Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures jumped to a one-week high on Friday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture lowered its domestic production estimate more than analysts had expected. Corn futures touched a two-week low on bigger-than-expected U.S. production and inventory estimates in the agency’s monthly crop reports. USDA surprised traders in both markets […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy jumps on USDA’s surprising cut in acres

U.S. grains: Harvest pressure hits prices before crop reports
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain futures on Thursday extended a setback from 10-week highs reached a session earlier, pressured by an influx of fresh supplies from U.S. harvests and profit taking ahead of the release of highly anticipated crop data. Soybeans also fell, snapping a three-day rally before the U.S. Department of Agriculture issues […] Read more

U.S. grains: Profit-taking, advancing harvests snap rallies
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. grain futures retreated from their highest prices in more than two months on Wednesday under pressure from advancing U.S. harvests and profit-taking ahead of key crop reports. Declines in corn snapped a four-day rally that was fuelled by expectations the U.S. Department of Agriculture will trim its production estimates in […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn tops two-month high
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. corn futures climbed to their highest in more than two months on Tuesday as traders predicted the U.S. will cut its production estimate in a crop report due out Friday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the monthly report, may reduce its estimates for the average corn yield and for […] Read more

U.S. grains: Prices rise on technicals, positioning before reports
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. grain and soybean futures strengthened on Monday as technical buying and positioning ahead of U.S. crop reports overshadowed concerns about poor export demand. Soybean oil neared a two-month high. Traders were adjusting positions in the markets before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issues reports on crop production, supplies and […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat nears one-month high on global weather worries
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures neared a one-month high on Wednesday on short-covering and poor weather in Australia and the Black Sea region that worried traders who have recently been focused on large global supplies. Corn and soybean futures ended little changed. Propelling wheat prices higher was dry weather that is threatening the […] Read more

Storm suspected of carrying new corn disease into U.S.
Chicago | Reuters — A tropical storm could have carried the corn disease tar spot into the heart of the U.S. farm belt for the first time, as winds and rain blew in from Latin America, researchers told Reuters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed cases of tar spot in at least four locations […] Read more

McDonald’s cage-free egg pledge pressures farmers
Reuters — This month’s pledge by McDonald’s Corp. to phase out eggs laid by caged hens in its North American restaurants will increase competition for limited supplies of cage-free eggs. The ban, which follows similar moves by Burger King and food services company Sodexo, carries higher costs that may, at least initially, sting farmers. For […] Read more

U.S. may kill poultry with heat stress to stop bird flu
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. agriculture officials seeking ways to control deadly bird flu have approved the use of a method to kill poultry by turning up the heat in their barns and shutting off ventilation systems. The Agriculture Department will consider using the method, condemned by animal rights groups as cruel, if there are […] Read more

Sales from organic U.S. farms reached $5.5B last year
Chicago | Reuters — Sales from organic U.S. farms reached US$5.5 billion last year, a 72 per cent increase from 2008, the U.S. Agriculture Department said in a report on Thursday that highlighted the consumer trend toward such products. The USDA data, compiled through farmer surveys, showed that milk was the top organic commodity in […] Read more