Chicago | Reuters — Grains trader Cargill on Thursday reported a 20 per cent drop in its fiscal second-quarter 2019 net earnings, as global trade tensions hit the bottom line along with challenges in the Chinese hog sector and a struggling U.S. dairy business. Three of the company’s four business units reported results that were […] Read more

Cargill’s net earnings down as trade fight bites

U.S. grains: Wheat eases in thin holiday trade
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell more than one per cent on Monday in thin, technically driven trade, brokers said, but still posted a yearly gain of nearly 18 per cent. U.S. soybean futures ended lower, retreating from early advances tied to signs of thawing trade tension between Washington and top global soy […] Read more

Trump’s trade war looms over divided U.S. farm belt ahead of vote
Reuters – Chuck Wirtz voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, inspired by the then-political outsider, but the veteran Iowa hog farmer now has buyer’s remorse as the U.S. Republican president’s trade policy exacts a heavy toll on his business. Wirtz, 56, estimates the tariffs resulting from the U.S. trade war with China and […] Read more

Beef demand, crush margins boost Cargill’s Q1 ledger
Reuters — Grains trader Cargill reported a nearly five per cent rise in quarterly profit on Thursday as global demand for beef and improved oilseed crushing results offset challenges in several business units. But Cargill also faced various headwinds across the company — particularly in its protein and food ingredients units, both of which have […] Read more

U.S. farmers rush to clear crops but animals stay in Florence’s path
Chicago | Reuters — As powerful Hurricane Florence advanced toward the southeastern U.S., farmers in North Carolina rushed to harvest corn and tobacco and stock up on pig rations, while the danger of sustained rain and deadly flooding threatened a state where millions of farm animals are housed. “The governor said that North Carolina is […] Read more

Florida finds atypical BSE case
Chicago | Reuters — A six-year-old beef cow in Florida tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. The animal tested positive for atypical H-type BSE on Aug. 26 at the Colorado State University’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory, as part of routine surveillance of cattle that are found to […] Read more

Beef, eggs, feed fatten Cargill’s profits
Chicago | Reuters — Strong global demand for beef and animal feed fattened grain trader Cargill’s profits in fiscal year 2018, which were also boosted by trade tensions and South American weather woes, the company said on Thursday. For the full year, adjusted operating earnings reached $3.2 billion, up six per cent from fiscal 2017 […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans lower on trade row
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell about two per cent on Monday on generally favourable Midwest crop weather and worries about trade with China, the world’s biggest soy importer, traders said. Corn and wheat futures also declined. July soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade settled down 20 cents at $8.74-1/2 per […] Read more

Canada to U.S.: Explain that farm spending war chest
Chicago/Geneva | Reuters — Canada wants the United States to explain why its lawmakers have made an additional $30 billion available to support U.S. farmers hit by trade woes, and how Washington might distribute the money, according to a document published by the World Trade Organization on Thursday. The questions come amid growing trade tensions […] Read more

Trade rows spell gain, and pain, for U.S. grain exporters
Chicago | Reuters — Global grain marketers have seized upon trade tensions between the United States and several of its top export markets, including China, to turn around struggling trading units following one of the toughest years ever for the industry. After five years of bumper harvests worldwide that depressed crop prices, trading margins are […] Read more