Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures fell on Monday in a turnaround from a two-week high last week, as large inventories pressured prices. Meat packers slaughtered an estimated 496,000 pigs, up from 475,000 a year ago, putting extra pork on the market. U.S. hog supplies are large after farmers expanded their herds to supply […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Plentiful supply pressures CME hogs
U.S. seals demise of WTO appeals bench, trade officials say
Reading Time: 2 minutes Geneva | Reuters — The fate of the World Trade Organization’s top court was effectively sealed on Monday after the United States said it would not back a proposal to allow it to continue, trade officials said, although the WTO chief vowed to find a solution. The Trump administration has been blocking appointments to the […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy futures rise as China offers tariff waivers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose for a fourth consecutive session on Friday as China said it would waive import tariffs for some U.S. farm products, renewing optimism for a possible trade agreement between Washington and Beijing. Tariff waivers will be based on applications by individual companies for U.S. soybean and pork imports, […] Read more
Major grain traders’ e-transaction platform gets name
Reading Time: 2 minutes The blockchain-based global commodity transaction platform being developed by six of the world’s biggest agrifood firms is moving ahead with a new name and project leader. The six companies — ADM, Bunge, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, Cofco and Glencore Agriculture — announced Wednesday the project will be named Covantis, and have hired former ADM executive Stefano […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola steady, awaits news
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts moved lower during the week ended Wednesday, but remain rangebound overall awaiting some fresh market-moving news. Some direction could come from the U.S. soybean complex, as the ongoing back-and-forth of trade talks with China could see some actual movement ahead of a Dec. 15 deadline that will see the […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Headlines, geopolitics drive prices
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — To Terry Reilly, about the only things driving the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) are headlines and geopolitics developments. “Traders are trading headlines,” Reilly, an analyst for Futures International in Chicago, said in reference to the latest developments in U.S.-China trade talks. Reports on Wednesday morning said the two countries were close to […] Read more
Grain World: Farm consolidation key to increasing yields
Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatoon | MarketsFarm — Consolidating farms — going from numerous small operations to fewer, but much larger, farms — is central to improving crop yields, according to grain industry observers Neil Townsend and Jason Newton. Townsend is the chief market analyst for FarmLink Marketing Solutions, while Newton is the chief economist and head of marketing […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy rises on trade hopes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose on Wednesday, buoyed by renewed optimism about a U.S.-China trade deal as well as some bargain buying, traders said. Corn futures were lower, giving up early gains on technical selling, while wheat futures firmed after two days of sharp declines. Investors were reassured by a Bloomberg report […] Read more
Grain World: Beijing analyst brings different perspective
Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatoon | MarketsFarm — Ivy Li brought a much different perspective about China to the Grain World conference in Saskatoon. Specializing in Chinese agricultural markets, the Beijing-based independent analyst veered away from the usual statements that often cast China as the bad guy on the world stage. Also, Li pointed out, Canada has been doing […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat futures drop sharply
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat futures sagged 1.8 per cent on Tuesday, the biggest percentage loss for the most-active contract in two months, on a round of profit-taking and technical selling, traders said. U.S. corn futures closed narrowly mixed, with nearby contracts weighed down by the drop in […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
