Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– A double-whammy of U.S. crop reports pegging corn plantings and inventories above traders’ estimates knocked down grain futures on Tuesday and fuelled forecasts for further price declines. Taken together, the data lifted expectations for corn supplies after U.S. farmers brought in a record harvest last year, signalling a boon for livestock […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn hit by one-two punch of plantings, stocks data
U.S. developing bird flu vaccine, no distribution plans yet
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government is developing a vaccine to protect poultry from new strains of avian flu that have recently killed birds from Arkansas to Washington state. Within two months, scientists at a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research lab in Georgia will test the vaccine on chickens to see how well […] Read more
U.S. may impose tougher curbs to contain bird flu in Arkansas
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. authorities are considering imposing tougher restrictions in Arkansas to contain a virulent strain of avian flu in the heart of the country’s poultry region in a bid to minimize international trade disruptions and contain the virus. The H5N2 flu discovered in Arkansas last week is the state’s first case of […] Read more
U.S. bird experts mystified by Midwest avian flu spread
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A virulent strain of avian flu that has killed turkeys in the heart of the nation’s poultry region has been found through molecular testing to be nearly identical to viruses isolated in migratory ducks. But some wildlife experts are skeptical of suggestions that wild birds are responsible for spreading the H5N2 […] Read more
U.S. exports at risk as bird flu enters heart of poultry country
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A case of bird flu confirmed Wednesday in the heart of America’s poultry region, is certain to mean more export restrictions, increasing U.S. supply and likely forcing the world’s biggest poultry companies to trim prices. The U.S. government announced the infection of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian flu in turkeys in Arkansas […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans set five-week high on predicted drop in plantings
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures jumped to a five-week high on Thursday after the U.S. Agriculture Department projected farmers will plant fewer acres than traders expected in response to falling prices. Corn futures also advanced, while wheat finished flat to lower. USDA, in data released at its annual Agricultural Outlook conference, projected 2015-16 […] Read more
CME Group to close most open-outcry futures trading pits
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — CME Group will shutter most of its open-outcry futures pits by July 2, the world’s largest futures market operator said Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on a once-raucous tradition that has been in decline since the rise of computerized trading. The decision ousts traders of products ranging from grain and livestock […] Read more
Cargill begins selling GM corn seed at centre of lawsuits
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Cargill has started selling a variety of genetically modified Syngenta corn seed that previously disrupted U.S. grain trading, now that China has approved imports of the biotech crop. Cargill, one of the top U.S. grain exporters, began selling seed containing the Agrisure Viptera trait last month and scrapped a policy that required farmers […] Read more
U.S. grains: Markets sag under pressure from hefty global supplies
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures dropped to a four-month low on Monday while corn and soybeans hovered near multi-month lows as large crop inventories kept a lid on prices. Traders focused on hefty grain supplies as crop weather improved in South America, with scattered showers in Brazil easing concerns about drought curtailing soybean […] Read more
Cargill likely to stay private, CEO says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Miami | Reuters — Cargill, one of the world’s largest privately held corporations and a top commodities trader, will likely remain private for at least another decade, its CEO said on Tuesday as he assessed challenges facing the 150-year old company. David MacLennan, who has led Cargill for the past 13 months, also revealed that […] Read more