Chicago | Reuters — Nearby U.S. hog and live cattle futures weakened on Wednesday, weighed down by prospects for rising feed costs due to higher prices for corn, soybeans and wheat. But the livestock futures market was strong for many deferred contracts as traders expressed concerns about supplies tightening by the end of the year. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog, live cattle futures mixed on feed cost concerns
Bargain buying lifts March feeders

U.S. grains: Futures surge to highest since 2014 as USDA cuts supply outlook
Wheat futures at six-year high; corn, soy at 6-1/2 year highs
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn, soybean and wheat futures surged to fresh multi-year highs on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said 2020 U.S. corn and soy harvests were smaller than expected and stocks of key crops were thinner that previously thought. Corn jumped by as much as five per cent, while […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures rise as corn surge seen squeezing supply
Cash prices pressure nearby live cattle futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures firmed Tuesday on higher cash hog prices and improving pork packer margins and as soaring feed costs stoked concerns about tighter hog supplies. Corn futures prices surged more than five per cent on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) slashed its 2020 harvest estimate, with […] Read more

Klassen: Higher feed grain prices continue to pressure feeders
Compared to mid-December, western Canadian yearlings traded $3-$5 lower; mid-weight calves are down $4-$6 while calves under 550 lbs. remained firm. Buyers exhibited a defensive tone on heavier yearlings and discounts were more severe on fleshier cattle last week. There is absolutely no risk appetite for 850-plus-lb. cattle at this time of year. Demand for […] Read more

China to approve further domestic GMO corn, soy crop varieties
Beijing | Reuters — China said on Monday it was set to approve the safety of another genetically modified (GMO) corn variety and a GMO soybean, both produced by Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group Co. Ltd. The move comes after China last year approved three domestically designed GMO crops as safe, the first in a decade, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Futures slip on South American rains
USDA report seen cutting U.S. soy, corn supply estimates
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures slipped from 6-1/2-year highs on Monday on crop-boosting rains in South America and as investors squared positions ahead of eagerly awaited U.S. government crop forecast data due on Tuesday. Corn and wheat futures also pulled back from multi-year peaks posted last week as the U.S. dollar firmed and […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle sink on profit-taking, technical selling
Lean hogs, feeder cattle mixed
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures fell on Monday in a profit-taking and technical-selling setback amid concerns about weaker demand for cattle and beef, traders said. Position rolling by funds, as they closed out long positions in the spot month and bought deferred contracts on the second day of the five-session “Goldman roll” period, […] Read more

Cattle set-aside programs winding down
Final enrolment deadlines set for Saskatchewan, Alberta programs
AgriRecovery programs set up in Saskatchewan and Alberta to help cover feed costs for cattle producers unable to ship livestock to slaughter are gearing down, while Ontario’s program begins a third intake. Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. announced Friday that the province’s AgriRecovery set-aside program will end March 31, 2021, with Jan. 19 now set as […] Read more

U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear biofuel waiver case
Reuters — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a lower court ruling that severely limited the government’s powers to exempt small refineries from the nation’s biofuels law, rekindling a long-running dispute between the oil and corn industries. The decision came after appeals by refining companies that argued the 10th Circuit Court’s decision […] Read more

Argentina lifts corn export ban
Export suspension to be replaced with 30,000-tonne sales cap
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentina has lifted a suspension on corn exports announced in December and will opt instead for a temporary 30,000-tonne daily cap on sales abroad, its agriculture ministry said on Monday, backing off the more restrictive measure that had infuriated farmers in the South American grains powerhouse. The world’s No. 3 […] Read more