Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures climbed nearly two per cent on Thursday, hitting a one-week high as higher-than-expected weekly export sales and prospects for U.S. harvest delays sparked a round of short-covering, analysts said. Soybeans also rose about two per cent, while wheat futures posted modest gains after a choppy session. Chicago Board […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy up as export data sparks short-covering
Canadian hog prices on rebound
CNS Canada — Improving trade relations and the emergence of swine fever in China have made their presence felt on the Canadian hog market. Weekly signature No. 5 base slaughter weight cash hog prices averaged $117.83 per 100 kg as of Friday, up by roughly $15 over the past two weeks. Those numbers are a […] Read more
Trudeau says good NAFTA deal wanted soon, hazy on deadline
Saskatoon | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he wanted a good NAFTA deal as soon as possible, but did not answer directly when asked if he agreed with Washington that the end of September was the final deadline for talks. Canada and the U.S. are struggling to settle differences over access […] Read more
Sources say Canada ready to offer dairy access in NAFTA talks
Ottawa/Washington | Reuters — Canada is ready to offer the U.S. limited access to the Canadian dairy market as a concession in negotiations to rework the North American Free Trade Agreement, two Canadian sources with direct knowledge of Ottawa’s negotiating strategy said on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump said at the White House that trade […] Read more
The milk in the middle of the high-stakes NAFTA drama
A new milk category thrust dairy farmers into a political firestorm — so what is Class 7 all about?
Reading Time: 3 minutes It seemed like a win-win — until a new milk category caught the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump and unexpectedly became one of the key sticking points in NAFTA negotiations. It’s called Class 7, which is milk protein isolates (dried milk powders high in protein). It was introduced in 2016 in response to diafiltered […] Read more
U.S.-Canada trade talks grind on, ‘final’ issues unresolved
Washington | Reuters — U.S. and Canadian negotiators pushed ahead in grinding talks to rescue the North American Free Trade Agreement on Thursday, but a few stubborn issues stood in the way of a deal, including dairy, protection for media companies, and how to solve future trade disputes. A U.S. source familiar with the discussions […] Read more
Progress seen in NAFTA talks
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. and Canada have made progress in talks to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement, and officials from the two sides will work together into the night to flesh out areas for further discussion, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Wednesday. Freeland sounded upbeat as she emerged from […] Read more
U.S. to move ahead with Mexico pact, keep talking to Canada
Washington/Toronto | Reuters — Contentious U.S.-Canada trade talks ended on Friday with no deal to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement after the mood soured, and President Donald Trump notified Congress of his intent to sign a bilateral trade pact with Mexico. U.S. and Canadian trade officials set plans to resume their talks on […] Read more
Fear, frustration on dairy farms as trade concessions sought
Winnipeg/Montreal | Reuters — Marie-Pier Vincent, a fourth-generation Quebec dairy farmer, worries it will be even harder to make ends meet if Canada allows more tariff-free imports of milk products from the U.S. under a reworked North American Free Trade Agreement. Vincent, 28, is already looking for a second job to pay back the money […] Read more
Trump, Trudeau upbeat about prospects for NAFTA deal by Friday
Washington | Reuters — The leaders of the U.S. and Canada expressed optimism on Wednesday that they could reach new NAFTA deal by a Friday deadline as negotiators prepared to talk through the night, although Canada warned that a number of tricky issues remained. Under pressure, Canada rejoined the talks to modernize the 24-year-old North […] Read more
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