CME April 2021 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Profit-taking hits live cattle futures

CME April hogs also down off Friday's high

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures weakened on Monday on profit-taking and as the market pulled back from a one-year high reached last week, traders said. Strong demand for beef has supported cattle futures recently, and beef prices continue to rise. Choice cuts advanced $1.82, to $235.77/cwt, and select cuts climbed $2.98, to […] Read more

An image created by Nexu Science Communication, together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus, the type of virus linked to COVID-19. (Nexu Science Communication via Reuters)

U.S. pork packer Smithfield offers ultra-cold vaccine storage

COVID-19 vaccines need storage at -20 C, -70 C

Chicago | Reuters — Smithfield Foods, the world’s biggest pork processor, said on Thursday it had offered to help U.S. health officials distribute COVID-19 vaccines and store them in ultra-cold freezers that are in high demand to support a public vaccination campaign. U.S. states, cities and hospitals are scrambling to buy freezers that can safely […] Read more



CME December 2020 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures sag as COVID surge threatens meat demand

Demand uncertainty also weighs on hogs

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. livestock futures slumped on Friday as soaring coronavirus cases raised expectations for lockdowns on commerce that will hurt demand for meat from restaurants, hotels and other venues, analysts said. Cities and states across the country have moved to re-impose restrictions to tame new spikes in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. Additional […] Read more


CBOT January 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line) and ICE January 2021 canola (yellow line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans up again on export demand, supply concerns

Markets recover after setback on Thursday

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain futures rose on Friday as soybeans traded near a 4-1/2-year high reached earlier this week on strong export demand and tightening domestic inventories. The soybean market appeared to be well supported at current prices, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture ignited a rally with a report on Tuesday that […] Read more

CME December 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures move up off one-month low

Lower corn, soy values support feeder cattle

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose on Thursday in a rebound from a one-month low reached in the previous session, while live cattle futures weakened. The hog market’s recovery carried futures to their highest level since Monday. Traders said the market continues to face pressure from large U.S. supplies and uncertainty over […] Read more


CBOT January 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean futures retreat off 4-1/2 year high

Technical selling adds pressure on corn futures, analyst says

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures pulled back on Thursday, a session after they hit their highest level in about 4-1/2 years, and corn futures retreated from their highest in more than a year. The markets took a breather after rallying on a U.S. Department of Agriculture crop report, issued Tuesday, […] Read more

CBOT January 2021 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures hit highest in over four years

U.S. soy stocks enter 'danger zone,' Rabobank says

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures on Wednesday hit new four-year highs for the third consecutive day, while corn futures retreated after topping a one-year high on strong export demand and tighter supply estimates. Soybeans extended a rally after the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday issued a monthly crop report that said corn […] Read more


File photo of a farmed mink. (Konstantin Sokolov/iStock/Getty Images)

Coronavirus kills 15,000 U.S. mink

Affected states aren't planning to cull

Chicago | Reuters — More than 15,000 mink in the United States have died of the coronavirus since August, and authorities are keeping about a dozen farms under quarantine while they investigate the cases, state agriculture officials said. Global health officials are eying the animals as a potential risk for people after Denmark last week […] Read more

CBOT January 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean futures surge again to new four-year high

USDA cuts corn, soybean yield estimates

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures soared to a fresh four-year high on Tuesday and corn topped a one-year high after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said stockpiles this marketing year will fall to their smallest in seven years. The forecasts, issued in a monthly crop report, reflected a decline in […] Read more