CBOT December 2018 corn, with 20-day moving average in orange. (Barchart.com)

U.S. grains: Corn slips to contract lows

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell about one per cent on Monday, with nearby months hitting contract lows as the harvest of a bumper crop picked up speed in the Midwest and early yield reports were strong, traders said. Soybean futures also declined on harvest progress, along with disappointing U.S. soy crush data […] Read more



CME October 2018 live cattle, with 20-day moving average in blue. (Barchart.com)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures ended mixed on Thursday as nearby contracts were anchored by their premium to cash market prices while deferred months firmed to contract highs on a strong demand outlook, traders said. Feeder cattle futures followed deferred live cattle contracts higher, along with continued support from a slumping corn […] Read more



There are 16 pigs shown here — raise them to market weight and you’re looking at a loss of $800 or more.

Price plunge spells disaster for Alberta hog farmers

Demand is strong, Canadian packers are short 70,000 hogs weekly, but prices have plunged

Reading Time: 5 minutes A crash in prices — fuelled by Washington’s tariff war — could spell the end for many of Alberta’s dwindling number of hog operations. The sector has already lost half of its hog farms in the past decade and with producers losing $50 on every animal they ship, more are looking at throwing in the […] Read more

A view near the Canadian end of the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit and is considered one of North America’s busiest trade routes. (Steven_Kriemadis/iStock/Getty Images)

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


(Gelmold/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. grains: Wheat extends losing streak

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures fell for the third day in a row to their lowest in more than seven weeks on Thursday on expectations that U.S. supplies will continue to struggle to gain traction on the global export market, traders said. Corn futures ended firm, supported by bargain buying […] Read more



(Eyfoto/iStock/Getty Images)

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