Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose on Friday, but failed to end the week higher as a cold snap across the U.S. Plains and into Texas hampered slaughterhouses and backed up cattle, traders said. “There’s still a big mess,” said Dennis Smith, commodity broker at Archer Financial. “The good news is, the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle end week lower
Hogs down on Olymel's plan to ship Canadian hogs south
U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn slump on record USDA acreage projections
Wheat gains on harsh U.S. cold, surging European wheat
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Corn and soybean futures retreated on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projected that U.S. farmers would devote more acres to the two crops this spring than any year on record. U.S. wheat futures, meanwhile, climbed to the highest level in 2-1/2 weeks on rallying European wheat prices, a […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures dip on slaughter delays
Lower supply expectations support hog futures
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Thursday as short-term processing delays caused by power outages and frigid weather backed up cattle and softened cash prices, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange April live cattle futures settled down 1.225 cents at 122.925 cents/lb., while the spot February contract ended 0.175 cents lower at […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Weather wreaks havoc on crops
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Unusual weather, both in North and South America, has significantly affected commodities this week at the Chicago Board of Trade, according to a broker. A brutal cold snap, extending from northern Canada to the U.S.-Mexico border, has slowed down soybean crushing, halted production at ethanol refineries and raised energy prices in the U.S., […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures mostly firm on wintry Plains weather
April hogs stay within Friday's range
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed mostly higher on Tuesday as frigid conditions gripped the U.S. Plains and Midwest, limiting the movement of animals into meat plants and threatening to reduce cattle weights, traders said. However, rallies were limited as wintry weather and power outages prompted meat-packing plants to slow the slaughter […] Read more
U.S. grains: Weather worries push wheat futures higher
Soybeans firm, corn slips
Reading Time: 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Friday, supported by concerns that arctic temperatures in key growing areas could damage the dormant crop during the weekend, traders said. “Cold temperatures, chiefly domestically, lesser so abroad, will keep the wheat trade watching winterkill prospects over the weekend,” Matt Zeller, director of market information at […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rally
Cold U.S. weather in focus
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures rallied on Friday, supported by cold weather in the United States that was making it hard to put weight on animals. “Weather remains front and center for cattle producers, bitter cold temps will be with us through the weekend and also some sizable snow totals in the southeast […] Read more
Long-range forecast points to cool, wet spring for northern Prairies
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Central and northern agricultural regions of Saskatchewan and Alberta are forecast to see cooler-than-normal temperatures with above-average precipitation over the next three months, according the latest long-range outlook from Environment Canada. The department’s latest seasonal weather maps, dated Sunday, show a 40-50 per cent chance of above-normal precipitation across most of the northern […] Read more
Alberta crop insurer taps reserve to cut premiums
AFSC to pare premiums by 20 per cent
Reading Time: 2 minutes The reserve at Alberta’s Crown crop insurance agency will be tapped to offset the premiums charged to farmers for the 2021 crop year, and possibly for longer. The province’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) said Monday its farmer customers will get a 20 per cent discount on crop insurance premiums this year — which on […] Read more
Facing green push on farm, fertilizer makers look to sea for growth
Reading Time: 4 minutes Winnipeg/Oslo | Reuters — Two of the world’s biggest fertilizer producers, CF Industries and Yara International, are seeking to cash in on the green energy transition by reconfiguring ammonia plants in the U.S. and Norway to produce clean energy to power ships. The consumption of oil for transportation is one of the top contributors to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
