Chicago | Reuters — CME Group will shutter most of its open-outcry futures pits by July 2, the world’s largest futures market operator said Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on a once-raucous tradition that has been in decline since the rise of computerized trading. The decision ousts traders of products ranging from grain and livestock […] Read more
CME Group to close most open-outcry futures trading pits
Cargill begins selling GM corn seed at centre of lawsuits
Reuters — Cargill has started selling a variety of genetically modified Syngenta corn seed that previously disrupted U.S. grain trading, now that China has approved imports of the biotech crop. Cargill, one of the top U.S. grain exporters, began selling seed containing the Agrisure Viptera trait last month and scrapped a policy that required farmers […] Read more
U.S. grains: Markets sag under pressure from hefty global supplies
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures dropped to a four-month low on Monday while corn and soybeans hovered near multi-month lows as large crop inventories kept a lid on prices. Traders focused on hefty grain supplies as crop weather improved in South America, with scattered showers in Brazil easing concerns about drought curtailing soybean […] Read more
Cargill likely to stay private, CEO says
Miami | Reuters — Cargill, one of the world’s largest privately held corporations and a top commodities trader, will likely remain private for at least another decade, its CEO said on Tuesday as he assessed challenges facing the 150-year old company. David MacLennan, who has led Cargill for the past 13 months, also revealed that […] Read more
Deere to cut over 900 U.S. workers as ag economy weakens
Chicago | Reuters — Deere and Co., the world’s largest maker of farm equipment, will lay off more than 900 employees at plants in Iowa and Illinois in the latest round of job cuts spurred by a decline in grain prices that is hurting demand for agricultural machinery. The layoffs, which represent about three per […] Read more
U.S. grains: Markets weaken under pressure from firming U.S. dollar
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures slipped on Thursday as the rising U.S. dollar made farm products less competitive on the global market. The U.S. is having a hard time competing for grain export business, with Ukraine and South America undercutting U.S. corn prices, said Tomm Pfitzenmaier, analyst for Summit Commodity Brokerage […] Read more
Merck funds tests of lower Zilmax doses
Chicago | Reuters –– Merck and Co. is funding the testing of lower dosages of its controversial cattle growth drug Zilmax, in a move livestock experts say is crucial if the company is to resume sales of the product to the U.S. beef industry. Nearly 18 months after Merck pulled the drug from U.S. and […] Read more
Researchers identify new PEDv strain in Minnesota
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. researchers have identified a new strain of a hog disease that has wiped out millions of baby pigs, a sign the virus will keep mutating as producers work to contain it. A third strain of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) was detected in a Minnesota hog herd and found to […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat retreats from rally fuelled by Russia export worries
Chicago / Reuters – U.S. grain and soybean futures slumped on Wednesday, with wheat dropping by 4 per cent in a setback from a rally fuelled by concerns over Russian export restrictions. The market extended a retreat from gains last week amid talk that Russia, expected to be the world’s fourth-largest exporter this year, won’t impose grain export duties until Feb. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn reaches new five-month high, wheat advances
Chicago / Reuters – U.S. corn futures on Tuesday jumped to a new five-month high for the second consecutive session on increasing global demand and wheat advanced amid uncertainty about the impact of Russian export restrictions. Soybean futures also were firmer in thin volume before the Christmas holiday on Thursday. Nearby March corn futures hit a session high of […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
