Chicago | Reuters — Scorching temperatures in the southern U.S. Plains are stressing cattle as well as crops such as cotton, corn and soybeans, meteorologists and traders said on Tuesday. Temperatures were forecast to reach 111 F (44 C) in parts of the Texas Panhandle, a core area for cotton and cattle production. While much […] Read more

Sizzling heat stresses livestock, crops in southern U.S. Plains

Study shows how U.S. farm landscapes could be reshaped by climate
Plains' wheat belt would see 'hollowing-out'
London | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Climate change could render swaths of agricultural land largely useless for farming in the U.S. South, and force Midwestern farmers to move corn and soybeans elsewhere as crop yields decline, researchers said on Monday. The profits of growing six key crops are set to fall by almost a third […] Read more

Southern Plains drought slows U.S. cattle herd growth
Chicago | Reuters — Encroaching drought in the U.S. southern Plains contributed to the smallest rise in the nation’s cattle population in three years, analysts said after the government’s semi-annual cattle inventory report on Wednesday. Insufficient moisture in parts of Texas and Oklahoma, along with areas of persistent dryness in the northern Plains, hurt winter […] Read more
U.S. grains: Winter wheat jumps as crop conditions drop
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. winter wheat futures surged to their highest in at least four months on Tuesday, led by a more than three per cent rally in hard red winter wheat, after the government slashed condition ratings for the drought-hit U.S. Plains crop. Soybeans and corn also advanced on technical buying and short […] Read more

New Year’s Day cold snap to hit U.S. winter wheat, rivers
Chicago | Reuters — A New Year’s Day cold snap in the southern U.S. Plains poses a threat to winter wheat, particularly in Kansas, the country’s biggest producer of the grain, agricultural meteorologists said. Farmers in Kansas grow hard red winter (HRW) wheat, the largest U.S. wheat class that typically is milled into flour for […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans sink to three-month lows on Argentine rains
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures slumped to three-month lows on Monday as rain in Argentina eased concerns that farmers would scale back planting in the country, the third-largest soybean exporter and top soy product supplier. Corn futures also declined on the rainy Argentine weather and pressure from abundant supplies of the grain. Wheat […] Read more

U.S. grains: Spring wheat sets three-year top on weather woes
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. spring wheat futures charged to a three-year high on Thursday, fueled by fears that continued dry conditions in the northern U.S. Plains would cut supply of high-protein milling wheat. The surge in spring wheat futures on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) also lifted Chicago Board of Trade wheat to a […] Read more

U.S. Plains drought highlights spring wheat supply crunch
Chicago | Reuters — Drought conditions in the northern U.S. Plains that have propelled spring wheat prices to a three-year high worsened in the past week and there are forecasts for more hot and dry weather that could crimp the harvest. As the world struggles with a glut of grain that has filled inventories to […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat hits one-week low on Plains forecasts
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell nearly two per cent on Wednesday on forecasts for much-needed moisture in the southern Plains, analysts said. Corn and soybean futures also declined as traders adjusted positions ahead of key crop data due on Thursday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Chicago Board of Trade March wheat […] Read more

U.S. spring wheat seeding ahead of average pace
CNS Canada — Hard red spring wheat planting in the U.S. is underway and advancing faster than average due to favourable warm, dry weather in many regions, according to the North Dakota Wheat Commission’s crop progress report. As of Sunday, 17 per cent of the U.S. spring wheat crop was in the ground, up from […] Read more