Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures fell sharply on Friday on weak pork prices and concerns about export demand as trade tensions have increased between the U.S. and China, the world’s largest hog and pork market. Traders squared positions ahead of the long Memorial Day holiday weekend due to the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down on continued export uncertainty
USDA announces more farm aid to offset trade war losses
Reading Time: 4 minutes Washington | Reuters –– The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a US$16 billion farm aid package to offset losses from a 10-month trade war with China and said payment rates to farmers would be determined by where they farm rather than what crops they grow. The package, the bulk of which will be spent on […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans rebound in technical bounce, trade aid details awaited
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rebounded on Wednesday in a technical correction from the prior session’s drop as the market awaited details of a Trump administration farm aid package that could encourage farmers to plant more soybeans. Corn ended firm, although spillover support from higher soy and worries over rain-delayed U.S. planting were […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures erode on China trade tensions
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures drifted lower on Wednesday and touched a one-week low as the market was pressured by concerns that the U.S.-China trade war is far from resolution. Traders did not expect any significant Chinese buying of U.S. pork in weekly export sales data due to be […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs, cattle drop as rains seen denting grilling demand
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle and lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed mostly lower on Tuesday as both markets were pressured by worries that wet weather around large parts of the country would disrupt demand for pork and beef. Above-normal rains are expected across much of the western and […] 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. garlic growers profit from trade war as most farmers struggle
Reading Time: 3 minutes Gilroy, California | Reuters — Unlike millions of other U.S. farmers, garlic growers are profiting from the trade war with China and have cheered President Donald Trump’s latest economic attack accordingly. Sales of California-grown garlic are now increasing after decades of losing ground to cheaper Chinese imports. Sales are poised to get even better as […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn nears one-year peak as rains stall planting
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures climbed for a sixth straight session on Monday and touched their highest level in nearly a year as rainy Midwest weather and waterlogged fields stoked concerns about reduced plantings and lower yields for the crop. Wheat jumped to a three-month high on delayed spring wheat planting in the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs end mixed as market assesses trade battles
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed mixed on Monday as traders weighed positive news of easing trade tensions with Mexico and Canada against signs that trade ties with China are worsening. The U.S. struck deals last week to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from […] Read more
Input Capital steps back from mortgage expansion plans
Reading Time: 2 minutes Up against the current canola market, “commodity streaming” firm Input Capital has put off plans to ramp up its mortgage business with canola growers. The publicly traded Regina company in February announced a “comprehensive review of strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value” and said it was in “an ongoing search for appropriate scalable sources of […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
