The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend up to $750 million to build a sterile fly production facility in Texas to fight the flesh-eating livestock pest New World screwworm, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Friday, Aug. 15.

USDA to build Texas facility to fight flesh-eating screwworm
Sterile flys to keep infection out of U.S.

Smithfield Foods raises annual profit forecast as hog business recovers
Smithfield Foods raised its annual operating profit forecast on Tuesday as its hog business rebounded from losses and the biggest U.S. pork processor said it resumed U.S. exports to China that had been crippled by tariffs.

U.S. cattle ranchers slowly start to rebuild decimated herd
Meatpackers want larger herds to bring down cattle prices from record highs
In major U.S. livestock regions, some ranchers have slowly begun taking the first steps to boost cattle production after the nation’s inventory shrank due to a years-long drought that dried up pasture land used for grazing and hiked feeding costs.

U.S. livestock: Tight cattle supply helps CME futures rebound from collapse
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and feeder cattle futures rebounded on Friday from a steep drop during the previous session.

U.S. grains: Soy futures post weekly loss on expectations for big U.S. crop
Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures finished flat on Friday but notched a second consecutive weekly decline as ample global supplies, favorable U.S. weather and weak Chinese demand hung over the market.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures retreat from record highs
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and feeder cattle futures plunged on Thursday in a setback from record highs.

U.S. grains: Soy futures set April low on good US crop weather, slow China demand
Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures fell on Thursday to their lowest level since April on beneficial U.S. crop weather and poor demand from China, analysts said.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures set record highs on scarce supplies
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and feeder cattle futures set record highs on Wednesday as cash prices stayed strong, along with consumers' demand for beef, brokers said.

U.S. grains: Soybean futures extend losses on favorable US weather, weak demand
Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures fell for the fourth consecutive session on Wednesday, dragged down by favourable weather across the U.S. Midwest and sluggish export demand, analysts said.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures climb as U.S. herd remains small
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures turned higher on Friday, as traders anticipated U.S. government reports would show tight cattle supplies. After the market closed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that the nation’s cattle herd was 94.2 million head as of July 1, a record low for that date. In a separate report, USDA […] Read more