Winnipeg/Beijing | Reuters — An expanding list of Canadian farm exports is hitting obstacles at Chinese ports, leaving sellers of soybeans, peas and pork scrambling amid a bitter diplomatic dispute. China has already blocked Canadian canola from Richardson International and Viterra, two of Canada’s biggest farm exporters, saying that shipments had pests. Other China-bound canola […] Read more
Canadian farm exports hit new Chinese obstacles amid diplomatic dispute
Trump administration eyes more aid to farmers if necessary
Washington | Reuters — The Trump administration is ready to provide more federal aid to farmers if required, a White House adviser said on Monday, after rolling out up to US$12 billion since last year to offset agricultural losses from the trade dispute with China. “We have allocated $12 billion, some such, to farm assistance. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs drop on demand concerns, plentiful supplies
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell for a third straight session on Monday on large supplies of hogs and worries about cooling domestic and export demand for pork, traders said. Cash pork prices were firm, but a stretch of cold and wet weather around parts of the United States, including an unusual […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn firms as rains stall planting
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures firmed on Monday, hitting the highest point in a week as wet weather across much of the U.S. Midwest and forecasts for continued rains this week threatened to prolong spring planting delays. Soybeans were lower on sluggish U.S. exports, abundant global supplies and worries that delayed corn seeding […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs post third weekly slide
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures declined on Friday, pressured by soft cash markets and long liquidation, traders said. The benchmark June lean hogs contract on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange recorded its third straight weekly decline after soaring to an April 5 contract high at 99.825 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract closed […] Read more
ADM’s move to spin off ethanol assets speaks to industry’s woes
New York/Chicago | Reuters — Biofuels pioneer Archer Daniels Midland took another step toward abandoning its pure-play ethanol assets on Friday, the latest sign of the industry’s struggles with U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade wars, thin margins, and overproduction. U.S. law requires ethanol to be blended into gasoline but domestic demand for the biofuel added […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Currency, swine fever weigh on prices
MarketsFarm — A strong U.S. dollar and China’s prolonged battle with African swine fever have turned Chicago Board of Trade markets largely bearish. “We’re seeing a slew of positive [economic] news out of the U.S., and a rallying dollar that has been strong for four out of five sessions,” said Terry Reilly, a grains analyst […] 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
U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs limit down on disappointing export sales
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures plunged on Thursday, with the five most actively traded contracts settling down the daily three-cent-per-pound limit after weekly U.S. export data showed no new pork sales to China, traders said. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange also declined, pressured by long liquidation […] Read more
Bunge names acting chief as new CEO
Reuters — Global grains trader Bunge on Thursday named Gregory Heckman as its chief executive officer, three months after he took the helm in an interim capacity. Heckman, a founding partner of private investment firm Flatwater Partners and the former chief executive of grains trader Gavilon Group, was appointed acting CEO in January after long-serving […] Read more