Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures tumbled two per cent on Wednesday after China readied tariffs against U.S. soy, corn, beef and other goods to retaliate against the Trump administration’s planned tariffs on Chinese exports as a trade war intensified. U.S. corn futures also fell sharply, then recovered a portion of the heavy losses. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn tumble as China slaps tariffs on imports

U.S. cattle placements hit 16-year high for February
Chicago | Reuters — Ranchers drove 7.3 per cent more cattle into U.S. feedlots in February than a year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Friday, the most for the month in 16 years. Persistent drought in the U.S. Plains withered winter wheat grazing pastures, which forced beef cattle into feedyards in states […] Read more

U.S. pork to feel further chill from China tariff threat
Beijing/Chicago | Reuters — China’s threat of steep tariffs on U.S. pork imports knocked down U.S. hog futures prices and shares of producers on Friday, while increasing fears of hard times for farmers already facing weaker demand from the world’s top buyer of the meat. U.S. farmers have worried for months that rising trade tensions […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Trade war risk slams CME hogs
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs hit a four-month low on Thursday as U.S. stocks plummeted amid fears of a potential trade war between the U.S. and China, said traders. On Thursday U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum that could impose tariffs on up to $60 billion of imports from […] Read more

Canada sticks to measured tack in U.S. trade row
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada is sticking to its keep-calm strategy as U.S. President Donald Trump ramps up trade war rhetoric, convinced that no move is the best move for the country with the most to lose, but critics say it risks being a soft target if its strategy fails. While the European Union immediately […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Trade war jitters drag on CME hogs
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures on Wednesday hit a three-month low, partly rattled by talk of a potential trade war if the U.S. tacks higher tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, traders said. Wednesday’s U.S. stock market slumped as U.S. President Donald Trump appears poised to impose steep tariffs this […] Read more

With sorghum warning shot, Beijing targets Trump’s core farm base
Beijing | Reuters — In launching a probe into U.S. sorghum imports, China has fired a warning shot across its top trading partner’s bow that shows farmers in states that voted for U.S. President Donald Trump may be Beijing’s top retaliatory target in the event of a trade war. On Sunday, the Ministry of Commerce […] Read more