(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. grains: Wheat climbs on global weather woes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed nearly two per cent on Wednesday on a mix of technical buying and worries about persistent dry weather in major exporting countries including Russia and Australia. Corn and soybeans sagged as weather in the U.S. crop belt remained mostly favourable. Chicago Board of Trade July wheat settled […] Read more

Pork baby back ribs. (Grandriver/Getty Images)

U.S. livestock: Strong cash prices reverse CME hogs’ losses

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs on Wednesday closed up sharply, spurred by short-covering and escalating prices for slaughter-ready, or cash, hogs that reversed Tuesday’s market losses, said traders. On Tuesday, some CME hog contracts day fell more than two per cent after Mexico imposed tariffs on U.S. pork following Washington’s higher […] Read more


(PutPorkOnYourFork.com)

Mexico hits back on U.S. steel, slaps tariffs on pork, bourbon

Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico responded in kind to U.S. President Donald Trump’s metals tariffs by imposing its own duties on U.S. steel on Tuesday, while also targeting politically sensitive agricultural products from pork to bourbon. Mexico’s peso tumbled to its weakest level since February 2017, leading losses among major currencies due to the […] Read more



(Deyana Robova photo/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. livestock: Profit-taking, trade war fears upend CME hogs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures closed lower on Thursday, rocked by profit-taking amid worries that pork could suffer from retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., traders said. June hogs closed 0.7 cents/lb. lower at 76.625 cents (all figures US$). July ended 2.075 cents lower at 78.05 cents. Mexico threatened to reciprocate with […] Read more

A wheat crop in progress on May 24, 2016 north of London, Ont. (Ralph Pearce photo)

U.S. grains: Wheat up for third day in a row

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Thursday, their third straight day of gains, on worries that adverse weather will lead to crop shortfalls in key growing areas around the world, traders said. Soybean futures fell, pressured by fresh concerns about exports. Corn futures closed lower on long liquidation by funds after failing […] Read more



(Video screengrab from CBSA-asfc.gc.ca)

NAFTA talks drag on as U.S., Mexico spar over autos

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — Top-level talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement made little headway on Wednesday as the U.S. and Mexico sought to settle differences over the key issue of automobiles, three well-placed sources said. With time fast running out to reach a deal, the two NAFTA members are discussing a U.S. […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Trade rows spell gain, and pain, for U.S. grain exporters

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Global grain marketers have seized upon trade tensions between the United States and several of its top export markets, including China, to turn around struggling trading units following one of the toughest years ever for the industry. After five years of bumper harvests worldwide that depressed crop prices, trading margins are […] Read more

(PortSeattle.org)

U.S. to take another look at Pacific trade pact

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump has asked his trade advisers to look at rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multinational trade pact he withdrew the U.S. from last year, White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said. Republican senators met with Trump on Thursday and he told them that he has asked U.S. Trade Representative […] Read more