Reading Time: 3 minutes Beijing | Reuters — As many as 79 people died from H7N9 bird flu in China last month, the government said, stoking worries that the spread of the virus this season could be the worst on record. January’s fatalities were up to four times higher than the same month in past years, and brought the […] Read more
China bird flu deaths surge in what could be worst season ever
Australia, New Zealand pledge to salvage TPP
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Australia hopes to salvage the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by encouraging China and other Asian nations into the agreement in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull his country out of the pact, its trade minister said on Tuesday. New Zealand’s trade minister said ministers from the remaining TPP countries would […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy hits six-week low on South American prospects
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell to a six-week low on Tuesday on improving South American crop prospects and uncertainty about export demand from China, analysts said. Corn rose on technical buying and expectations that commodity index funds will buy grain next week as they rebalance portfolios. Wheat closed lower, retreating from early […] Read more
Fat herds, leaner profits: For China’s pig farmers, New Year feasts bring cold comfort
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing/Reuters – With China’s Lunar New Year festivities fast approaching, pig farmers in the world’s biggest pork market have little to cheer. As they fatten herds to meet peak demand, a slump in retail prices and a spike in feed costs are grinding up profits. A wave of imports has squeezed pork retail prices 10 […] Read more
Fertilizer prices ‘float along’ with eyes on China, corn
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — It’s shaping up to be a typical winter season for fertilizer prices, according to an industry expert, but he cautions plant expansions in the U.S., corn acreage and the murky world of Chinese exports will all play a part in determining any price spikes in coming months. “We’re probably expecting a typical […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Rangebound canola watches U.S., China
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada –– ICE Futures Canada canola contracts find themselves trading within a rather narrow range, with a downturn more likely than a move higher in the near term. “We have a bull and a bear that are yanking each other right now, and (canola) is quite flat,” said analyst Errol Anderson of ProMarket Communications […] Read more
Canada’s canola meal sales to China at five-year high
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg/Beijing | Reuters –– Canadian canola meal shipments to China have jumped to their highest level in five years, boosting profits of crush plants and firming prices as farmers slog through a difficult harvest. Canada shipped 415,000 tonnes of canola meal to China from January through August, the most since 2011 and following zero shipments […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans rise on export sales, soymeal gains
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures were narrowly higher on Thursday, reaching two-month peaks as they extended gains on the back of big export sales to China and as soymeal futures surged two per cent. Chicago Board of Trade corn futures rose for the third straight session, while wheat futures were mostly higher, with […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Harvest pressure seen easing
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade moved higher during the week ended Wednesday, with soybeans leading to the upside on the back of solid export demand and a rally in world vegetable oil markets. The front-month contract moved well above the psychological $10 per bushel mark, which may […] Read more
China busts gang selling expired dairy products
Reading Time: < 1 minute Shanghai/Wellington | Reuters — Chinese police have arrested 19 people for repackaging and selling expired dairy products originally from New Zealand giant Fonterra Co-Operative Group, a Shanghai regulator said on Monday, the latest food scare to hit the country. The bust, which initially took place in March, uncovered the gang who had cut 276 tons […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
