Beijing/Singapore | Reuters –– China has told state-owned firms to halt purchases of soybeans and pork from the United States, two people familiar with the matter said, after Washington said it would eliminate special treatment for Hong Kong to punish Beijing. Large-volume state purchases of U.S. corn and cotton have also been put on hold, […] Read more

China tells state firms to halt purchases of major U.S. farm products
Purchases of soybeans, pork, corn, cotton on hold

ICE weekly outlook: Extradition ruling not the only anchor on canola
MarketsFarm — Although ICE July canola finished $1.30 per tonne lower Wednesday, at $463.50, following a ruling on the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, Wayne Palmer said there’s much more to the decline in the price. While Palmer, a trader with Exceed Grain in Winnipeg, called the ruling “a nail in canola’s coffin,” he […] Read more

President’s cattle call finds expected marks in U.S.
Trump suggests killing trade pacts with unnamed cattle-exporting nations
U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks Tuesday about imports of live cattle into the United States resonated predictably among that country’s various cattle producer groups. At a White House event Tuesday, flanked by U.S. farm and ranch leaders and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for a multi-billion-dollar COVID-19-related farm aid announcement, Trump said he “read yesterday where […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures fall
Live cattle futures firm while slaughter numbers rise
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures fell on Tuesday, pressured by an increase in daily slaughter totals as pork plants come back online, traders said. CME live cattle futures firmed despite rising kill numbers, with the most-actively traded contract passing through a key technical benchmark. The nearby CME June live cattle futures contract settled […] Read more

Trump floats halt to U.S. cattle imports as pandemic hurts ranchers
'We have a lot of cattle in this country'
Washington/Chicago | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States should consider terminating trade deals under which it imports cattle as he looks to help U.S. ranchers hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. The United States imports cattle from Mexico and Canada to supplement domestic supplies at lower prices and to […] Read more

G20 ag ministers say COVID-19 measures shouldn’t disrupt food supply
Dubai | Reuters — Agriculture and food ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) countries agreed at a virtual meeting on Tuesday that emergency measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus must not upend global food supply chains. Their extraordinary meeting came as coronavirus lockdowns across the world slow global food supply chains, […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Turkey may see larger red lentil crop
MarketsFarm — Turkey is expecting to see an increase in lentil production in 2020, according to a processor in the country. White bean production is also expected to rise, although chickpea production could be down slightly on the year. Fethi Sonmez, CEO of Turkey-based Armada Foods, expects to see red lentil production in the country […] Read more

China yet to resume all canola imports from Canada, officials say
No correction measures yet shown, Chinese foreign ministry says
Beijing | Reuters — China has yet to resume all canola imports from Canada, the foreign ministry said on Friday, after suspensions were imposed on some suppliers last year. Canola imports from some Canadian exporters were suspended by China because of quality reports and it has not received any correction measures, so imports have not […] Read more

Canola dockage agreement with China expires, but limited exports to continue
Most remaining shipments meet Beijing's requirement
Exports of Canadian canola seed exports to China will continue, at the same reduced pace seen since March last year — but only if it contains less than one per cent dockage. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries allowing higher dockage ends Tuesday (March 31), a Canadian government official said in an […] Read more

China to resume imports of Canadian canola, sources report
Beijing | Reuters — China has agreed to allow imports of Canadian canola to resume, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, lifting a ban in place since March 2019 that had halted US$2 billion worth of trade. The agreement was reached during a call held by China’s customs administration and Canada’s […] Read more