Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade grain and soybean futures all soured on Tuesday as U.S. wheat sellers failed to nab any export sales and traders waited impatiently for news on the latest of talks on the U.S.-China trade war. Wheat was the story of the day: Most CBOT wheat futures contracts — […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat futures plunge on sluggish exports
U.S. grains: U.S. exports get no Valentine’s Day love
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) grains and soybean futures tumbled on Thursday on news that China and other buyers had canceled a flurry of U.S. soybean orders in early January and Argentina’s soy crop could be larger than previously expected, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) export sales report […] Read more
U.S. shutdown sends grain traders, farmers hunting for data
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — When the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a slew of key farm reports would not be released on Friday due to the partial government shutdown, the phones at crop forecaster Gro Intelligence blew up. The USDA was set to release its views on the projected size of U.S. soybean stockpiles, among […] Read more
As loans and aid dry up, U.S. farmers face fresh challenge from shutdown
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers, already battered by the U.S.-China trade war, are facing increasing anxiety as the partial government shutdown nears the two-week mark, leaving crucial aid and loan payments in limbo. The shutdown has blocked assistance for many farmers, who at this time of year apply for federal loans as they pay […] Read more
Cargill’s net earnings down as trade fight bites
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Grains trader Cargill on Thursday reported a 20 per cent drop in its fiscal second-quarter 2019 net earnings, as global trade tensions hit the bottom line along with challenges in the Chinese hog sector and a struggling U.S. dairy business. Three of the company’s four business units reported results that were […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat eases in thin holiday trade
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell more than one per cent on Monday in thin, technically driven trade, brokers said, but still posted a yearly gain of nearly 18 per cent. U.S. soybean futures ended lower, retreating from early advances tied to signs of thawing trade tension between Washington and top global soy […] Read more
Trump’s trade war looms over divided U.S. farm belt ahead of vote
Reading Time: 4 minutes Reuters – Chuck Wirtz voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, inspired by the then-political outsider, but the veteran Iowa hog farmer now has buyer’s remorse as the U.S. Republican president’s trade policy exacts a heavy toll on his business. Wirtz, 56, estimates the tariffs resulting from the U.S. trade war with China and […] Read more
Beef demand, crush margins boost Cargill’s Q1 ledger
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Grains trader Cargill reported a nearly five per cent rise in quarterly profit on Thursday as global demand for beef and improved oilseed crushing results offset challenges in several business units. But Cargill also faced various headwinds across the company — particularly in its protein and food ingredients units, both of which have […] Read more
U.S. farmers rush to clear crops but animals stay in Florence’s path
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — As powerful Hurricane Florence advanced toward the southeastern U.S., farmers in North Carolina rushed to harvest corn and tobacco and stock up on pig rations, while the danger of sustained rain and deadly flooding threatened a state where millions of farm animals are housed. “The governor said that North Carolina is […] Read more
Florida finds atypical BSE case
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A six-year-old beef cow in Florida tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. The animal tested positive for atypical H-type BSE on Aug. 26 at the Colorado State University’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory, as part of routine surveillance of cattle that are found to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
