
U.S. grains: Soybeans ease as Midwest’s rains seen boosting crop
CBOT December corn up, wheat down
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell for a second straight session on Friday as rains were seen boosting harvest prospects in some dry areas of the Midwest farm belt. Wheat futures fell on profit-taking and spillover pressure from lower soybeans, although concerns about global supplies limited declines. Corn was lower much of the […] Read more

U.S. reports world’s first deer with COVID-19
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government said Friday it had confirmed the world’s first cases of COVID-19 in deer, expanding the list of animals known to have tested positive for the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported infections of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wild white-tailed deer in the state of […] Read more

Union rejects province’s call for arbitration in Olymel strike
Labour minister had proposed third-party settlement
A proposal from Quebec’s labour minister to end a four-month strike at a major hog slaughter plant, which has created a backlog of market-weight hogs on farms in Eastern Canada, has been rejected by the workers’ union. Provincial Labour Minister Jean Boulet, at a meeting Thursday morning, put out a proposal to meat packer Olymel […] Read more

Ag department lowers crop production, export estimates
Expectations knocked down for most major Prairie crops
MarketsFarm — Canadian crop production will be down significantly in the 2021-22 marketing year, cutting into exports for all of the country’s major grains, oilseeds and pulse crops. That’s the estimation from the latest supply/demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), released Thursday. Total field crop production for all crops is forecast to decrease […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures fall on lower cash cattle
Hogs down on supply expectations
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell for a third day on Thursday, as the softer cash market in the southern U.S. Plains weighed on futures, traders said. “This cash just continues to struggle,” said Joe Kooima, commodity broker at Kooima Kooima Varilek Trading Inc. “We’ve just got that anchor in […] Read more

U.S. EPA recommends lowering 2020 biofuel mandates retroactively
Agency not confirming or denying sources' statements
Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recommended retroactively lowering biofuel blending mandates for 2020, two sources familiar with the matter said, after the agency on Thursday sent a proposal on the mandates to the White House for review. The move could provide immediate relief to oil refiners that have to comply with the […] Read more

Washington state eradicates first ‘murder hornet’ nest of the year
Nest found in northwestern county near B.C. border
Reuters — Washington state eradicated its first Asian giant hornet nest of the year by vacuuming out 113 worker hornets and removing bark and decayed wood near the nest, Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) officials said Thursday. The so-called stinging “murder hornets,” the world’s largest hornets, can grow to five centimetres in length and […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: No surprises in latest barley numbers
MarketsFarm — Following the release of monthly supply and demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Thursday, Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta. wasn’t surprised at how low the numbers dropped, particularly for barley. Motz commented the harvest hasn’t been as good as initially thought, noting the AAFC report confirmed the situation […] Read more

U.S. seeks to protect pork exports if swine fever hits territories
Policy would distinguish Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands from mainland
Chicago | Reuters — The United States said on Thursday it is seeking to avoid disruptions to pork exports if the territories of Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands detect the fatal pig disease African swine fever. The risk for infections in the territories is higher after the Dominican Republic last month confirmed the […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy fall as Midwest rains benefit crops
Tight global wheat supplies could boost U.S. exports
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures ended lower on Thursday, as beneficial rainfall across the U.S. Midwest added pressure to soybean markets, while export sales capped losses. Wheat found technical support, underpinned by tight global supply concerns. Chicago Board of Trade most-active corn fell one cent to $5.50-3/4 a bushel, while nearby […] Read more