Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures fell their daily three-U.S.-cent limit on Wednesday, pressured by falling U.S. wholesale prices for pork products and news of increasing hog numbers in China, traders said. China’s pig herd rose 23.5 per cent in May from a year earlier, state media said on Wednesday, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down on new China stats
Live cattle futures up with cash values

U.S. grains: Soybeans down with vegetable oil prices
Chicago July corn, wheat up
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Wednesday to their lowest level in nearly two months, pressured by a retreat in global vegetable oil prices from multi-year highs, analysts said. Corn and wheat futures ended mixed, with the nearby July corn and wheat contracts closing higher, while back months declined. Chicago Board of […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle hit two-month high
CME lean hogs end mixed
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures rose more than two per cent on Tuesday, setting a two-month high as deferred prices for corn, the main feed grain for cattle, continued to fall, traders said. CME benchmark August live cattle futures settled up 2.625 cents at 123.9 cents/lb. after reaching 124.125 […] Read more

U.S. ag secretary backs proposed meatpacking investigator
Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday threw his support behind a proposal to establish a special investigator to address concerns about anti-competitive practices in the meat and poultry industries. Republican U.S. Senators Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Charles Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana have proposed legislation […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy eases on improved weather view
Chicago corn mixed, wheat down
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Tuesday on an improved weather outlook for the Midwest crop belt, analysts said. The forecasts for cooler and wetter conditions later this month also pressured new-crop corn futures on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), although front-month July gained against back months on spreads, reflecting tight […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Timely rains benefitting Saskatchewan crops
MarketsFarm — As with crops across the Prairies, pulses in Saskatchewan got a much timely shot in the arm with recent rainfall, according to Carl Potts, executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. “I think pulse crops have benefitted from the rains we’ve had over the last two or three weeks here in the province,” he […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder market heating up
Volumes thin with auction barns in holiday mode
Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling steers traded $3-$4 higher while yearling heifers were steady to $2 higher. Mid-weight calves or young yearlings from 600 to 800 lbs. were $3-$5 higher on average. Calves under 600 lbs. were relatively unchanged. Favourable rains across the Prairies have enhanced crop prospects for barley and wheat. April […] Read more

AGI to buy into soil microbe breeding firm
Machinery maker to take minority stake in MyLand
A U.S. company ramping up a system to harvest, reproduce and restore beneficial microbes from a field’s own soils, as a way to restore peak fertility, expects to get backing soon from a Canadian farm equipment maker. Winnipeg-based Ag Growth International (AGI) said Monday it has signed a conditional letter of intent with Phoenix-based MyLand […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures climb as corn prices cool
Lean hogs end lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures rose on Monday, reaching a one-month top as falling prices for feed grains lifted feeder cattle futures, traders said. CME August live cattle futures settled up 1.25 cents at 121.275 cents/lb. after reaching 121.575 cents, the contract’s highest since May 13. August feeder cattle […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy sag as crop weather outlook improves
Moisture stress remains in parts of Corn Belt
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell by almost four per cent on Monday on forecasts for improving crop weather in the Midwest, including cooler temperatures and beneficial rains late this week, analysts said. Soybeans fell more than two per cent and wheat followed the weaker trend as the U.S. winter wheat harvest got […] Read more