Mumbai | Reuters — The United Nations human rights office called on Indian authorities and protesting farmers to exercise “maximum restraint” hours before the growers impose a nationwide road blockade on Saturday seeking a repeal of new agricultural laws. Tens of thousands of farmers have camped out on the outskirts of New Delhi for more […] Read more

UN urges ‘maximum restraint’ as India farm protesters widen blockade

U.S. livestock: CME hogs touch contract high for fourth straight day
Live cattle up, feeder cattle retreat
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures extended their rally on Friday, setting a contract high for the fourth consecutive day on strong demand, while live cattle futures topped a one-year high. Traders predicted Chinese buyers will continue to snap up U.S. pork after the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday reported export sales […] Read more

Former F. Menard hog plant upgrading for second shift
Olymel announces $9 million in renovations
Pork and poultry packer Olymel plans to dial up its pork output with a new evening shift at a Quebec hog plant it now owns in the province’s Monteregie. Olymel, the meat packing arm of Sollio Co-operative Group, said Friday it will invest $9 million in renovations at its slaughter, cutting and deboning plant at […] Read more

StatsCan confirms canola stocks tightening
Wheat stocks also down from previous year-end
MarketsFarm — Solid demand from exporters and domestic crushers continues to eat rapidly through Canada’s canola stocks, which as of Dec. 31 were down nearly 24 per cent from the same date a year earlier, according to new data released Friday from Statistics Canada. The government agency pegged total canola stocks in the country as […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans end lower, after rising on demand optimism
U.S. winter wheat threatened by cold weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures ended lower on Friday after trading higher earlier on expectations of continued export demand eating into already tight U.S. stocks. Corn futures traded slightly lower as traders assessed mixed crop prospects in South America, while wheat ticked up slightly on fears of winterkill across the U.S. southern Plains […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs touch contract high for third day
Cattle futures up with beef exports
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures climbed on Thursday, setting a contract high for the third consecutive day on firm Chinese demand, traders said. Weekly U.S. pork export sales to China, the world’s top pork consumer, reached a three-month high of 17,873 tonnes in the week ended Jan. 28, according to the U.S. […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Grain exports, prices rise
MarketsFarm — As more Canadian feed grains make their way overseas, especially into China, domestic buyers may need to pay more secure supplies from emptying bins over the next few months. “Anything extra we’re able to export is getting exported at this point,” Brandon Motz, owner and sales manager of CorNine Commodities at Lacombe, Alta., […] Read more

Ford cuts output of F-150s due to semiconductor shortage
U.S. firm among manufacturers caught off guard
Washington | Reuters — Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it is cutting shifts at two U.S. plants that build its highly profitable flagship F-150 pickup trucks starting next week due to a global shortage of semiconductor chips, raising fears the problem could be worsening. The No. 2 U.S. automaker said it will run one of […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn slips after touching new high on Chinese demand
U.S. export, supply-demand data awaited for China update
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures ended lower on Thursday after hitting a 7-1/2-year high, supported by the U.S. Agriculture Department’s confirmation of strong Chinese demand. Soybeans closed higher on strong weekly export sales as traders weighed rain delays to Brazil’s harvest. Wheat fell, despite weekly export sales at the high end of analysts’ […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: How long can canola remain well supported?
MarketsFarm — Despite recent declines in canola prices, the Canadian oilseed remains very well supported, according to Errol Anderson of Market Place Communications in Calgary. The question he posed, though, was for how long can this last? “The market is incredibly well supported because of the lack of deliveries and that the crushers are still […] Read more