Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures jumped on Thursday as expectations for more rain in the U.S. Midwest heightened worries about bad weather reducing autumn harvests. Forecasts called for rain over the next five days, which would keep some fields too wet to plant and add stress to planted crops that are […] Read more
U.S. grains: Rains fuel crop worries, lift corn, soy, wheat
U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs fall as pork sales to China disappoint
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures tumbled on Thursday as U.S. pork export sales to China continued to disappoint traders who have been expecting a surge of demand due to an outbreak of a fatal hog disease in China. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures also declined. Hog futures have pulled back 12 […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans rally as rains threaten more planting problems
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures jumped to their highest levels in more than a week on Wednesday as rains threatened to further delay corn and soy plantings and put crop yields at risk. The gains came a day after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday cited “unprecedented planting delays” […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures sag under pressure from big supplies
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. livestock futures weakened on Wednesday under pressure from large numbers of cattle and hogs and uncertainty over demand, traders said. Declines in the markets reflected expectations that meat supplies will remain plentiful, after farmers expanded their herds. Beef production in the third quarter of 2019 is expected to top seven […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn hits one-week high as USDA cuts yield more than expected
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures climbed to a one-week high on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made a bigger-than-expected cut to its yield estimate due to unprecedented planting delays this spring. USDA, in a monthly report, slashed its corn yield projection by 10 bushels an acre from May, or 5.7 per […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn seesaws, soy rises on planting uncertainty
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures veered between gains and losses while soybean futures rose on Monday as planting delays fueled uncertainty over the size of the nation’s crops. Heavy rains delayed plantings the spring and traders remain unsure about how many acres of corn and soy will actually be planted and how much […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures advance after Trump calls off Mexico tariffs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose on Monday as traders were relieved President Donald Trump had called off plans to impose tariffs on imports of Mexican goods, which means no retaliatory duties by Mexico on U.S. products like pork. Live cattle futures rose by the daily price limit. Traders remained on edge about […] Read more
U.S. to favour soybeans in trade war aid for farmers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington/Chicago | Reuters — The Trump administration is considering direct payments to U.S. farmers of $2 per bushel for soybeans as part of an aid package to offset the trade war with China, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, an offer that could encourage more soy planting despite record supplies. China is the world’s top soybean importer, […] Read more
U.S. to begin testing sick and dead pigs for African swine fever
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture within weeks will begin testing sick and dead pigs for a hog virus that has killed herds across Asia in an effort to minimize devastation if the disease enters the United States, the agency said on Thursday. Increased testing aims to help U.S. officials detect cases […] Read more
U.S. plans more aid for farmers amid China trade spat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago/Washington | Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Friday that President Donald Trump had asked him to create a plan to help U.S. farmers cope with the heavy impact of the U.S.-China trade war on agriculture. A new aid program would be the second round of assistance for farmers, after the Department […] Read more