Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Scouts on an annual U.S. Midwest crop tour continued to see fields battered by an Aug. 10 derecho storm in central Iowa on Thursday, with corn stalks snapped and ears littering the ground due to the hurricane-like winds. In Iowa, crop prospects swung wildly from field to field, according to scouts […] Read more
Minnesota fields thrive, Iowa storm damage continues on crop tour
Storm and drought impacts on Iowa corn seen in crop tour
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A clearer picture of damage to crops in the path of last week’s derecho storm emerged on Wednesday, as crop scouts on an annual tour scrambled across blown-over corn stalks and wind-battered soybean fields in Illinois and Iowa. Iowa officials on Tuesday warned much of the crop in the path of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle rise on higher beef prices, grilling demand
CME October hogs also settle higher
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures continued to advance Friday, supported by increasing beef prices and expectations of continued meat demand going into the Labour Day weekend, traders said. Beef prices usually rise heading into the September holiday, when consumers often barbecue either at home or with family and friends. Beef […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn eases on profit-taking
Traders question USDA numbers, raising uncertainty
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn inched slightly lower on Friday, as traders questioned federal acreage data and assessed the extent of storm damage in the U.S. Midwest. Prices slipped early in the day, after a rally in the previous session pushed corn futures to a four-week high. Soybeans also fell after jumping to a […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle gain as slaughter rates, beef exports rise
October lean hogs up three-quarters of a cent
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures continued to rally Thursday, holding to a nearly six-month peak in prices, as exports to China also grew, traders said. China was a big buyer of U.S. beef in the latest week, with sales of 1,927 tonnes for the period through Aug. 6, the most […] Read more
U.S. grains: Exports, storm damage offset big crop outlook
Corn, soy prices buck USDA forecasts; wheat rises on corn rally
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn prices surged to a four-week high on Thursday as forecasts of warmer weather and worries over recent storm damage in the U.S. Midwest countered pressure from huge government harvest forecasts. The corn rally also boosted wheat, as traders continue to debate how much impact the drought hammering Argentina’s farm […] Read more
Green Plains sues ADM, alleging ethanol market manipulation
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Green Plains Inc., one of the biggest U.S. ethanol producers, sued Archer Daniels Midland on Tuesday, accusing the global grain trader of manipulating the price of the biofuel to profit from its positions in the derivatives market. Green Plains filed the proposed class action with the U.S. District Court of Nebraska, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise as corn prices ease
Hog futures up slightly on improved exports
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures rose on Thursday with feeder cattle leading the pack, as corn prices eased on profit taking ahead of the long holiday weekend, analysts said. Thursday’s feeder cattle rally was due in part to a slump in corn futures, traders said. Earlier this week, the most-active contract surged amid […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat slips on bumper harvest, soy up on exports
Corn inches up on technical trading, weather questions
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures slid again on Thursday, dropping to their lowest in more than eight months amid a bumper U.S. harvest and well-timed European rains. Soybeans and corn edged higher, on technical trading and signs weather may not be so crop-friendly across the U.S. Corn Belt in coming days. The most-active […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures still face headwinds over demand questions
Cattle futures mixed on USDA report expectations
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures traded choppy on Wednesday, amid ongoing pressure from large domestic supplies and rebounding pork production, analysts said. Meanwhile, concerns over a potential slowdown in U.S. pork exports kept markets jittery for a second session, traders said. China’s meat importers fear clearing delays and a hit to demand […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
