U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 25, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

U.S., Japan sign limited trade deal

Reading Time: 3 minutes New York | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed a limited trade deal on Wednesday that cuts tariffs on U.S. farm goods, Japanese machine tools and other products while further staving off the threat of higher U.S. car duties. Trump said the deal would open up Japanese markets […] Read more

File photo of cattle on grass in Montana. (Franckreporter/E+/Getty Images)

Hopes for trade breakthrough fade as China cancels U.S. farm visits

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A U.S.-China trade deal appeared elusive on Friday after Chinese officials unexpectedly canceled a visit to farms in Montana and Nebraska amid two days of ongoing talks in Washington. Chinese officials were expected to visit U.S. farmers next week as a goodwill gesture, but canceled to return to China sooner than […] Read more


File photo of piglets at a hog operation in China. (KuLouKu/iStock/Getty Images)

China to exempt U.S. pork, soybeans from additional tariffs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Shanghai | Reuters — China will exempt some agricultural products from additional tariffs on U.S. goods, including pork and soybeans, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Friday, in the latest sign of easing Sino-U.S. tensions before a new round of talks aimed at curbing a bruising trade war. The United States and China have both […] Read more



CBOT November 2019 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn ease on crop-boosting weather

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures retreated on Wednesday ahead of an eagerly awaited U.S. government crop report, pressured by forecasts for favourable Midwest crop weather and disappointment that China did not include the oilseed on a list of U.S. imports exempted from tariffs. Corn also weakened as late-planted U.S. crops were seen benefiting […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy slumps on improved crop rating

U.S. grains: Soy slumps on improved crop rating

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. soybean futures retreated on Tuesday on improving crop prospects and a lack of progress in trade talks with China, the world’s top importer of the oilseed, traders said. Prices took a hit after soybeans climbed on Monday on short covering and hopes for easing tensions in the trade war between […] Read more



CBOT November 2019 soybeans (candlesticks) and December 2019 corn (line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, corn slide following fresh round of China tariffs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures hit a three-month low and soybeans neared a three-week bottom after China said it would impose additional tariffs on U.S. products including grains and soy, escalating the trade war between the world’s top two economies. On the Chicago Board of Trade, soybean futures posted the biggest declines. China […] Read more


Vanessa Kummer checks the quality of her family farm’s 2018 soybean crops near Colfax, N.D. on Aug. 6, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Dan Koeck)

China strikes back at U.S. with new tariffs on soybeans, beef, pork, more

Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters — China said Friday it will impose retaliatory tariffs against about US$75 billion worth of U.S. goods, putting as much as an extra 10 per cent on top of existing rates in the dispute between the world’s top two economies. The latest salvo from China comes after the United States unveiled tariffs […] Read more