CME April 2023 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle climb to another contract high

April live cattle lower, lean hogs up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures reached a contract high for a second consecutive session on Tuesday, while live cattle futures retreated from a contract high set a day earlier, brokers said. Reduced U.S. herd sizes due to drought have propelled futures higher recently, though some brokers said supply concerns have […] Read more

Around 20 per cent of Mexico’s corn imports from the U.S. are white corn, used to make food products such as tortillas. (Bhofack2/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. demands formal trade talks with Mexico over GMO corn dispute

U.S. says new rules a breach of CUSMA

Chicago/Washington | Reuters — The United States requested formal trade consultations with Mexico on Monday over U.S. objections to its southern neighbour’s plans to limit imports of genetically modified corn and other agricultural biotechnology products. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office announced the request for technical talks after months of informal discussions with Mexican officials over […] Read more


CBOT May 2023 soft red spring wheat with 20-day moving average, MGEX May 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. May 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat below US$7 on hopes for Ukraine export extension

CBOT corn down, soybeans up

Chicago | Reuters — Benchmark Chicago wheat futures dropped below US$7 per bushel on Monday for the first time in 17 months, pressured by reminders of adequate global supplies and optimism that the safe corridor to export grain from war-torn Ukraine will be extended, traders said. Corn futures also declined. But soybeans rose as Chicago […] Read more

CBOT May 2023 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean, corn futures end week strong

Chicago May wheat falls

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose for the third consecutive day on Friday, supported by expectations that the soy crop in global supplier Argentina is smaller than estimated because of damage from drought conditions. “Behind the support in the market is the simple fact that this is horrible finishing weather for the soybeans […] Read more


Photo: File

Feed weekly outlook: Barley exports slowing down, local prices steady

Feedlots relatively well covered

MarketsFarm — Canadian barley exports slowed down in January, but out-of-country movement is still running ahead of the year-ago pace, according to updated export data from the Canadian Grain Commission. Canada exported 131,100 tonnes of barley from licensed facilities in January, with China the top customer taking 100,500 tonnes. Total barley exports were well off […] Read more



A dried-out corn crop next to cotton planted into a dried-out cornfield at Tostado in Argentina’s northern Santa Fe province, on Feb. 8, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Miguel Lo Bianco)

CBOT weekly outlook: It still comes down to South America

Continent's soy situation conflicting

MarketsFarm — Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to issue its next supply and demand estimates on March 8, what’s going on in South America continues to dominate the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), according to Andrew Mages of Progressive Ag in Fargo, N.D. “Typically it’s not the most important report because […] Read more

CBOT May 2023 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy, corn, wheat futures bounce after declines

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean, corn and wheat futures rose on Wednesday, with bargain buyers snapping up commodities that posted sharp declines during February. The higher closes in soybeans and corn snapped a stretch of five straight losing sessions. Traders said that the recent sell-off may have sparked some buying interest from importers that […] Read more


For heavier calves or mature animals, producers need to consider potential nutrient loss and cost when deciding whether to process oats for feeding.

Questions on the feeding value of oat grain

Nutrition with John McKinnon

Of the various cereal grains available for cattle feeding, the one I get the most questions about is oat. Typical questions relate to energy value, need for processing, nutritive value of light versus heavy oats, and pricing both relative to bushel weight and other cereal grains. As there seems to be a lot of interest […] Read more

CBOT May 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn hits lowest since August

Chicago soybeans, wheat also drop

Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. corn futures fell to their lowest level in more than six months on Tuesday and soybean and wheat futures also dropped on a round of end-of-month liquidation by investment funds, traders said. Soybeans notched the biggest declines, with the most-active contract falling 2.2 per cent, its biggest daily decline since […] Read more