Kyiv | Reuters — The Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi has halted operations because Russia is not allowing ships to enter it, in effect cutting it out of a deal allowing safe Black Sea grain exports, a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday. The Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia and Ukraine last July, and extended […] Read more
Russia preventing Black Sea grain deal port from operating, Ukraine says
Black Sea Grain Initiative was extended last week
U.S. grains: Wheat up off two-year low, pulls corn higher
Soybeans down on profit-taking
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose 2.6 per cent on Tuesday, bouncing from their lowest in more than two years, on concerns that Ukraine’s exports were being restricted despite the extension of the Black Sea export deal, traders said. The gains in wheat lent support to corn futures, while soybeans retreated on profit-taking […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog, cattle futures fall on technical selling
Cattle trade sees pressure from rising corn futures
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell on Tuesday on technical selling as the market moved closer to values in the cash market, traders said. Cattle contracts also were lower, with traders noting pressure from strength in corn futures. Recent declines in both cattle and hogs have done little to spur a […] Read more
Klassen: Weather forecasts underpin feeder market
High forage costs pose problem for cow-calf expansion
For the week ending Saturday, western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged from seven days earlier. The finishing feedlot operator appears to be dominating the feeder market across all weight categories. Ontario interest was creeping all the way into Alberta, especially for Limousin-type genetics. There were limited numbers on offer in Manitoba and Saskatchewan […] Read more
Prairie Forecast Update: A few small tweaks
Update issued May 21, 2023, covering May 21-24, 2023
The weather models are continuing to do a good job with the short- to medium-range forecasts, but there have been a couple of small changes that have been slowly working into the forecast. Weak troughing off the West Coast is still forecasted to kick off the development of a leeside low in Alberta. This low […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy futures rally
Wheat up off lowest level since March 2021
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures rallied on Monday and wheat futures firmed as a round of bargain buying supported commodities prices after a bearish global supply picture pushed prices sharply lower this month. The benchmark Chicago Board of Trade wheat contract dropped below $6 a bushel for the first time in […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures drop to contract lows on demand woes
CME cattle futures also lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures sank to contract lows on Monday, with the market under pressure from plentiful supplies and weak demand for pork at grocery stores and on the export market. “The story remains one of a slow-to-move product market,” brokerage StoneX said in a note to clients. Cattle futures […] Read more
Animal health body backs bird flu vaccination to avoid pandemic
Vaccination should focus on free-range birds, WOAH chief says
Paris | Reuters — Governments should consider vaccinating poultry against bird flu, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds and infected mammals worldwide, to prevent the virus from turning into a new pandemic, the head of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said. The severity of the current outbreak of avian influenza, commonly […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Barley market steady for now
Feedlots still importing U.S. corn
MarketsFarm — Feed barley bids in Western Canada continue to hold steady, while attention in the market turns to the new crop going into the ground. “There currently is an uptick in demand for quick movement presenting good opportunities for producers ready to sell,” Alberta grain brokerage Agfinity said in a note to clients. “However, […] Read more
U.S. reports case of atypical BSE
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Friday an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in an older beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina. USDA said the animal never entered slaughter channels and the agency did not expect any trade impacts as a result. It was […] Read more