Reuters — Hundreds of livestock ranchers in the drought-stricken U.S. northern Plains are embracing what organizers say is the first lottery designed to provide some much-needed relief to their operations. The prize? Tons and tons of hay. Ranchers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana have been suffering through the region’s worst drought in 30 […] Read more
U.S. northern Plains ranchers welcome hay lottery
U.S. grains: Corn falls four per cent after USDA data
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell four per cent on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture raised its U.S. old- and new-crop corn ending stocks forecasts more than most analysts expected. Wheat and soybeans followed corn lower, with rains in Iowa and Illinois this week adding pressure. Chicago Board of Trade September […] Read more
U.S. grains; Wheat, corn, soy climb; spring wheat tops US$8
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat, soybean and corn futures rose in an abbreviated session ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, buoyed by worries that hot and dry weather in the northern Plains spring wheat belt could spread into the western Midwest, analysts said on Friday. Spring wheat futures on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn near one-year high, spring wheat soars
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. spot corn futures hit their highest level in nearly a year before paring gains on Thursday and Minneapolis spring wheat neared a two-year top on worries about hot and dry weather stressing crops in the northern Plains and Midwest, analysts said. Soybean futures also firmed. Chicago Board of Trade July […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn nears one-year high on adverse weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. spot corn futures hit a near one-year high on Wednesday on forecasts for potentially stressful crop weather in the Midwest, while Minneapolis spring wheat futures retreated from a near two-year high. Soybeans followed corn higher. The weather jitters come as commodity funds hold large net short positions in corn, wheat […] Read more
U.S. grains: Spring wheat futures climb on weather worries
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. spring wheat futures traded on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) closed higher on Monday for a fourth straight session on fears of hot, dry weather in the northern Plains, while corn and soybean futures ended fractionally higher. MGEX July spring wheat ended up 5-1/4 cents at $5.89 per bushel and […] Read more
U.S. grains: Minneapolis wheat surges on northern Plains dryness
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. spring wheat futures set a 5-1/2-month high on Friday, buoyed by expanding dryness in the northern Plains production belt, analysts said. Minneapolis Grain Exchange July spring wheat settled up five cents at $5.83-3/4 per bushel after reaching $5.90, the highest spot price since mid-January (all figures US$). The spot contract […] Read more
Early U.S. winter wheat harvest supports low-protein fears
Chicago | Reuters — The earliest reports from the start of the U.S. hard red winter wheat harvest underscored industry fears of a second straight year of low protein, a factor that shifts the market’s focus to prospects for the North American spring wheat crop, a higher-protein variety. “It’s probably a foregone conclusion at this […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat gains as dollar sags
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures firmed on Wednesday, supported by a tumbling dollar and unwanted rains heading for the southern Plains growing area, analysts said. Corn followed wheat higher while soybeans ended modestly lower, retreating from early gains. Chicago Board of Trade July wheat settled up 2-3/4 cents at $4.27 per bushel, after […] Read more
U.S. grains: CBOT wheat futures weaken
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures eased on Tuesday, partially retreating from a sharp rally on some profit-taking, traders said. But K.C. hard red winter wheat futures firmed, extending their rally amid concerns that a snowstorm in the U.S. Plains during the weekend caused severe damage to the maturing crop there. […] Read more