Washington | Reuters — The Trump administration’s second package of aid for U.S. farmers hit by the trade war with China is expected to have a similar structure to last year’s program, using direct payments and commodity purchases, industry sources briefed on the plan said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is still finalizing the plan, […] Read more
New Trump aid plan for U.S. farmers to rely on direct payments
Net short position keeps growing in canola
MarketsFarm — The large speculative short position in ICE Futures canola contracts continued to grow during the week ended Tuesday, as speculators added to their bearish bets on the market, according to the latest commitment of traders (CoT) report compiled by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Managed money and other reportable speculators had […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy futures break 10-year low on China trade tensions
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures tumbled to their lowest prices in more than a decade on Thursday as traders worried that make-or-break trade talks between Washington and Beijing would fail to produce a deal. Corn and wheat futures also fell as a two-day U.S.-China trade meeting was set to begin in Washington. President […] Read more
U.S. grains: Prices slip as weather outlook favours corn planting
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures slumped on Wednesday as forecasts for drier weather in the U.S. Midwest next week fueled hopes that farmers will be able to make progress planting corn after delays. Large inventories of the crops added pressure on the markets, which also remained nervous about trade tensions between […] Read more
Uncertainty could bring changes to soybean acres
MarketsFarm — At this time soybean acres in Canada have been projected to be down this year for a few reasons — not only because of trade issues with China, but also due to back-to-back dry years and declining prices. Statistics Canada’s 2019-20 principal field crop acreage report, released April 24, estimated 5.65 million acres […] Read more
U.S. grains: Weak export data drags soybeans to new lows
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures posted contract lows for a fourth straight session on Thursday after weak U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) export sales data and amid ongoing concerns that rain-delayed corn sowing would increase soy plantings. Corn was mixed as spillover pressure from lower soybeans offset support stemming from concerns about delayed […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Bearish funds keep canola pointed lower
MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola prices fell to their lowest levels since 2014 during the week ended Wednesday, as bearish technical signals and a lack of progress on trade relations with China weighed on values. While a short-covering correction is possible, the underlying fundamentals also remain bearish. Speculators adding to their large net short positions […] Read more
Canadian farm exports hit new Chinese obstacles amid diplomatic dispute
Winnipeg/Beijing | Reuters — An expanding list of Canadian farm exports is hitting obstacles at Chinese ports, leaving sellers of soybeans, peas and pork scrambling amid a bitter diplomatic dispute. China has already blocked Canadian canola from Richardson International and Viterra, two of Canada’s biggest farm exporters, saying that shipments had pests. Other China-bound canola […] Read more
Large spec short position overhanging canola market
MarketsFarm — Speculators added to their large net short position in ICE Futures canola during the week ended Tuesday, according to the latest commitment of traders (CoT) report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Managed money and other reportable speculators had a net short position of 58,004 contracts on Tuesday, up by about […] Read more
USDA won’t survey for volume of grain lost to March floods
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s statistical arm will not collect data on the volume of harvested grain lost when farms from the Dakotas to Missouri were hit by flooding in March that burst grain storage bins, a government official said on Tuesday. However, figures in USDA’s regular quarterly stocks report for […] Read more