Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle and feeder cattle futures plunged to contract lows on Tuesday while lean hogs also extended recent losses, pulled down by ample supplies of animals for slaughter, and meat in storage. Expectations for lower cattle prices in cash markets also weighed. Live cattle and feeder cattle had declined by […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle, feeders fall to contract lows on fund selling
U.S. grains: Corn, soy sink to new lows after bearish USDA report
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell to contract lows on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture raised its 2015 harvest forecasts by more than expected and increased estimates for end-of-season stocks. Wheat futures slumped for a third straight session and hit a two-week bottom on technical selling and on a […] Read more
World corn stocks hit record high on cut in China use: USDA
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture unexpectedly revised its global coarse grain supply estimate on Tuesday, saying Chinese feed millers were using feeds other than corn at a higher rate than previously thought over the past three years. Along with an increase in USDA’s 2015 U.S. corn production forecast and cuts to […] Read more
Trimble to buy consulting firm Agri-Trend
GPS and precision farming firm Trimble is set to buy the Canadian operator of North America’s largest network of independent agricultural consultants. Publicly traded, U.S.-based Trimble, which specializes in GPS and other location services, including the collection and management of on-farm data and services for precision farming, announced Tuesday it will buy Red Deer-based, privately-held […] Read more
Klassen: Quality calves support feeder market
They say a sudden windfall can provide a false expectation of future performance. This is definitely true of the cattle feeding business. Western Canadian feeder cattle prices continued on a mixed volatile tone over the past week, trading $10 lower to as much as $10 higher. Feedlot operators shrugged off the sharply lower live cattle […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat tumbles on profit-taking
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures plunged more than four per cent on Monday on profit-taking and improving weather in some key wheat producing areas amid concerns that increasing global supplies will restrict U.S. wheat export demand. Corn futures fell for a third straight session and hit a two-month low on spillover pressure from […] Read more
Manitoba extends fertilizing deadline to Saturday
A warmer-than-usual November has allowed Manitoba’s conservation and water stewardship department to delay its winter fertilizing ban until Saturday (Nov. 14). With soil temperatures not yet at the freezing point, the province announced Monday it would extend its deadline for spreading of phosphorus and/or nitrogen, including synthetic fertilizers and/or manure, to Nov. 14 from Nov. […] Read more
Kraft Heinz to shut SW Ont. salad dressing plant
Merged food and condiment giant Kraft Heinz will shut down its salad dressing and sauce factory in southwestern Ontario and six other U.S. plants in a bid to cut its “excess capacity.” The company announced Wednesday it will shut its Richardson Foods plant at St. Marys, Ont., which makes and sells salad dressings, sauces and […] Read more
Agrium bucks fertilizer sector trend with Q3 profit
Reuters — Canadian fertilizer and farm retail dealer Agrium on Thursday reported quarterly profit jumped nearly nine per cent, as higher sales volumes and lower costs helped it buck the sector’s trend of weaker earnings. Weaker currencies in fertilizer-buying markets such as Brazil and India are weighing down prices, leading rivals PotashCorp and Mosaic Co. […] Read more
Crunch time for Manitoba producers to fertilize
CNS Canada — The clock is ticking for Manitoba producers who wish to lay down nitrogen or phosphorous on their fields. Wet conditions in many parts of the province are making it tough for farmers to get their machines onto fields, according to Dan Mazier, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. “We just drove from Winnipeg […] Read more
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