Chicago | Reuters — Livestock futures traders continued to hunt for cover on their short positions Thursday, resulting in Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures climbing a second day after prices slid to contract lows earlier this week. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange saw live cattle and feeder cattle futures on Wednesday bounce back strongly from contract […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle, hogs continue gains for second day

Merck to buy Harrisvaccines to boost livestock portfolio
Chicago | Reuters — Merck and Co.’s animal health unit will buy privately-held Harrisvaccines to expand its portfolio of animal vaccines as the U.S. livestock industry seeks new defenses against diseases, the companies said on Thursday. Financial details were not disclosed. The deal, which is expected to close by year-end, follows rival Zoetis’ agreement, announced […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs surge on bargain-buying after selloff
Chicago | Reuters — The Chicago Mercantile Exchange saw live cattle and feeder cattle futures bounce back strongly from contract lows on Wednesday, with prices hitting their daily limits as traders snapped up bargains and investors covering their short positions. Meanwhile, CME lean hog futures also saw a turnaround as traders bet that contract lows, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Technical trading, holiday fears sour hog, cattle futures
Chicago | Reuters –– The Chicago Mercantile Exchange saw all of its live cattle and all but two feeder cattle futures contracts fall by the daily trading limit on Monday, pressured by technical selling and weakening wholesale beef prices, traders and industry analysts said. Meanwhile, CME lean hog contracts continued their slump on Monday, dropping […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat eases off four-week high on export slump
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat eased off a four-week high on Thursday amid disappointing export sales and forecasts for more rain relief in dry U.S. growing belts, which offset concerns about adverse harvest weather in Australia and turned traders’ attention back toward large global supplies. The firmer dollar also made U.S. wheat less attractive […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat futures up despite U.S. rain, corn down amid big crop forecast
Chicago/Reuters – Chicago wheat futures ticked up on Wednesday on technical buying, despite rain forecasts across U.S. grain belts adding to worries about weather woes overseas. Corn futures ended the day slightly lower after private forecasters raised their estimates for U.S. production, while soybeans rose on bargain-buying and robust U.S. exports. Chicago Board of Trade […] Read more

Deere & Co. to buy Monsanto’s Precision Planting farm equipment business
Chicago/Reuters – Monsanto Co’s Climate Corp subsidiary on Tuesday announced a definitive agreement to sell its Precision Planting farm equipment business to Deere & Co for an undisclosed sum. The deal also allows nearly real-time data connections between certain John Deere farm equipment and Climate’s farming software programs, Climate FieldView. Climate will keep its digital farming […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat hits biggest weekly gain in nearly four months
Chicago / Reuters – U.S. wheat futures prices jumped 1.5 per cent on Friday and posted their biggest weekly gain in nearly four months, as traders positioned themselves ahead of a highly anticipated U.S. Department of Agriculture November supply and demand report. Chicago Board of Trade December soft red wheat closed at $5.22 a bushel, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn close firm on technical buying; soybeans slip
CHICAGO / Reuters – U.S. wheat futures rallied nearly 2 per cent on Thursday, supported by a round of short-covering and signs of improving export demand, traders said. A pickup in exports also boosted corn futures, as technical buying lent further support to both corn and wheat after prices dipped during the overnight trading session. […] Read more

California considers adding meat to cancer-alert list
Reuters — California is examining new World Health Organization findings to determine whether to add red meat and foods such as hot dogs, sausages and bacon to a cancer-alert list, setting the stage for a potential battle with the meat industry over warning labels. The inclusion of meat and processed meat on the list could […] Read more