Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures neared a four-year high on Thursday, buoyed by worries about yield prospects for the delayed crop and firm cash markets, analysts said. Soybeans also advanced as weather worries threatened to curtail U.S. production of the oilseed, and wheat futures followed the firm trend. Chicago Board of Trade July […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn nears four-year high
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures end lower
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell Thursday for a second straight session, pressured by technical selling and expectations of ample U.S. summertime supplies of cattle and beef, traders said. “We’re still just in the middle of June, and we know we have a big supply coming in,” said Scott Varilek, […] Read more
USDA investigates unapproved GMO wheat in Washington state
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the discovery of unapproved, genetically modified (GM) wheat plants growing in an un-planted agricultural field in Washington state. There was no evidence the wheat had entered the food supply, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a statement on Friday. The wheat […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle rise as Japan drops U.S. beef import curbs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed higher on Friday, buoyed by news that Japan will eliminate long-held restrictions on U.S. beef imports, traders said. The agreement reopens full beef trade after Japan in 2003 banned U.S. beef over concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which roiled […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn to seven-week high as rain threatens planting
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose on Thursday for a fourth straight session as dismal weather forecasts signalled further planting delays in the Midwest, prompting commodity funds to cover short positions, analysts said. Chicago wheat futures hit a one-month high, led by corn, and soybeans followed the firm trend. Chicago Board of Trade […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs up as swine fever fuels export hopes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) rose for a second day on Wednesday, supported by expectations of increased demand for U.S. pork as African swine fever spreads in China’s hog herd and elsewhere, traders said. “The African swine fever news and talk was everywhere today,” said Dennis […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn ends firm, farmer selling pares gains
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures hit a six-week high on Wednesday on forecasts for rains in the Midwest crop belt that could signal further planting delays, but the market pared gains as the run-up in prices triggered a round of farmer selling, traders said. Wheat futures also ended nearly flat while soybeans closed […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy rally as slow planting pace ignites short-covering
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures climbed more than three per cent on Tuesday and soybeans bounced back from a decade low as planting delays in the Midwest crop belt sparked a round of short-covering, analysts said. Additional support stemmed from optimistic comments from Washington and Beijing that tempered concerns about a further escalation […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures bounce, cattle end lower
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed higher on Tuesday in a technical rebound after Monday’s limit-down close, with firm cash hog values lending support, traders said. Technical traders were encouraged that the benchmark June hog contract was able to hold above Monday’s low, a supportive chart […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans hit 10-year low on trade tensions
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell to their lowest in a decade on Monday as escalating U.S.-Chinese trade tensions dampened hopes for a revival in soybean exports, analysts said. At the same time, planting delays in the U.S. Midwest could prompt farmers to shift some acres intended for corn to soybeans, potentially adding […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
