Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures rose to life-of-contract highs at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Tuesday, lifted by worries that severe winter weather could prompt beef packers to pay higher prices for animals in the U.S. Plains, traders said. Technical buying and short-covering also buoyed cattle prices while lean hog futures finished narrowly […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle hit contract highs on storm forecast
U.S. grains: Soybeans sink on concerns about China trade talks
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell for the third time in four sessions on Tuesday on worries that the United States and China remain far apart in resolving a bitter trade fight that has slashed U.S. soy imports by the world’s top buyer. Corn and wheat followed soybeans lower, with technical selling accelerating […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures drop in technical sell-off
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell for the second straight session on Monday, sliding to a one-week low on pressure from technical selling and a lack of bullish information to propel gains, traders and analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also eased to the lowest since Jan. 7, while more actively traded live […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans sink on weak China trade data
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell to a 1-1/2-week low on Monday on technical selling and on concerns about demand from China as the world’s top soy importer remains locked in a tariff war with the United States. Wheat also fell after Russia, the world’s top supplier, left its export forecast unchanged despite […] Read more
U.S. shutdown sends grain traders, farmers hunting for data
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — When the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a slew of key farm reports would not be released on Friday due to the partial government shutdown, the phones at crop forecaster Gro Intelligence blew up. The USDA was set to release its views on the projected size of U.S. soybean stockpiles, among […] Read more
Ag seen gaining on slightly weaker loonie in 2019
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Farm Credit Canada (FCC) predicts the Canadian dollar will spend the year around the 75-U.S. cent mark — slightly softer than last year’s average of 76. “We’re going to see volatility throughout the year obviously but when we look at that season, or the full year average, we’re looking for it to […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat rallies on dollar weakness, export hopes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rallied from one-week lows on Friday in a technical and bargain-buying bounce as a weakened U.S. dollar and rising wheat prices in rival exporting nations boosted prospects for U.S. shipments. Corn and soybeans also advanced on technical buying and concerns about crop prospects in South America due to […] Read more
Canola, corn, soy traits to move forward with China approvals
Reading Time: 3 minutes Approvals from China are expected to allow several major trait developments to move ahead in Canadian canola, corn and soybean fields. The Reuters news service on Tuesday reported safety certificate approvals from China’s ministry of agriculture and rural affairs for biotech traits including: Bayer’s 88302, or TruFlex canola, approved in Canada since 2012; BASF’s RF3, […] Read more
Pacific pact spurs Canadian ag sales to Japan as U.S. watches
Reading Time: 3 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — At the Canadian embassy in Tokyo last month, beef promoters flew in a chef from Canada to cook New York strip steaks for hungry Japanese importers and restaurant suppliers. The annual Canadian beef buffet reception attracted 126 people, up sharply from the usual 30 to 40. A trade deal among Pacific […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans sink as China trade optimism wavers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures dropped nearly two per cent on Thursday, the steepest slide since Nov. 26, reversing a week of gains due to a lack new purchases by China following trade talks with the United States. Forecasts for a bumper Brazilian soybean crop added pressure despite recent hot, dry weather in […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
