A file photo of rapeseed fields near Vouziers in France’s Ardennes department. (Photopixal/iStock/Getty Images)

French rapeseed farmers destroy 18,000 hectares over GMO risk

Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — French farmers destroyed a total of 18,000 hectares of rapeseed, more than double the area initially expected, following the discovery of a non-authorized genetically modified organism (GMO) in seeds, German group Bayer said on Friday. Bayer had announced in February that farmers in France and Germany were turning over thousands of […] Read more



CME June 2019 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures rise again with swine fever in focus

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed mostly higher on Friday as speculators continued to push prices higher due to concerns about African swine fever in China, traders said. The spread of the deadly virus has raised expectations of a pick-up in demand from China, the world’s top pork buyer. “The […] Read more

CBOT May 2019 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Trade hopes spur gains in soy futures

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures firmed for the third time in four sessions on Thursday, supported by a better-than-expected export report and hopes for a trade deal with China, traders said. Corn futures also closed in positive territory, with more rain in the U.S. Midwest sparking fresh concerns about planting delays in key […] Read more


CME June 2019 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures extend rally as African swine fever spreads

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose on Thursday for the third day in a row, supported by expectations that the spread of deadly African swine fever in China would boost demand from the world’s top pork buyer. The most-active June hogs contract closed up three cents, the daily trading limit. […] Read more



CME May 2019 hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs rally on hopes for increased exports to China

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures charged higher on Wednesday, with the May contract surging 5.4 per cent, on hopes for a trade deal with China that would boost exports to the world’s largest consumer of pork. “U.S.-China trade talks restart in D.C. today and most accounts have those negotiations going […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

China has not escalated canola seed dispute with Canada, Ottawa says

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ottawa | Reuters — China has not escalated a dispute with Canada over the export of canola seeds and comments by the Canadian farm minister on the matter have been misunderstood, an agriculture ministry official said on Wednesday. China — embroiled in a major diplomatic dispute with Ottawa — has blocked imports from two major […] Read more


U.S. livestock: June hogs limit up on swine fever concerns

U.S. livestock: June hogs limit up on swine fever concerns

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures rallied on Tuesday, with some contracts closing up their daily trading limit, as expectations for a bump in export deals to China, traders said. The gains were ignited by the announcement on Monday by China’s agriculture ministry that African swine fever has been found […] Read more

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, shown here visiting Cigi in Winnipeg on March 13, said a third unnamed canola exporter has run afoul of Chinese customs officials. (Dave Bedard photo)

Third canola exporter runs into trouble in China

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters –– Chinese authorities have filed a quality complaint against a third Canadian exporter of canola, Canada’s agriculture minister said on Tuesday, potentially deepening a trade and diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Ottawa. Early last month, China cited the discovery of pests as the reason for blocking shipments of canola seed from Richardson […] Read more