Beijing | Reuters — China hopes Canada understands the consequences of siding with the United States and doing its bidding, China’s foreign ministry said on Friday, after U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence called for the release of two Canadians detained in China. Chinese authorities detained Canadian businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in December, […] Read more
China says hopes Canada understands consequences of siding with U.S.
China faces long struggle to tackle African swine fever, OIE says
Paris | Reuters — It will take years for China to contain the deadly African swine fever virus that has spread throughout the country, which is the world’s biggest pork producer, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday. China has been struggling to control the epidemic, which some analysts predict could see […] Read more
Pence, Trudeau to discuss Huawei, China trade issues in Ottawa
Washington | Reuters — U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will discuss their joint dispute with China over Huawei Technologies during a meeting in Ottawa on Thursday, a senior U.S. administration official said. Pence, known for taking a hard line against China, will travel to the Canadian capital to discuss trade […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures fall with demand uncertain due to trade fights
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell 2.9 per cent to their lowest level in nearly three weeks on Tuesday, with concerns about demand from top buyers in focus amid a record-large supply in the U.S., traders said. The market shrugged off a U.S. Agriculture Department report from last week that […] Read more
Timing not yet set on expanded advance payments for canola
MarketsFarm — With no clear end in sight to the dispute between China and Canada over Canadian canola, producers are anxious to know how and when they might access support programs to maintain cash flow. Since plans to help canola growers through expansions to the federal Advance Payments Program (APP) were announced May 1, there […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down on continued export uncertainty
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures fell sharply on Friday on weak pork prices and concerns about export demand as trade tensions have increased between the U.S. and China, the world’s largest hog and pork market. Traders squared positions ahead of the long Memorial Day holiday weekend due to the […] Read more
USDA announces more farm aid to offset trade war losses
Washington | Reuters –– The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a US$16 billion farm aid package to offset losses from a 10-month trade war with China and said payment rates to farmers would be determined by where they farm rather than what crops they grow. The package, the bulk of which will be spent on […] 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: Soybeans rebound in technical bounce, trade aid details awaited
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rebounded on Wednesday in a technical correction from the prior session’s drop as the market awaited details of a Trump administration farm aid package that could encourage farmers to plant more soybeans. Corn ended firm, although spillover support from higher soy and worries over rain-delayed U.S. planting were […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures erode on China trade tensions
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures drifted lower on Wednesday and touched a one-week low as the market was pressured by concerns that the U.S.-China trade war is far from resolution. Traders did not expect any significant Chinese buying of U.S. pork in weekly export sales data due to be […] Read more