Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. grain and soybean futures strengthened on Monday as technical buying and positioning ahead of U.S. crop reports overshadowed concerns about poor export demand. Soybean oil neared a two-month high. Traders were adjusting positions in the markets before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issues reports on crop production, supplies and […] Read more
U.S. grains: Prices rise on technicals, positioning before reports
U.S. grains: Wheat nears one-month high on global weather worries
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures neared a one-month high on Wednesday on short-covering and poor weather in Australia and the Black Sea region that worried traders who have recently been focused on large global supplies. Corn and soybean futures ended little changed. Propelling wheat prices higher was dry weather that is threatening the […] Read more
Storm suspected of carrying new corn disease into U.S.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A tropical storm could have carried the corn disease tar spot into the heart of the U.S. farm belt for the first time, as winds and rain blew in from Latin America, researchers told Reuters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed cases of tar spot in at least four locations […] Read more
McDonald’s cage-free egg pledge pressures farmers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — This month’s pledge by McDonald’s Corp. to phase out eggs laid by caged hens in its North American restaurants will increase competition for limited supplies of cage-free eggs. The ban, which follows similar moves by Burger King and food services company Sodexo, carries higher costs that may, at least initially, sting farmers. For […] Read more
U.S. may kill poultry with heat stress to stop bird flu
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. agriculture officials seeking ways to control deadly bird flu have approved the use of a method to kill poultry by turning up the heat in their barns and shutting off ventilation systems. The Agriculture Department will consider using the method, condemned by animal rights groups as cruel, if there are […] Read more
Sales from organic U.S. farms reached $5.5B last year
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Sales from organic U.S. farms reached US$5.5 billion last year, a 72 per cent increase from 2008, the U.S. Agriculture Department said in a report on Thursday that highlighted the consumer trend toward such products. The USDA data, compiled through farmer surveys, showed that milk was the top organic commodity in […] Read more
USDA probes release of incorrect data that pressured crop prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) unit is reviewing its procedures after posting incorrect crop data online on Wednesday, an error that temporarily pressured grain prices. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) inadvertently issued the wrong data on crop acreage around 5 a.m. CT and posted corrected data four hours later. The agency […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy shakes off 6-year low, corn jumps on U.S. crop fears
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago/Reuters – U.S. soybean futures bounced on Friday after a surprise increase in the Department of Agriculture’s autumn harvest forecast knocked prices to six-year lows. Corn futures neared one-month highs after the USDA, in a monthly report, reduced its production estimate, igniting supply concerns. Traders are focused on the size of the crops because prices […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn tops one-week high on expectation for harvest cut
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. grain and soybean futures edged higher on Thursday, with corn topping a one-week high, on expectations that the U.S. Agriculture Department will trim its domestic harvest estimates in highly anticipated reports due out on Friday. Analysts expect USDA, in the monthly reports, to cut its corn and soybean production and […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy drops on stable crop ratings, poor export demand
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. soybean futures dipped on Wednesday on better-than-expected U.S. crop ratings and concerns about sluggish export demand. Wheat futures also declined, while corn traded near unchanged. Soybeans pulled back after rising on Tuesday on expectations that the U.S. Agriculture Department would cut its condition ratings for the crop in a weekly […] Read more