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
Price plunge spells disaster for Alberta hog farmers
Demand is strong, Canadian packers are short 70,000 hogs weekly, but prices have plunged
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
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
CBOT weekly outlook: Heavy rains threaten soybean quality
CNS Canada — Heavy rains across the U.S. Midwest and a murky outlook on international trade appear ready to drive down the soybean market in the lead-up to next week’s supply and demand report. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will release its monthly estimates on Sept. 12 and traders have already started to take positions. […] 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
Trudeau indicates no compromise on key NAFTA demands
Surrey, B.C. | Reuters — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated Tuesday that Canada would not compromise on key demands at high-level talks this week with the U.S. to update the North American Free Trade Agreement. Senior officials from both sides are due to meet in Washington on Wednesday in a bid to settle major differences […] Read more
Canada, U.S. push toward NAFTA deal by Friday
Washington | Reuters — Top NAFTA negotiators from Canada and the U.S. increased the pace of their negotiations Thursday to resolve final differences to meet a Friday deadline, with their Mexican counterpart on standby to rejoin the talks soon. Despite some contentious issues still on the table, the increasingly positive tone contrasted with U.S. President […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn hit six-week lows on record crop prospects
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures fell to six-week lows Monday on expectations of large U.S. crops and fears that hog disease in China might hurt demand for feed, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures also declined, sliding for a sixth session. CBOT November soybeans settled down seven cents at […] Read more
China’s July grain imports plunge as tariffs on U.S. supplies bite
Beijing | Reuters – China’s grain imports plunged in July after Beijing imposed hefty tariffs on shipments from the United States as part of its trade conflict and as rising international prices curbed buying, customs data showed on Thursday. China brought in 220,000 tonnes of sorghum in July, down 62.5 percent from 588,364 tonnes a year ago, data from […] Read more
U.S.-China talks on trade war resume as new tariffs kick in
Beijing/Washington | Reuters – The United States and China escalated their acrimonious trade war on Thursday, implementing punitive 25 percent tariffs on $16 billion worth of each other’s goods, even as mid-level officials from both sides resumed talks in Washington. The world’s two largest economies have now slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on a combined $100 billion of products […] Read more