CME February 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs mixed on trade detail uncertainty

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures slipped on Tuesday, as uncertainty about details from the U.S.-China “Phase 1” trade agreement continued to make the market nervous, brokers said. Meanwhile, Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live and feeder cattle futures continued to consolidate after Friday’s big price rally in the wake of the trade agreement news. […] Read more

MGEX March 2020 spring wheat with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

Confluence of bullish news sends wheat futures higher

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — A number of factors have come together to underpin North American wheat prices, with more room to the upside after a rally in all three U.S. futures markets to start the week, according to an analyst. Chicago, Kansas City and Minneapolis wheat futures all started the week with double-digit gains. The Chicago and […] Read more


CBOT March 2020 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: CBOT corn, soy, wheat rally after trade deal

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat, corn and soybean futures rallied on Monday, bolstered by hopes for improving export prospects due to increased demand from China and decreased competition from Argentina, traders said. Wheat notched the biggest gains, with the most-active Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat contract surging 3.2 per cent to […] Read more

CME February 2020 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs relatively steady on trade deal hopes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures remained relatively steady on Monday but funds continued to hold their long positions in anticipation of a surge of demand for U.S. meat after the U.S.-China “Phase 1” trade agreement is finalized, traders said. U.S. lean hog futures inched upward, rising for a third session on the same […] Read more


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 11, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

Farmers hit by trade disputes should be helped faster, Trudeau says

Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s agriculture department should move more quickly to help farmers harmed by protectionist measures imposed by other nations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday. Canadian farmers are caught up in a trade and diplomatic dispute between Ottawa and Beijing. In a formal letter of instruction to Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Trudeau […] Read more

CBOT January 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: China trade news provides lift

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures touched a three-week high on Friday after Washington and Beijing announced a “phase one” trade deal, but the market pared gains amid uncertainty about the details of the pact, including the size of any potential Chinese agricultural purchases. As part of the agreement, Beijing committed to buy an […] Read more


CME February 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs, cattle climb on China trade news

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose on Friday on hopes that a “phase one” trade agreement announced by Washington and Beijing would stimulate Chinese purchases of U.S. pork, but prices pared gains as traders struggled with uncertainty about the specifics. As part of the agreement, Beijing committed to buy an additional $32 […] Read more

Han Jun, China’s vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, attends a news conference on the state of trade negotiations with U.S. in Beijing on Dec. 13, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Jason Lee)

Chinese officials, Trump agree to tariff rollbacks

Reading Time: 3 minutes Beijing/Washington | Reuters — The United States and China cooled their trade war on Friday, announcing a “phase one” agreement that reduces some U.S. tariffs in exchange for increased Chinese purchases of U.S. farm goods. Chinese officials offered no specific details on the amount of U.S. agricultural goods Beijing had agreed to buy, a key […] Read more


CME February lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs firm on fresh hopes for China trade pact

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures closed higher on Thursday on rekindled hopes for a U.S. trade deal with China, the world’s top pork consumer, traders said. Recent strength in cash hog markets added support, although prices in the closely watched Iowa and southern Minnesota market fell on Thursday afternoon after rising in […] Read more