Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) corn futures rose on Tuesday to revisit last week’s three-year highs after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said U.S. planting was well behind the average pace for this time of year following repeated rainfall. Soybeans rose too as rain also slowed U.S. sowings, according to the […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy rise as report shows rain slows plantings

U.S. grains: CBOT wheat rallies on weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rallied on Monday on concerns about harvest risks as more heavy rain was forecast in some U.S. grain belts and warm, dry weather was expected in top wheat exporter Russia. Meanwhile, corn and soybean futures traded choppily as the markets digested a threat of U.S. tariffs against Mexico, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Trade fights continue to batter live cattle, lean hogs
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle and lean hog futures fell for a second trading day on Monday — with live cattle futures hitting a near-10 month low — amid robust supplies and trade fights quelling export demand, traders said. But trade issues helped feeder cattle futures settle the day slightly […] Read more

Trade war and sagging prices push out U.S. farmers
A decade ago, young people were flocking back to the farm — but now they, and their parents, are leaving
A decade ago, young people were flocking back to the farm — but now they, and their parents, are leaving
Reading Time: 5 minutes Shuffling across his frozen fields, farmer Jim Taphorn hunched his shoulders against the wind and squinted at the auctioneer standing next to his tractors. After a fifth harvest with low grain prices, made worse last fall by the U.S.-China trade war, the 68-year-old and his family were calling it quits. Farming also was taking a physical toll […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn extends rally, wheat touches six-week high
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures extended their rally on Friday, jumping to a four-month high, as forecasts of heavy rain sweeping a wide path across the U.S. Midwest next week fuelled concerns about worsening planting delays. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) corn prices rose for the fifth session, trading through its 100-day moving […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle futures dip to contract lows
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. feeder cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) dipped to new contract lows on Thursday as a rally in Chicago Board of Trade corn futures this week continued to signal rising feed costs and U.S. beef demand remains sluggish. Cattle futures also faced headwinds from U.S. Department of Agriculture […] Read more

China cancels U.S. pork import order as trade war drags on
Chicago | Reuters — The same week U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping increases on tariffs against Chinese goods, Chinese buyers dropped orders for 3,247 tonnes of U.S. pork — the biggest cancellation in more than a year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data released on Thursday. The cancellation came during the week ended […] Read more

U.S. plans more aid for farmers amid China trade spat
Chicago/Washington | Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Friday that President Donald Trump had asked him to create a plan to help U.S. farmers cope with the heavy impact of the U.S.-China trade war on agriculture. A new aid program would be the second round of assistance for farmers, after the Department […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans plunge after Trump tariff threat against China
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean and corn futures plummeted to new contract lows on Monday — with soy plunging to the lowest levels seen in nearly eight months — after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on Chinese goods this week, clouding prospects for a trade settlement between […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures limit down on China trade fight, swine fever fears
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures plunged by the daily trading limit on Monday, and cattle was lower, amid worries about the spread of African swine fever and fears that President Donald Trump will follow through with threats to impose additional tariffs on China. The tariff threat, which sparked broad selling on equity […] Read more