CBOT March 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Futures slip on South American rains

USDA report seen cutting U.S. soy, corn supply estimates

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures slipped from 6-1/2-year highs on Monday on crop-boosting rains in South America and as investors squared positions ahead of eagerly awaited U.S. government crop forecast data due on Tuesday. Corn and wheat futures also pulled back from multi-year peaks posted last week as the U.S. dollar firmed and […] Read more

CBOT March 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans to 6-1/2-year top on expectations of tightening stocks

Corn futures up, wheat retreats

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures resumed their rally on Friday after a light setback a day earlier, climbing to 6-1/2-year highs on signs of fresh export demand and expectations that key U.S. crop reports next week will indicate tightening global supplies. Corn futures also rose, hovering near multi-year highs set this week above […] Read more


Soybeans. (Alfribeiro/iStock/Getty Images)

China building world’s largest seed bank

Larger facility a bid to boost food security

Beijing | Reuters — China will complete a new national crop germplasm bank this year, the agriculture minister said Wednesday, to boost the country’s capacity to develop new crop varieties and enhance food security. The bank has a designed capacity of 1.5 million copies, almost four times the existing one, and will be the world’s […] Read more

The China Meat Association is raising concerns that food packaging contaminated with COVID-19 could lead to increased human infection.  Photo: E+/Getty Images

China meat assoc calls for exporters to disinfect shipments to prevent COVID-19

Beijing | Reuters – Chinese meat importers and processors have called on exporters in countries with COVID-19 outbreaks to step up checks on shipments before they are sent to the world’s biggest market, the country’s top industry group said. “China has been importing a large quantity of meats this year, and has detected virus on […] Read more


(Getty Images)

U.S. grains: Soybeans end higher for direction amid Argentine supply woes

Chicago | Reuters – U.S. soybean futures ended higher on Tuesday after trading both sides of even as the markets weighed South American rainfall against the ongoing labor strike disrupting Argentine exports, while traders took profits ahead of the U.S. holiday break. U.S. wheat futures also benefited from the cargo backups in Argentina, and corn […] Read more

China drives surge in pork exports

China drives surge in pork exports

Reading Time: < 1 minute Thanks to surging sales to China, pork exports were up by more than 18 per cent in volume (nearly 21 per cent by value) from January to September, says provincial livestock market analyst Jason Wood. Total year-to-date pork exports were $3.75 billion (1.1 million tonnes), with China accounting for close to half of that — […] Read more


(File photo)

Australia to appeal at WTO over China’s barley tariffs

China in May imposed tariffs totalling 80.5 per cent

Sydney | Reuters — Australia will launch a formal appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) later on Wednesday seeking a review of China’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on imports of Australian barley, Minister for Trade Simon Birmingham said. Acknowledging the appeal may take years to be resolved, Birmingham told reporters Australia would also […] Read more

CME February 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 30-, 40- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rally on technical buying

CME cattle futures lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose slightly on Tuesday on follow-through buying from a rally on Monday, traders said. Cattle futures eased, pressured by recent weakness in the cash markets as well as some technical sales. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) February lean hogs rose 0.775 cent to settle at 66.45 cents/lb. (all […] Read more


You know supplies are tight when Brazil imports American soybeans. After selling so much of its crop to China this year, it is running short — hence this photo of U.S. soybeans being unloaded at the port of Paranagua, Brazil on Dec. 3. Tight soy supplies have pushed up demand and prices for canola, and should produce “attractive selling opportunities” for farmers here, says Thomas Mielke, executive director of Hamburg-based market analyst firm Oil World.

A deep market dive shows things are golden for canola

Top global authority on edible oil market sees strong demand continuing

Reading Time: 4 minutes Global prices for edible oil and meal have “virtually exploded” in recent weeks — good news for Canadian canola growers hoping to tap into the European market. “The average edible oil price, as well as the average oil meal price, are currently almost 40 per cent above the latest five-year average,” said Thomas Mielke, executive […] Read more

Barley. (Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie prices remain strong

Exports, domestic use both up on year

MarketsFarm — Feed grain prices in Western Canada held steady during the first week of December as solid export demand from China continues to underpin the domestic feed market. “Demand has backed off a little bit for December. We’ve seen a flattening [of prices], but I think that’s just a step back for now,” said […] Read more