
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up for third straight day
December, February hogs lower
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group cattle futures rose for a third day in a row on Friday, with the front-month live cattle contract hitting a fresh 4-1/2-year high on strong cash markets and rising slaughter numbers. Hog futures were weaker on technical selling. CME’s most-active February live cattle contract gained 0.45 cent to 137.7 […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat firms with exports in focus
Chicago corn, soybeans fall
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose on Friday, with strong buying interest by importers keeping prices near the multi-year highs hit earlier this week. Corn and soybean futures fell but the market was underpinned by strength in the cash market as grain dealers tried to entice U.S. farmers to book sales instead of […] Read more

Prairie cash wheat: Falling Minneapolis futures weigh on Prairie bids
MarketsFarm — A sharp drop in Minneapolis spring wheat futures weighed on cash wheat bids across the Prairies during the week ended Thursday, but declines in the Canadian dollar provided some support and helped temper losses somewhat. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were down by $7.60-$11.60 per tonne, […] Read more

GM aims to tackle chip shortage with new designs
Chip-making investments to be in U.S., Canada
Reuters — General Motors aims to tackle the global semiconductor shortage with new designs built in North America, president Mark Reuss said on Thursday. Reuss told an investor conference GM is working with seven chip suppliers on three new families of microcontrollers that will reduce the number of unique chips by 95 per cent on […] Read more

Alberta looks for feed, Ottawa promises cash for B.C.
Alberta to help with veterinary testing after B.C.'s lab flooded, Alberta ag minister says
Even though supplies are low because of drought, Alberta is looking for feed to send to B.C. livestock producers, while Ottawa will provide emergency financial assistance to farmers dealing with flooding and closed roads in the hard-hit province. “We’ve been working with the B.C. department of agriculture,” Alberta Agriculture Minister Nate Horner said during a […] Read more

Panicked shoppers clear out flood-hit B.C.’s grocery stores
Reuters — Shoppers in British Columbia have emptied grocery shelves following catastrophic flooding, although the shortages are as much down to panic buying as disrupted supply chains, industry associations said on Thursday. Even as flood waters start to recede, some parts of the province are expected to face to temporary shortages of dairy supplies, with […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cash, export markets lift CME live cattle
December hogs lower, February up
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group cattle futures rose on Thursday, with the front-month live cattle contract hitting its highest since June 2017 on support from strength in the cash markets. Rising overseas demand also lent support cattle futures after the U.S. Agriculture Department said that weekly beef export sales totaled 30,000 tonnes, the most […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy ease on profit-taking
Canada's latest export disruptions supportive
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures closed lower on Thursday, with K.C. hard red winter wheat and MGEX spring wheat falling from multiyear peaks on a round of profit-taking. Declines were kept in check by concerns about tight supplies and strong demand, factors that pushed Paris wheat to a 14-year high. Profit taking also […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Record imports of U.S. corn likely
Feeders will need to scale back barley usage
MarketsFarm — Canadian imports of corn from the United States are picking up and could hit a record this year, given the tight supply situation across the Prairies. The most recent export sales data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed Canada as the country’s largest corn customer during the week ended Nov. 11, accounting […] Read more

B.C. floods may tighten market for real Christmas trees
'We're basically shut down until the water recedes'
Ottawa | Reuters — Finding the perfect real Christmas tree will be harder and more expensive this year. Canada, the world’s top exporter of natural Christmas trees, is grappling with a shortage that will likely be exacerbated by historic flooding in British Columbia, where some tree farms are underwater. A phenomenon known as an atmospheric […] Read more