Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s government said Thursday it has lifted a suspension of beef exports to China after dealing with an atypical case of BSE, sending shares of Marfrig Global Foods, Minerva and other Brazilian meatpackers soaring. The suspension had been in effect since June 3 after a case was reported in a […] Read more
Brazil lifts suspension of beef exports to China
U.S. livestock: Warming weather, easing feed costs spur rallies
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) feeder cattle futures rebounded on Tuesday as traders hoped that feed costs will remain under pressure following news U.S. buyers are importing corn from South America. Both live cattle and lean hog futures also rose amid a rally in the U.S. stock market and forecasts of warming […] Read more
Brazil halts beef exports to China after atypical BSE case
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil has temporarily halted beef exports to China following an atypical case of BSE in leading farm state Mato Grosso, the agriculture ministry said on Monday. China, Brazil’s largest beef importer by sales, spent US$1.5 billion on Brazilian beef last year, totaling 322,400 tonnes or almost 20 per cent of […] Read more
Brazil reports atypical BSE case
Sao Paulo | Reuters — The Brazilian government reported on Friday a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an animal in Mato Grosso state, according to a statement from the country’s agriculture ministry. The ministry said the case of BSE, also known as mad cow disease, was detected in a 17-year-old cow. It […] Read more
McCain Foods buys stake in Brazilian potato processor Serya
Sao Paulo | Reuters — McCain Foods, the world’s largest producer of frozen fries, has agreed to buy 70 per cent of Brazilian firm Serya for an undisclosed amount, in a deal that will allow the Canadian company to expand its footprint in Latin America’s largest market. The remaining shares of Serya are held by […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn firms as rains stall planting
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures firmed on Monday, hitting the highest point in a week as wet weather across much of the U.S. Midwest and forecasts for continued rains this week threatened to prolong spring planting delays. Soybeans were lower on sluggish U.S. exports, abundant global supplies and worries that delayed corn seeding […] Read more
Brazil urges China to improve GMO approvals
Brasilia | Reuters –– Brazil Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo said on Thursday that the country must work with China to reduce non-tariff barriers to agriculture trade, including improving the process for genetically modified goods. Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of soybeans, the vast majority of which are genetically modified organisms (GMO). Many newer GMOs, […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Bear market aches for bull news
MarketsFarm –– The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) is currently a bear-market, according to broker Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodity Brokers. “It’s like the markets are saying ‘Show me something, we’ll take anything,’ but the bears are winning,” he said, noting there has been almost no news to drive the market in a bullish manner. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat firm in late rally, end week lower
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and wheat futures edged higher on Friday, lifted by a late round of short-covering and worries about planting delays following a blizzard this week, traders said. Soybean futures closed flat in dull trade. Chicago Board of Trade May corn settled up one cent at $3.61 per bushel, staying inside […] Read more
Midwest floods hammer U.S. ethanol industry
New York | Reuters — The March floods that punished the U.S. Midwest have roiled the ethanol industry, hammering prices and trapping barrels in the country’s interior while the U.S. coasts suffer from shortages of the biofuel. The historic March floods have dealt a series of blows to large swaths of an ethanol industry that […] Read more