(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Fall quota level based on ‘rebound’ in chicken demand

National allocation trimmed two per cent for September-October period

Reading Time: 2 minutes A relatively small tweak to national chicken quota allocation has been set for much of this autumn, following a stretch of heavy pandemic-related cuts. At a Chicken Farmers of Canada meeting Tuesday, national allocation for quota period A-165 (Aug. 30 to Oct. 24, 2020) was set at minus two per cent from its adjusted base. […] Read more

(Dragos Cojocari/iStock/Getty Images)

Hog sector hit hard by pandemic

Market weakness seen likely to push some farmers out of business

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — COVID-19 has hit the hog sector hard, with the double-edged sword of large supplies and reduced demand weighing heavily on the market. “The prospect of profitability at current forward prices and at current cash prices is nil… and there’s really no prospect of making anything this year,” said Tyler Fulton, director of risk […] Read more


ICE Futures July 2020 canola with 20-, 40-, 100- and 200-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola nearing resistance

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts have trended higher over the past month, but may be nearing the upper end of their nearby range. Solid demand, from both exporters and domestic crushers, has kept canola well supported, while a firmer tone in world energy and vegetable oil markets should also add some upside momentum, according […] Read more

CME June 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures drop as pandemic roils markets

Technical buying lifts hogs, feeder cattle

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures plunged to their daily trading limit on Monday — with prices for the front-month contract hitting the lowest seen since December 2009 — as beef inventories remain robust with much of the U.S. restaurant industry shuttered due to the pandemic. April live cattle were down the 4.5-cent […] Read more


CBOT May 2020 wheat with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat firms after four-day slide

Corn hits 3-1/2-year low

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Friday, bouncing after a four-day slide, as traders weighed the threat of a deep economic downturn due to the coronavirus epidemic against supply tensions in some exporting countries. Corn extended a six-day drop, with May futures hitting the lowest for a most-active contract since September 2016, […] Read more

Dennis Laycraft. (John Greig photo)

Beef sector mobilizes against supply disruptions

Keeping border open, meeting demand for beef are top priorities

Reading Time: 2 minutes Teams of livestock and government officials are quickly creating plans and policies to keep the sector functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic, says the executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “Our primary objective obviously is to insure there is stable beef production and trade that can continue under the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dennis […] Read more


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

U.S. grains: Soy futures fall on China demand concerns

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures drifted lower for the third time in four sessions on Thursday as demand from China remained quiet, stirring fresh concerns that purchases from the world’s top oilseed buyer will fall due to the spread of the coronavirus. Corn futures also weakened, pressured by a bearish U.S. acreage forecast, […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC forecasts more wheat, less canola seeded in spring

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canada’s farmers will seed more wheat and less canola in the 2020 growing season, according to the first supply/demand estimates for the 2020-21 marketing year, released Thursday by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Total seeded wheat area is forecast to rise to 25.77 million acres, from 25.02 million the previous year. Production is forecast […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

CGC revises domestic canola usage downward

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Domestic canola demand remained well ahead of exports in the latest Canadian Grain Commission report for the week ended Sunday — but revisions to data now show the crush pace is not quite as active as reported earlier in the month. The original data for the week ended Jan. 5 showed domestic disappearance […] Read more

The Chicago Board of Trade building on May 28, 2018. (Harmantasdc/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

U.S. grains: Corn firm ahead of USDA report, frosty weather

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures inched higher on Monday on position-squaring ahead of a key monthly U.S. government crop report later this week and worries about forecasts for a freeze looming for the northwestern Corn Belt, traders said. Soybeans and wheat closed lower after a choppy session. Chicago Board of Trade December corn […] Read more