CME June 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle, hogs slip on demand concerns

Inflation on U.S. retail meat a worry

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group live cattle and hog futures slumped on Friday, as investors worried about the prospect of food inflation weighing heavy on U.S. consumer meat demand as the summer grilling season gets underway, analysts said. Benchmark June lean hogs settled the day down 2.975 cents, to 104.1 cents/lb. (all figures US$). […] Read more



Standing corn north of St. Adolphe, Man. on Sept. 19, 2021. (Dave Bedard photo)

Feed weekly outlook: Corn trading higher than barley

Seeding begins in Alberta

MarketsFarm — Imported corn from the U.S. is still the grain of choice for feedlots in southern Alberta, despite the fact feed barley is at a slightly lower price right now. Corn traded on Wednesday at around $480 per tonne ($12.19 per bushel) in Lethbridge, said Jim Beusekom, president of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. […] Read more

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Seeding already behind in Saskatchewan

MarketsFarm — Saskatchewan Agriculture on Thursday issued its first weekly crop report of 2022, showing only one per cent of all crops in the ground. The report cited cool temperatures and spring snowstorms holding back many farmers getting into their fields. The overall five-year average at this time of year is five per cent complete. […] Read more


CME July 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs climb, demand uncertainty remains

Chicago cattle futures lower

Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures firmed for a second session on Thursday, supported by bargain buying, though demand concerns capped gains, analysts said. “We’ve got conflicting fundamentals. Seasonally, hog supplies should continue to tighten into mid-summer. But right now there’s a lot of demand worry,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock […] Read more

CBOT July 2022 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, orange and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago wheat climbs on new global supply concerns

Corn pressured by hopes of planting progress

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat climbed for a second session on Thursday, underpinned by hot and dry weather across India that is likely to diminish that nation’s wheat export potential, while similar conditions erode U.S. winter wheat crops. Soybean and corn futures added after trading near even all day, as global supplies remain uncertain […] Read more


File photo of chicks on a genetic map of a chicken. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

High-path avian flu reaches Alaska

Canada books more cases in five provinces

U.S. federal animal health officials have confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in a backyard flock in southern Alaska, showing the extent of current outbreaks’ reach across North America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said Saturday it had confirmed the presence of high-path avian flu in a “non-poultry” backyard […] Read more

Screengrab from a CNH promotional video of its Magnum tractor assembly plant at Racine, Wisconsin. (CNH video)

Workers on strike at two U.S. CNH plants

Production of Magnum tractors, combine headers affected

Workers at two CNH Industrial manufacturing plants in the U.S. Midwest have hit the picket line after their previous contract expired without an agreed-upon replacement. United Auto Workers, whose locals 180 and 807 represent over 1,000 employees at CNH’s plants at Racine, Wisconsin and Burlington, Iowa respectively, said Monday the workers went on strike that […] Read more


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U.S. EPA proposal likes canola oil for renewable fuel

A final EPA decision is expected this summer, which, if favourable, could add new demand for Canada's premier oilseed

Canola has another feather in its cap — one which is expected to put more money in farmers’ pockets. In a ‘proposed decision’ released in April the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized canola oil’s value as an environment-friendly alternative to fossil-based fuel — a move that’s expected to add new demand for the crop. […] Read more

Yuri and Oleksiy, farmers wearing body armours and helmets, prepare for field work in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region amid Russia’s invasion, on April 26, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino)

Worsening global food security needs Ukraine, Russia production, UN chief says

Abuja | Reuters — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday the problem of global food security could not be solved without restoring Ukrainian agricultural production and Russian food and fertilizer output to the world market. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has added to volatility in financial markets, sending commodity prices higher and affecting logistics, […] Read more