MarketsFarm — In April 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, prices for lean hog futures dropped to their lowest point since 2002, falling below US$40 per hundredweight. Nearly a year later, the industry is in the middle of a speedy recovery. At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) on Thursday, lean hog futures […] Read more
Hog market recovering from pandemic lows
China again a major driver of hog values
CBOT weekly outlook: Markets move ahead of USDA report
MarketsFarm — Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) market participants are awaiting next week’s prospective plantings report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), due out March 31. Ahead of the report, average trade estimates predict 93 million acres of corn, 90 million acres of soybeans and 46 million acres of wheat will be planted in […] Read more
New U.S. trade chief Tai focused on CUSMA, China ties in calls
New trade deals on hold for now, White House says
Washington | Reuters — New U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai mapped out her priorities and Washington’s desire to rebuild alliances in initial calls on Monday with her counterparts from Canada, Britain and the European Union. Tai, sworn in Thursday as President Joe Biden’s top trade negotiator, emphasized climate change, racial equity and the need to […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs resume climb on robust demand
Cattle down ahead of USDA report
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended mostly higher on Friday, rebounding from sharp declines the previous day as strong pork demand and tight hog supplies extended the market’s recent advance. Hog futures have soared in recent weeks, with April futures touching a 6-1/2 year front-month-contract high on Friday, as traders […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy slump in broad-based commodities selloff
Weekly corn export sales top estimates, China buys more
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Thursday as a firm U.S. dollar and tumbling energy prices, with crude oil down more than eight per cent, stoked broad selling across commodities markets. The steepest corn and soy declines in more than a week marked a further pullback from recent highs as […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Yellow pea demand continues to rise
MarketsFarm — This St. Patrick’s Day, it’s not easy being green if you’re a pea. Having reached price parity less than two months ago, Canadian yellow peas are now trading at a premium. According to Prairie Ag Hotwire data from Wednesday, high-delivered bids for yellow peas are now priced at $11.25 per bushel, $4.16 (59 […] Read more
U.S. grains: Nearby corn futures firm as USDA reports big sales to China
CBOT May soybeans, wheat also up
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures edged higher in actively traded nearby contracts on Tuesday on strong export demand after the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the largest sales to China since January. Soybean futures were mixed, with nearby prices rising on concerns about South American harvest weather and spillover support from higher spot […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs up on tightening hog supplies, strong pork demand
CME live cattle futures mixed
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures were mostly higher on Tuesday on lofty pork prices, tightening hog supplies and hopes for improved meat demand as economies begin to fully re-open after coronavirus pandemic shutdowns. Hog supplies have tightened following liquidation of the U.S. sow herd last year and some disease-related U.S. […] Read more
Demand from China puts Ukraine barley above top-end milling wheat
Kyiv | Reuters — Prices for Ukrainian-origin barley from this year’s harvest have exceeded those of high quality milling wheat due to strong demand from China, analysts at APK-Inform said on Friday. Forward contract prices for 2021 harvest barley stood at $220-$230 a tonne c.p.t. (carriage paid to) Black Sea June-July delivery, while high-quality milling […] Read more
Be bold, go big, and sell more to China, urges ambassador
Leverage the Canada brand, target consumers directly, and get to know the many Chinas, says Dominic Barton
Reading Time: 4 minutes China’s pandemic buying spree has ag commodity prices soaring — but as canola growers (and others) know, Beijing can quickly turn hostile. But the ag sector here needs to be bold and aim to grow its ag and agri-food exports to China, says Canada’s ambassador to the country. “Even when things were really rough and […] Read more