Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures set a six-week low on Friday while wheat hit its lowest level in more than four weeks on concern over competition for global export business, analysts said. Technical selling helped fuel the sell-off, along with prospects for robust 2023 corn production in the U.S. and […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat hit multi-week lows on export concerns
Hopes for Black Sea export deal pressure CBOT grains

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle consolidate after hitting new contract high
Chicago lean hogs end lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures consolidated on Friday after setting a string on contract highs recently, while lean hog futures eased. The cattle market looks ripe for a correction after futures rose this month on tightening U.S. supplies, brokers said. However, cattle inventories look even smaller than expected as ranchers […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle set high on Brazil halting beef exports to China
April hogs close lower, June up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures reached a contract high on Thursday amid hopes that Chinese importers will buy more U.S. beef after rival supplier Brazil suspended shipments to China, analysts said. Brazil said it would halt beef exports to China, the main destination for its overseas shipments, after confirming a […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn futures hit six-week low on projected plantings
Corn, soy, wheat prices to drop from 2022, USDA predicts
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures hit a six-week low on Thursday as the U.S. government projected farmers will plant more acres this year and prices will decline, analysts said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, at its annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, pegged 2023 corn plantings at 91 million acres, up from […] Read more

U.S. beef cow herd falls to lowest level since 1962, USDA says
Last year saw record cull, Rabobank reports
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. beef cow herd dropped to its lowest level since 1962, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Tuesday, after a severe drought raised costs for livestock feed. Ranchers increasingly sent cows to slaughter last year, instead of keeping them to reproduce, as dry weather reduced the amount of pasture […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat posts biggest weekly loss in six months
Soybeans, soymeal rally on Argentina drought
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures weakened on Friday and posted their biggest weekly decline in six months as ample supplies from the Black Sea region weighed on prices, analysts said. Soybean and soymeal futures rallied amid increasing concerns about drought hurting crops in Argentina, the world’s leading exporter of processed […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs extend slide to three-month low
Cattle also lower; "no urgency in this market right now"
Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures sank to a three-month low and closed weaker for the seventh consecutive session on Friday on concerns about weak demand, brokers said. An increase in hog weights also hung over the market, after recent winter storms delayed processing and backed up livestock on farms, brokers said. Pork […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat up off nearly four-week low
Corn, soy futures set two-week lows
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures turned higher on short-covering and bargain buying on Thursday after dropping to their lowest price in almost four weeks, analysts said. Corn and soybeans set two-week lows as concerns about demand and economic headwinds, including the impact of surging COVID-19 cases in China, continued to […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs touch three-week low
Most live cattle futures settle lower
Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures set a three-week low on Thursday, under pressure from losses in broader markets and following recent weakness in cash hog prices, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also ended lower as the market pulled back one day after hitting a September high. Livestock markets took signals from a […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs weaken, cattle rise as winter storms hit
Hogs touch lowest since Dec. 16
Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures fell to their lowest price in more than two weeks on Wednesday and live cattle futures strengthened as snowstorms continued to disrupt livestock operations. Feeder cattle futures reached their highest price since September. Wintry weather in the northern U.S. Plains has delayed livestock shipments, reduced cattle weights […] Read more