Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose nearly two per cent on Wednesday on poor weather in the Midwest soft winter wheat belt and the northern Plains spring wheat region, traders said. Soybean and corn futures closed modestly higher. Chicago Board of Trade May soft red winter wheat settled up 8-1/4 cents at $4.64-3/4 […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat ends higher on weather worries
Piles of pigs: Swine fever outbreaks go unreported in rural China
Baoding, China | Reuters — When pigs on the Xinda Husbandry breeding farm in northern China began dying in growing numbers in early January, it looked increasingly likely that the farm had been struck by the much feared African swine fever, an incurable disease that has spread rapidly across the country since last year. But […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle hit contract highs on weather woes
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose Tuesday, with the benchmark June contract hitting a high as poor feedlot conditions in portions of the U.S. Plains raised concerns about beef supplies, traders said. Lean hogs closed lower in a profit-taking setback from contract highs set a day earlier. Fat cattle futures […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat drift lower on weak export demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and wheat futures closed nearly unchanged on Tuesday, with commodity funds reluctant to add to a heavy net short position despite pressure from slowing export demand for U.S. grains, analysts said. Soybean futures declined as traders awaited news from ongoing U.S. trade negotiations with China, the world’s top soybean […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures rise on pork export optimism
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. front-month hog futures surged on Monday, extending last week’s advances on expectations of additional export sales to China, where African swine fever has decimated the world’s largest hog herd, traders said. “We had that huge sale of pork to China last week, and the market is anticipating more sales,” said […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn down on disappointing export data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell on Monday, halting a four-session rebound from contract lows set last week, as traders worried about export prospects for U.S. grains, analysts said. Soybeans and wheat futures also declined. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) May corn settled down 1-3/4 cents at $3.71-1/2 per bushel (all figures US$). […] Read more
U.S. seizes pork from China on swine fever concerns
Washington | Reuters — U.S. border agents have seized around one million pounds of pork from China, a spokesman for the agency said on Friday, over suspicions that it might contain African swine flu disease which has hit Chinese pork output. Federal agents have seized the supplies over the past week in New York. “The […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs limit up as swine fever cuts Chinese herd
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. hog futures rallied to a five-month high on Friday, closing at their daily trading limit on improving export prospects due to a sharp reduction in China’s domestic supplies, traders said. China’s pig herd slid 16.6 per cent in February from the previous year, as African swine fever swept the country, […] Read more
Canada to boost airport detector dog corps
With African swine fever top of mind, the federal government plans to more than double the total number of detector dog teams at Canada’s airports within five years. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, speaking in Montreal Thursday, announced new funding of up to $31 million over five years to add 24 Food, Plant, and Animal Detector […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures rally on improving export prospects
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures jumped 3.5 per cent on Thursday, supported by signs that exports could pick up due to rising Chinese demand, traders said. China bought 23,846 tonnes of U.S. pork last week, its biggest purchase in nearly two years, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Thursday. Chinese hog prices […] Read more