(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle and hog futures both mixed ahead of USDA reports

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures were mixed on Friday, with the front-month contract firming slightly while deferreds eased as traders staked out positions ahead of the U.S. government’s closely watched inventory and Cattle on Feed reports. Pre-report positioning also was noted in fed cattle and hog contracts, with both of those markets […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mixed in pre-report positioning

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures were mixed on Thursday, with the nearby contract easing while deferred months firmed slightly on positioning ahead of two big U.S. Department of Agriculture reports due Friday, traders said. Some investors were unwinding bull spreads placed during the cattle market’s rally to its highest in more than […] Read more



U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a meeting of the National Space Council in the East Room of the White House in Washington on June 18. (Photo: Reuters/Leah Millis)

Trump’s tariff war threatens to erode support of farmers

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — President Donald Trump’s tariff battle with key buyers of U.S. apples, soybeans and corn threatens the support of some of his biggest backers — U.S. farmers now seeing their livelihoods in jeopardy. Farmers overwhelmingly supported Trump in the 2016 election, welcoming how he championed rural economies and vowed to repeal estate […] Read more



(Bob Nichols photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy drop to multi-month lows as weather improves

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Forecasts for crop-boosting weather in key growing areas of the U.S. Midwest pushed corn and soybean futures to multi-month lows on Thursday, traders said. Wheat futures also were sharply lower, their second straight day of steep declines, with investors continuing to push back against a sharp rally on Tuesday amid abundant […] Read more


(FIle photo by Allan Dawson)

U.S. grains: CBOT wheat, soybeans post sharp losses

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and wheat futures fell sharply on Wednesday, with wheat sinking 3.2 per cent and soybean futures hitting their lowest in more than nine months. Traders said that long liquidation by investment funds triggered the sell-off. Concerns about trade with China sparked the bearish wave in soybeans while wheat was […] Read more

Hard white winter wheat growing in North Carolina in 2010. (Dave Marshall photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. grains: Wheat futures jump

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rallied on Friday, with the benchmark Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat contract surging 4.1 per cent on forecasts for dry conditions that could further stress an already damaged crop. The weather outlook also threatened to slow planting progress in the U.S. Midwest, which was supportive […] Read more


A wheat crop in progress on May 24, 2016 north of London, Ont. (Ralph Pearce photo)

U.S. grains: Wheat up for third day in a row

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Thursday, their third straight day of gains, on worries that adverse weather will lead to crop shortfalls in key growing areas around the world, traders said. Soybean futures fell, pressured by fresh concerns about exports. Corn futures closed lower on long liquidation by funds after failing […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. grains: Soybean, corn futures fall

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell 1.9 per cent on Wednesday, dropping below US$10 a bushel for the first time since April 4, on renewed fears about a trade dispute chilling demand from China, the world’s top buyer of the oilseed. Wheat futures ticked higher on short-covering, recovering from a three-week low hit […] Read more