Chicago | Reuters –– The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday it will require meat packers to report cattle purchases they make through online auctions to the agency starting next week, a move that stoked traders’ hopes for more transparent markets. USDA will begin including transactions from auctions on the Fed Cattle Exchange in pricing […] Read more
USDA requires meat packers to report online cattle auction deals
Agricultural merger mania fuels fears among small seed sellers
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Justice Department is looking into concerns that global consolidation among major seed and agricultural chemical companies may squeeze supplies of the building blocks for widely used genetically modified seeds, a farm group told Reuters. The department has asked the American Soybean Association for details about how small and independent […] Read more
Devastating bird flu strain found in duck in Alaska
Chicago | Reuters –– The type of avian flu that led to the deaths of about 50 million U.S. chickens and turkeys last year has been found in the country for the first time in 14 months, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday. USDA said it detected the H5N2 strain of the disease in […] Read more
Soybeans trip up top traders, prompt rare offer to U.S. farmers
Chicago | Reuters — Two of the world’s biggest agricultural trading houses bungled crop sales they made on behalf of U.S. farmers this year because of what one described as “unique” price moves for soybeans, prompting both to take rare steps to keep disgruntled customers. Every year, hundreds of U.S. farmers trust major grain traders, […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn touches one-week low on improved crop conditions
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. corn futures slid to a one-week low on Tuesday and soybean futures lost ground, a day after a U.S. government report showed both crops were thriving. Expectations that a privately run U.S. crop tour would uncover stronger yields in the coming days than on Monday, when it began, put additional […] Read more
Cargill stops using human antibiotic against disease in turkeys
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. meat processor Cargill has stopped using an important antibiotic for people to prevent disease in turkeys, the company said Tuesday, the latest food maker to drop the drug amid concerns about the impact on human medicine. Cargill has not used the drug, gentamicin, to prevent disease in turkeys that supply […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans extend rebound on robust export demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures jumped on Friday, extending a rebound from 3-1/2-month lows hit earlier this week, as strong export demand offset supply pressure linked to bumper harvest prospects. Wheat futures also climbed while corn crept higher as the grain markets consolidated after falling to 10-year and near two-year lows, respectively, this […] Read more
McDonald’s to remove corn syrup from buns
Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. will replace corn syrup in hamburger buns with sugar this month and has removed antibiotics that are important to human medicine from its chicken months ahead of schedule, it said Monday, moves that are part of its drive to target increasingly health-conscious consumers. The fast food company also said it eliminated […] Read more
First U.S. trader convicted of spoofing sentenced to jail
Chicago | Reuters — A U.S. judge sentenced futures trader Michael Coscia to three years in prison on Wednesday, a lighter punishment than prosecutors had sought for the first person criminally convicted of the manipulative trading practice of spoofing. Coscia also was sentenced to two years of supervised release from jail, in a case that […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans jump on worries heat may threaten crops
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain futures rose on Tuesday, with soybeans touching a one-week high, on worries that a heat wave may threaten crops later this summer. Concerns about the risk of damaging weather overshadowed a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which predicted a big domestic soybean harvest will help offset […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
