Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade live cattle contracts rose on Thursday, touching a fresh seven-year high, with tight supplies boosting cash market prices and lending support to futures. Hog futures eased after rising in five of the previous six sessions, but losses were kept in check by signs of good consumer demand. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures extend gains
Chicago hog futures weak

Avian flu circles back to Quebec
Saskatchewan's bird mingling ban held over
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian flu have returned to Quebec’s poultry sector after a lull of just over two months, while more Canadian cases continue to pile up at points west. Canada’s fall migratory season for wild birds appears to have led to the return of outbreaks in both commercial and backyard poultry flocks and […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Canola sees choppy, sideways month-end trade
Wide crush margins remain bullish
MarketsFarm –– ICE Futures canola contracts held within a narrow range during the week ended Wednesday, lacking any clear direction with the rolling of positions out of the nearby November contract ahead of its expiry behind much of the trade volumes. “We’re stuck a little rangebound here,” a Winnipeg-based trader said of the sideways activity, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures rise on cash market strength
November feeder cattle also end higher
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade hog and cattle futures rose on Wednesday, following gains made in the cash market earlier this week, traders said. CME December lean hog futures gained 0.9 cent to settle at 87.375 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract faced technical resistance at the high end of its 20-day […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Ukraine talks, low Mississippi River pressure prices
Outside forces pile on seasonal harvest pressures
MarketsFarm — Ongoing harvests for corn, wheat and soybeans in the U.S. and a strong U.S. greenback are putting pressure on markets in the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). However, other factors have caused prices to come down during the week ended Tuesday. While the war in Ukraine continues to rage on, negotiations persist between […] Read more

CRTC asks big telcos to share network with smaller rural players
Big firms also told to negotiate wholesale access rates
Reuters — Canada’s top wireless firms will now be required to accept requests for access to their networks from smaller companies, particularly those serving rural areas, and also to negotiate on wholesale prices, the country’s telecom regulator said Wednesday. The ruling comes as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) looks to lower the cost […] Read more

Nigeria’s flooding spreads to Delta, upending lives, livelihoods
Over a million acres of farmland damaged, wrecked
Rivers State, Nigeria | Reuters — People wade through fast-flowing water, holding one another to avoid being swept away, balancing suitcases, clothing and food on their heads. The torrent was, until recently, the East-West Road in Nigeria’s Rivers state, the gateway to the nation’s oil and gas. Now parts of Rivers, along with large swathes […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat weak on export concerns
Chicago November soybeans end firm
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat and corn futures fell on Wednesday as weak demand on the export market weighed on prices. Soybeans ended in positive territory, but concerns that global purchasers will shift their demand for soybeans to South American suppliers as soon as possible kept the gains in check. “You can at least […] Read more

Prairie-wide canola variety trial program ending
'Current format' of CPT concludes: commissions
The sun is about to set on the current Prairie-wide canola variety evaluation program run by the three Prairie provinces’ canola grower commissions. SaskCanola, the Alberta Canola Producers Commission and the Manitoba Canola Growers Association announced Monday that 2022 is the final year of the Canola Performance Trials (CPT) “in its current format.” “Going forward, […] Read more

Arbitration leads to deal for CN signals staff
IBEW held 17-day strike in summer
Canadian National Railway (CN) has labour peace with its signals and communications workers through to the end of 2024 coming out of binding arbitration. The 750-odd workers, represented by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) System Council 11, had agreed to take their dispute with CN to arbitration in early July, ending a 17-day strike. […] Read more