Chicago | Reuters — Bayer launched a pilot program in the United States and Brazil on Tuesday that will pay farmers for capturing carbon in cropland soils, making it the latest agriculture company to capitalize on environmental initiatives. The company seeks to enroll about 1,200 row crop growers in its Bayer Carbon Initiative in the […] Read more
Bayer launches carbon capture pilot for U.S., Brazilian farmers
Chem and seed firm expects to expand plan to other countries
Argentina says hit by second locust swarm, farmers on alert
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Grains powerhouse Argentina is getting hit by a second swarm of locusts arriving from neighbouring Paraguay, Argentina’s Senasa agricultural health inspection agency said on Tuesday, putting farmers on notice about possible crop damage. The new swarm is concentrated in the province of Formosa in north-east Argentina, on the Paraguay border. […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Weather the key for soybeans, corn
MarketsFarm — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade fell off nearby highs over the past week, with shifting weather forecasts directing the flow of money in the markets. “Ninety per cent of our price influence in a supply-side driven market during the growing season will be weather,” said analyst Sean Lusk […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat slips on bumper harvest, soy up on exports
Corn inches up on technical trading, weather questions
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures slid again on Thursday, dropping to their lowest in more than eight months amid a bumper U.S. harvest and well-timed European rains. Soybeans and corn edged higher, on technical trading and signs weather may not be so crop-friendly across the U.S. Corn Belt in coming days. The most-active […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans gain on China demand
Improved U.S. rating lifts expectations for bumper corn crop; wheat up on pre-report positioning
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures gained on Wednesday, supported by solid demand from the world’s biggest importer, China, while corn edged lower on strong crop conditions. Wheat inched higher after falling for three consecutive sessions, but advances remained capped by a progressing winter wheat harvest in the U.S. southern Plains. Traders positioned ahead […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs weaken on expectations for abundant supplies
Cattle futures seen as rangebound
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Wednesday on expectations for abundant pork supplies as meat processors work their way through pigs that backed up on farms when slaughterhouses shut due to the coronavirus pandemic. Traders expect meat packers to start eating into the backlog of hogs within the next two weeks […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Crop commodities rangebound
MarketsFarm — Favourable growing conditions across most of the U.S. — and a good start to the growing season — have kept commodity prices on the Chicago Board of Trade locked in a sideways range. In the crop progress report released Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. corn crop was approximately […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Ag commodities steady
Slack demand for biofuel has dragged on corn
MarketsFarm — Crop commodity values on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) have largely stabilized as COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed in several U.S. states. “We’ve been playing this virus for a few months now,” said Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodities in Barrington, Ill. COVID-19-related lockdown measures decimated demand for ethanol, which put considerable pressure on […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy rises on stronger Brazilian currency
Wheat pressured by rain relief across Europe, export lull
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Wednesday as plans to ease lockdown measures and a move by U.S. President Donald Trump to keep meat factories open tempered fears about demand destruction caused by the coronavirus epidemic. Wheat futures slid, hitting a one-month low as rains in Europe and the Black […] Read more
Burnett on Markets: Global grain stocks offer false sense of food security
In event of production shortfall, 60 per cent of available stocks would never be available to market
The economic parallels from the COVID-19 epidemic are quickly changing from comparisons to the recent financial crisis in 2008-09 to the Great Depression. My parents and grandparents lived through the Depression and it did have many impacts on their everyday lives. The main symbol of the Depression-era mentality was the two enormous chest freezers in […] Read more