Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing/Sao Paulo | Reuters –– Efforts by the Brazilian government to lift a month-long ban on beef exports to China paid off on Thursday, as Beijing agreed to resume imports while also approving four new beef packers based in Brazil, according to authorities in both countries. China’s General Administration of Customs approved the resumption of […] Read more
China agrees to resume imports of Brazilian beef
Beijing authorizes four new Brazilian plants
U.S. grains: Chicago soy closes lower
Brazil production, Fed in focus for soy; wheat, corn still capped by Black Sea deal extension
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Chicago soy futures reversed gains to close lower on Tuesday, pushed down by rising estimates of Brazilian production, while corn and wheat dipped as markets kept a cautious eye on an expected Federal Reserve rate hike. Wheat and corn continue to be capped by the extension of a Black Sea export corridor from […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Argentina estimates lowered, but attention soon shifting north
U.S. corn, soyoil export outlooks 'a little concerning'
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Sizeable reductions to Argentina’s soybean and corn crops were confirmed in the latest supply/demand estimates (WASDE) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with more reductions likely in future reports. However, attention in the markets is starting to shift to North American weather, with spring seeding just around the corner. “The USDA was a […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle highest since 2015 as corn sags
Live cattle mixed, hogs mostly higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Front-month feeder cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange hit the highest in nearly 7-1/2 years on Wednesday as falling prices for corn signaled cheaper feed costs, traders said. CME April feeder cattle futures settled up 1.4 cents at 200.075 cents/lb. after setting a life-of-contract high of 200.225 cents (all figures […] Read more
Several countries ban Brazilian beef as BSE probe goes on
Russia among those halting imports
Reading Time: 2 minutes Sao Paulo | Reuters — The Brazilian agriculture ministry said on Thursday that Thailand, Iran and Jordan have temporarily suspended imports of beef from Brazil while authorities investigate a case of BSE in an animal from Para state, according to a statement sent to Reuters. The ministry also confirmed that Russia has halted imports from […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: It still comes down to South America
Continent's soy situation conflicting
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to issue its next supply and demand estimates on March 8, what’s going on in South America continues to dominate the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), according to Andrew Mages of Progressive Ag in Fargo, N.D. “Typically it’s not the most important report because […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle set high on Brazil halting beef exports to China
April hogs close lower, June up
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures reached a contract high on Thursday amid hopes that Chinese importers will buy more U.S. beef after rival supplier Brazil suspended shipments to China, analysts said. Brazil said it would halt beef exports to China, the main destination for its overseas shipments, after confirming a […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat nears one-month low on Black Sea competition
Chicago soybeans, corn also lower
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell to their lowest in nearly a month on Wednesday as an Egyptian purchase tender highlighted export competition from the Black Sea region, tempering worries about war disruption to Ukrainian supplies, analysts said. Soybean futures fell on profit-taking and expectations of increasing soy export competition from Brazil, where […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn, wheat inch higher ahead of holiday weekend
Chicago markets close Monday for Presidents Day
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn, soybean and wheat futures closed modestly higher on Friday as traders squared positions ahead of a three-day U.S. weekend and weighed contrasting crop prospects in South America, analysts said. Uncertainty about the future of a Black Sea grain export corridor underpinned values, while a firming dollar […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola drifting lower
Near-record soy still expected from South America
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts drifted lower during the week ended Wednesday, although values remained rangebound overall. “The market is maybe coming to the realization that we still have near-record South American (soybean) supplies on hand,” Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg said of the downtrend. While Argentina has suffered crop losses from […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
