CBOT November 2023 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean, corn futures weaken as harvests progress

CBOT wheat rises on bargain buying

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures finished lower on Monday as advancing U.S. harvests uncovered strong yields and increased farmers’ sales of their crops, analysts said. Pressure from harvests also hung over corn futures. U.S. farmers have finished harvesting 76 per cent of the country’s soybeans and 59 per cent of […] Read more

People gather around trucks carrying humanitarian aid that entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing on October 21, 2023. The first of 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the war-torn and besieged Gaza Strip on October 21 through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, said AFP correspondents on both sides. Photo: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto.

Foodgrains Bank calls for urgent aid in Gaza

Humanitarian groups have had limited access to the besieged area

Over 6,000 men, women and children in Israel and Gaza have died in two weeks of conflict, the Foodgrains Bank said. More than 1.4 million people have been displaced.  As a member of the Humanitarian Coalition, the Foodgrains Bank is working with partner organizations and local groups to bring humanitarian assistance to the area.


CME December 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures hit contract lows

Cattle futures also sag

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange fell to life-of-contract lows on Friday and cattle futures also retreated, pressured by technical selling and worries that a slowing global economy could hurt demand for meat, traders said. Hog futures fell the most, with the benchmark December contract settling down two cents, […] Read more

CBOT December 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn drops back below US$5

Soybeans down off one-month high

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures closed lower after hitting their highest price since August on Friday, while soybean futures retreated from a one-month high. Traders took profits after the markets rose earlier on concerns about a drought in Brazil disrupting grain shipments on rivers and slowing soy plantings, analysts said. […] Read more


Fried foie gras, grilled. (Vichie81/iStock/Getty Images)

French foie gras makers toast rising output after bird flu gloom

Canada, U.S., Japan ban French poultry imports since vaccination

Paris | Reuters — French foie gras output is set to rise for the first time in five years in 2023 as France starts vaccinating ducks against bird flu that has destroyed flocks in recent years, but trade bans that followed will weigh on exports, producers said on Thursday. France has been among the countries […] Read more

File photo of vessels on the Mississippi River south of New Orleans on Nov. 5, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Low water on Mississippi to persist despite improved drought outlook

Risk of getting stuck mean less grain per barge

Chicago | Reuters — Low water levels on the lower Mississippi River are likely to persist through at least January despite expected above-normal precipitation across the southern U.S. this winter, forecasters with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Thursday. The severe to exceptional drought choking the lower Mississippi River valley is expected to […] Read more


Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in degrees Celsius on Oct. 18, 2023. (NOAA.gov)

El Nino worries Brazil soy farmers as planting progresses, grain lobby says

Dry weather has pushed back planting

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Soybean farmers in top growing state Mato Grosso worry that scarce rains and high temperatures will lead to replanting of some areas while lowering yields in others, local grain farmer lobby Aprosoja-MT said Thursday. The unusual heat and dryness has been linked to the El Nino weather pattern, which is […] Read more

CBOT December 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn futures rally to August high

Strong demand in U.S. supports CBOT soybeans

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rallied above US$5 a bushel to their highest level since August on Thursday, while soybean futures touched a four-week high. The gains came as farmers are in the middle of harvesting their crops, a time when the influx of fresh supplies normally pressures prices. A severe drought that […] Read more


CME January 2024 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle sag on packer margins, beef export sales

December lean hogs turn slightly lower

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures eased and feeder cattle tumbled to June lows at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Thursday as poor margins for U.S. beef processors limited demand for livestock, brokers said. A marketing-year low in weekly U.S. beef export sales also hung over the market. Meat companies are grappling with tight […] Read more

CME December 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages and June 2024 live cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mixed as packer margins stay in red

December lean hogs up off Tuesday's contract low; deferred months lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures were mixed on Wednesday, as beef packer margins stayed in the red and cash cattle prices were expected to be steady to higher, traders said. Hog futures were also mixed on the day. February and May lean hog futures dipped to new contract lows on sluggish […] Read more