MarketsFarm — Top-end yellow and green pea bids in Western Canada have come down over the past month, as old-crop activity slows down and attention turns to the new crop. While tight supplies after the 2021 drought did not leave too many unpriced peas in the countryside, some farmers likely still waited too late and […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Pea bids slip as new crop looms

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle reach three-week peak
Lean hogs mixed; U.S. Plains heat wave looms
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures hit a three-week high on Tuesday on sinking corn feed prices and concerns that hot, dry weather at central and southern Plains feedlots will continue to shrink livestock supplies, traders said. Technical buying further fueled the gains as cattle markets advanced despite broad-based selling across […] Read more

U.S. grains: Futures plunge after USDA raises supply outlook, trims some demand
Larger corn, soybean supplies in forecast
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures fell sharply on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) boosted key crop supply forecasts and scaled back some demand expectations in a monthly report. Benchmark corn, soy and wheat futures all retreated back to pre-Ukraine war levels as soaring costs since Russia’s invasion and […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder cattle market adjusts for lower barley prices
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices climbed $2-$4 on average. Calf markets were unchanged. For the second week in a row, the market was hard to define due to limited numbers on offer. Small packages under five head and single stragglers were common. Larger groups of green thin yearlings were well bid by […] Read more

Market value alone is selling nature short, governments told
Economic valuations needed but 'not sufficient,' co-chair says
Reuters — What is the value of a river? Is it for the nutritional content of the fish it sustains? The economic benefit of the local livelihoods it supports? Or does the river have its own value which humans cannot measure? Such questions may seem removed from the issues the world faces, from deepening climate […] Read more

Baltic Dry Index at three-month lows
Demand for ocean freight seen backing off
MarketsFarm — Ocean freight rates have come under pressure over the past month as demand for freight backs away, which could be seen as a sign of the slowing global economy. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), which is a major indicator of shipping rates, settled at 2,081 points on Monday, up 14 points from Friday’s […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy, corn firm on weather worries
CBOT wheat drops; grain traders also positioning ahead of Tuesday's USDA report
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures climbed on Monday on forecasts for hot, dry conditions across the Midwest farm belt as well as technical buying and positioning ahead of Tuesday’s monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supply-and-demand reports. The market eased from overnight highs, however, as updated weather models appeared slightly less […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle jump on cash market premiums
Feeder cattle firm, lean hogs mixed
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts firmed on Monday on technical buying and support from the premium of cash market prices to the actively traded front-month futures contract. Live cattle drew further support from firm beef prices and gains in feeder cattle futures. “Live cattle were up on the strong cash […] Read more

JBS to automate beef warehousing at Brooks
Packer to replace current fully manual system
International meat packer JBS has enlisted a major robotics and automation company to overhaul the warehousing system at one of Canada’s biggest beef plants. JBS Foods Canada on Friday announced a $71 million project in partnership with New Zealand-based Scott Technology, to design and build a system that can handle and store up to 85,000 […] Read more

Canola funds’ position shifts to net short
MarketsFarm — Speculative fund money in ICE Futures canola shifted to a net short position for the first time in two years, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) report compiled by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The net managed money short position in ICE Futures canola came in at 677 contracts […] Read more