Chicago | Reuters — Coronavirus is disrupting meat shipments to China as the country faces a shortage due to an outbreak of a fatal pig disease, Tyson Foods Inc and U.S. agricultural groups said on Thursday. An outbreak of African swine fever, which infects only pigs, has decimated China’s herd, pushing Chinese pork prices to […] Read more
Coronavirus disrupts China meat imports, food supplies
Swine fever has created pork shortage
U.S. grains: Corn, soy shrug off benign USDA data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybeans were steady to higher on Friday as investors looked past revised U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supply-and-demand projections and focused on improved prospects for exports to China, which is due to sign an interim trade deal with the United States next week. The USDA data, released during […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle rise on firm cash market, harsh Plains weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures climbed to the loftiest levels of the week on Friday on expectations for higher cash cattle sales at Plains feedlot markets and as harsh weather in parts of the region increased stress on the animals. Some feedlot cattle in the central and northern Plains have traded at […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat up, corn and soy down awaiting USDA data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures jumped on Thursday in a rebound from the market’s recent slide and soybeans and corn eased as investors squared positions ahead of an eagerly awaited U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supply-and-demand report due on Friday. Rising global prices and forecasts for reduced U.S. plantings this season gave wheat […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs sink on big supply, premium to cash prices
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Thursday on ample supplies of hogs and a weak cash market, and as traders remain uncertain about how much additional pork China would buy as part of a Phase One trade deal with the United States. The actively traded Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) February contract […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans slide as rain boosts South American crops
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. soybean futures ended mostly lower on Tuesday on crop-boosting rains in South America and as investors squared positions ahead of a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop report due on Friday, although short-covering trimmed losses late in the session. Corn and wheat futures were mostly flat as late-session short […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle pull back after Monday rally
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. live cattle futures eased on Tuesday in a profit-taking setback from the prior session’s steep jump after weeks of rising cattle prices that have eroded beef packer margins. Live cattle futures were due for a pullback after scaling to an 8-1/2 month peak last week on strong beef demand and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle rally on tightening supplies, strong cash market
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures jumped by as much as two per cent on Monday and feeder cattle futures rose by up to three per cent, propelled by strong cash market prices and tightening supplies of animals, analysts said. A $2 jump in cash cattle prices at southern Plains feedlot markets late […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans bounce on China trade hopes
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures recovered slightly on Monday from steep declines in the previous session as hopes for improved exports to China outweighed worries about rising tensions in the Middle East. Corn and wheat futures declined on technical selling and profit-taking from last week’s multi-month highs and as investors look ahead to […] Read more
Grain flow shifts from China trade war may last years, CHS says
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S.-China trade war has accelerated Brazilian efforts to erode the United States’ share of the world soybean export market, and some of the shifts in global grain flows could last for years, according to executives at CHS Inc., the largest U.S. farmer co-operative. Even with a so-called ‘Phase One’ trade […] Read more