Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures climbed to the loftiest levels of the week on Friday on expectations for higher cash cattle sales at Plains feedlot markets and as harsh weather in parts of the region increased stress on the animals. Some feedlot cattle in the central and northern Plains have traded at […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle rise on firm cash market, harsh Plains weather
U.S. grains: Wheat up, corn and soy down awaiting USDA data
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures jumped on Thursday in a rebound from the market’s recent slide and soybeans and corn eased as investors squared positions ahead of an eagerly awaited U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supply-and-demand report due on Friday. Rising global prices and forecasts for reduced U.S. plantings this season gave wheat […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs sink on big supply, premium to cash prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Thursday on ample supplies of hogs and a weak cash market, and as traders remain uncertain about how much additional pork China would buy as part of a Phase One trade deal with the United States. The actively traded Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) February contract […] Read more
African swine fever spreads near German border
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — Poland recorded 55 outbreaks of African swine fever in wild boar near the German border last month, the world animal health body said on Thursday, in a sign the deadly virus is spreading near one of the European Union’s biggest pork exporters. A report posted on the World Organization for Animal […] Read more
Deere bets on cost cuts, services push to boost profits
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Deere and Co. on Wednesday said it will cut costs and ramp up investment in data-driven agriculture technology and its services business to make itself more profitable. In a pitch to investors, CEO John May said the measures are expected to boost operating profit margin to 15 per cent by 2022 […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola stronger at midweek
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Canola was “well supported” at midweek, bolstered by strength in comparable vegetable oils and relative weakness in the Canadian dollar. Chicago soy was underpinned by strong export demand and the expectation that the U.S. and China will sign Phase One of their trade deal next week. However, with heightened geopolitical tension in the […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: 2019 ends on high note
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Despite a number of tough challenges in 2019, one broker at the Chicago Board of Trade said the year ended on a high note. “For what we went through with China this whole year, this trade war, you had corn, wheat and soybeans close higher for the year on Dec. 31,” said Scott […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Chinese buying drives record pork exports in November
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. pork exports in November surged to a record high for any month, according to new government data, driven by a fatal pig disease stoking a meat shortage in China. The shipments fueled expectations for more big sales to China, although U.S. hog futures slumped on Wednesday. China, the world’s largest […] Read more
U.S. grains: Prices narrowly mixed as traders assess Mideast risk
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean and grain futures were narrowly mixed on Wednesday as traders’ jitters eased after Iran and the United States signalled a de-escalation of tensions after an Iranian missile attack against U.S. forces in Iraq. Investors also continued to square positions ahead of a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop […] Read more
Brazil to become top soybean producer, USDA says
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Brazil is set to pass the United States as the world’s top producer of soybeans during the 2019-20 marketing year, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As soybean production in both countries has risen dramatically over the last 10 years, the U.S. continued to lead the world in […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
