Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures settled lower on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecast 2020 plantings at the largest in eight years, well above trade expectations, while soybeans firmed on a lower-than-anticipated acreage outlook. A tighter-than-expected USDA quarterly corn stocks estimate limited losses, but most contracts notched life-of-contract lows after […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn drops after USDA pegs plantings above expectations
USDA forecasts largest U.S. corn acres in eight years

Pulse weekly outlook: U.S. bean acres to increase, other pulses down
MarketsFarm — Farmers in the U.S. intend to plant more edible bean acres in 2020, but will seed less area to peas, lentils and chickpeas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s prospective plantings report. Edible bean area in the country is forecast at 1.372 million acres, which would be up roughly seven per cent […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn rebounds after multi-year lows
Soybeans firm, wheat sags
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose on Tuesday, clawing back from last week’s multi-year lows as traders covered short positions and farmer sales stalled, analysts said. Wheat futures declined, pressured by profit-taking after recent rallies, while soybeans closed modestly higher. Chicago Board of Trade May corn settled up 3-3/4 cents at $3.47-1/4 per […] Read more

U.S. sees progress on China trade deal’s ag provisions
China makes first U.S. hard red wheat buy since 2017
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. and China have made progress in implementing the agriculture-related provisions of their Phase One trade deal that took effect on Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Trade Representative said on Tuesday. In a joint statement, they listed a number of steps taken that should help […] Read more

U.S. under pressure to keep slaughterhouses open
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking to reassure meat producers it will keep slaughterhouses staffed with federal inspectors as fears about potential shutdowns due to the COVID-19 coronavirus hammer livestock prices and fuel concerns about food supplies, meat industry groups said on Monday. Livestock markets have been hit hard as […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Markets focused on virus, oil prices, stocks
MarketsFarm — From where Steve Georgy sits, commodity markets such as the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) are currently focused on only three things. One is the COVID-19 coronavirus — specifically, how the global outbreak affects commodity markets, especially if it results in “the slowing down the movement of grain, the slowing down the movement […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat decline as Wall Street tumbles
Chicago soy turns lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn and wheat futures declined on Wednesday, following as Wall Street equity markets fell sharply on fears of the coronavirus causing a global recession and a lack of immediate U.S. measures to counter the economic fallout. Soybean futures turned lower, erasing early advances tied to a pick-up in export demand […] Read more

USDA’s supply and demand report largely stands pat
MarketsFarm — Any changes in the latest monthly supply and demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday were few and far in between when it came to corn, wheat and soybeans; what the markets largely expected. However, there were some small revisions to the department’s global projections. That meant USDA’s March […] Read more

U.S. says it would ban pig shipments if swine fever detected
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday it will prohibit shipments of all pigs for at least three days if the nation ever finds a case of a fatal hog disease that has ravaged China’s herd. The federal government is preparing to contain and eradicate African swine fever if it spreads […] Read more

U.S. grains: Virus worries, export sales drag on soybeans
Corn down on rising U.S. ethanol stocks
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Thursday on poor export demand coupled with declines in global equity markets tied to worries about an economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, analysts said. Corn followed soybeans lower while nearby Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures clung to modest gains, supported by inter-market spreading. […] Read more