Chicago soybean futures dropped on Monday on expectations for a hefty South American crop, while corn futures rose as traders anticipated world supply and demand estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will show smaller U.S. stockpiles.

U.S. grains: CBOT soybean futures ease, corn turns higher ahead of USDA report

U.S. livestock: Live cattle mixed as technical selling offsets lift from firm cash
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures traded on both sides of unchanged on Friday and finished the day mixed, underpinned by firm cash cattle prices but anchored by technical selling and seasonal pressure, analysts said.

U.S. grains: Corn rises on technical buying, soy and wheat end mixed
U.S. corn futures climbed on Friday to the highest in five months on a continuous chart, supported by technical buying and strong U.S. export sales.

South American farmers hail Mercosur-EU deal, wary of fine print
South America's agricultural sector, a key source of global food, celebrated on Friday as the regional Mercosur bloc and the European Union struck a free trade agreement, though farmers said they wanted to see the small print of the deal.

Mexico doing all it can to protect trade agreement with US, Canada, official says
Mexico is doing everything it can to protect a regional trade agreement with the U.S. and Canada, the Latin American nation's deputy economy minister said in an interview published on Friday.

US issues order mandating bird flu testing of milk supply
Virus has infected nearly half of California's 1,100 dairy farms
The U.S. issued a federal order on Friday mandating that the national milk supply be tested for bird flu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters, as authorities seek to grapple with rapid spread of the virus among dairy herds.

Canada’s jobless rate jumps to 6.8 per cent; bets up for 50 bps rate cut next week
Canada's unemployment rate rose more than expected to 6.8 per cent in November, a near-eight-year high excluding the pandemic years, even as the economy added a net 50,500 jobs, data showed on Friday, boosting chances of a large interest rate cut next week.

EU and South America strike trade deal set to hit pushback in Europe
The European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc struck an agreement on a long-delayed free trade deal on Friday which now faces a tortuous battle for approval in Europe, where there is stiff opposition from France. After negotiations spanning over 20 years, and five years on from an initial deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her Mercosur counterparts announced an agreement had been reached in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo.

Police prevent Indian Punjabi farmers marching to Delhi to demand better prices
Indian police used tear gas and pepper spray against dozens of farmers who began marching from Punjab state along a key highway to Delhi on Friday to demand better prices for their crops.

World food prices reach 19-month high in November, UN says
The United Nations' world food price index rose in November to its highest level since April 2023, recording its biggest gain in 19 months on the back of surging vegetable oil prices, data showed on Friday.