Italy wants changes to agricultural sections of the draft EU-Mercosur trade deal with South American countries, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday.

Italy wants changes to EU-Mercosur trade deal’s agriculture sections, minister says

Prairie forecast: Melting in the west, milder in the east
Forecast issued Dec. 4, covering Dec. 4 to 11, 2024
Things are looking not too bad for those who want to see snow or deep freeze temperatures. As we start this forecast period, a strong area of Arctic high pressure is dropping southeastwards over the eastern Prairies behind the strong area of low pressure that zipped through on Tuesday. Over the western Prairies, the weather models show a strong ridge of high pressure building over B.C. which is expected to transition eastwards.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures bounce on tight supplies, firm cash markets
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures rebounded on Tuesday from prior-session declines, continuing a recent climb sparked by tight cattle supplies and firm cash market prices. Recent strength in wholesale beef prices also encouraged continued buying despite a seasonal tendency for the market to decline after the Thanksgiving holiday […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans recoup losses, but Brazil crop outlook caps gains
U.S. soybean futures rebounded on Tuesday in a short-covering and bargain-buying bounce from the prior day's losses, although gains were limited by favorable crop prospects in South America, where Brazil is due to harvest a record crop early next year.

Pulse Weekly: Prices for Kabuli chickpeas softer to sideways for balance of 2024
Prairie heatwave results in more smaller chickpeas
Prices for Kabuli chickpeas are likely to be softer to sideways heading into the new year, said Colin Young of Midwest Grain Ltd. in Moose Jaw, Sask.

Commodities trading giant Cargill plans to cut around 8,000 jobs
Global trading house Cargill said on Tuesday it plans to cut around five per cent of its staff, or about 8,000 jobs after revenue slumped in its most recent fiscal year as crop prices hit multi-year lows.

Klassen: Canadian feeder market jumps on trade disruptions
For the week ending November 29, feeder cattle market reports from Manitoba had prices up $20-$40/cwt from week-ago levels. Prices in Saskatchewan and Alberta were up $10 to $20 on average. The market was hard to define this past week with a wide range prices across Western Canada for similar quality and weight cattle.

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle drop on profit taking after 10-session rally
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures retreated in a profit-taking setback on Monday after a ten-session rally that took prices to five-month peaks, while live cattle futures followed feeders lower. Monday’s cattle declines came after managed funds had bolstered their long holdings in both markets over recent weeks, encouraged by tight […] Read more

New Zealand suspends poultry exports after first case of H7 bird flu
New Zealand said on Monday that it had suspended all poultry exports after detecting a highly pathogenic variant of avian influenza at a poultry farm on the South Island.

Tyson Foods to close Kansas meat plant, cutting more than 800 jobs
Tyson Food will permanently close a meat plant in Emporia, Kansas, that employs more than 800 people, according to a letter the company sent to the state on Monday.