Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures consolidated on Friday as the market caught its breath after pulling back from contract highs reached last week. Strong demand for U.S. pork from China recently supported hog futures, as China is battling the fatal pig disease African swine fever, which increased its need […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures take a breather
April live cattle up, but well down off highs
U.S. livestock: Pork export sales rise, profit-taking hits hog futures
Cattle futures down while beef exports up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended lower on Thursday as profit-taking overshadowed strong U.S. export demand, analysts said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a weekly report, said weekly net U.S. pork export sales were 59,600 tonnes for 2021, up 68 per cent from the prior four-week average. Weekly export […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans jump on inclement South American weather
Weekly U.S. corn export sales miss expectations
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures settled higher on Thursday as adverse weather across South America fueled concerns about a short-term supply crunch. The market briefly turned lower late in the trading session amid gains in the U.S. dollar that make U.S. farm goods less attractive to importers, traders said (all figures US$). Prices […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs up on new swine fever outbreak in China
April live cattle down, feeders up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures jumped on Wednesday as China reported a new outbreak of a deadly pig disease, raising expectations that Chinese importers could increase U.S. purchases. China’s farm ministry confirmed African swine fever in piglets being illegally transported through Funing county in the southwestern province of Yunnan. The […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy futures consolidate after gains
Excess rain in Brazil underpins soy, corn futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures fell on Wednesday as the markets consolidated after rallying in the previous session. Strength in the U.S. dollar weighed on prices, analysts said, because a firm dollar makes U.S. farm products less attractive to importers (all figures US$). For soybeans, there was a “lack of fresh […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn up on unfavourable South American weather
USDA lowers ratings for Kansas, Texas wheat crops
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures rose on Tuesday in a turnaround from losses the previous session, as concerns increased about unfavorable weather in crop-growing regions of South America. Traders are watching the effects of heat and dryness in Argentina and rains in Brazil amid worries about potential yield losses. The countries […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs down off recent gains
April live cattle end up off five-week low
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures dropped 2.7 per cent on Tuesday as the market retreated from recent surges. Profit-taking has weighed on prices since most-active April hog futures reached a life-of-contract high on Thursday. Still, traders said robust Chinese demand for pork imports is underpinning the futures market. Traders are […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle hit five-week low
Technical selling, weaker beef prices bring pressure
Chicago | Reuters — Technical selling on Monday drove Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures to their lowest prices in more than five weeks, while lean hog futures recovered from a sell-off. The cattle market’s losses brought the most-active April contract down six per cent from a life-of-contract high reached on Feb. 16. Strong domestic […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat futures ease in setback from surges
Sovecon raises Russian wheat export forecast
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures eased on Monday in a setback from rallies driven by concerns about tight crop supplies. The markets will likely not decline too sharply, traders said, because of strong demand from China and the need for large global harvests. In corn, speculative bullishness in corn remains near […] Read more
U.S. Senate confirms Vilsack as Biden’s ag secretary
Pandemic leaves USDA 'a lot of work to do'
Reuters — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Tom Vilsack to head the Department of Agriculture, returning the former Iowa governor to the job he held under ex-President Barack Obama. The 100-member Senate approved Vilsack 92-7. He needed a simple majority in the Democratic-controlled chamber to be confirmed. As secretary of the sprawling department, Vilsack […] Read more
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