil’s crop region calling for rain this week and the falling crude oil market also hurt soy prices. “Today, cooler heads prevailed and […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
