(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: U.S. feeder markets lead Canadian prices higher

Dry conditions in Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta are moving yearlings off grass sooner than expected

Compared to last week, Western Canadian yearling markets once again jumped $3-$5/cwt on average. Higher quality 900-pound steers are reaching up to the range of $310-$315/cwt. Comments from readers suggest that 850-900-pound steers are trading up to $315-$320/cwt. Calves in the 500-550-pound range are reaching just over the $400/cwt level. Dryer conditions in Saskatchewan and […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: CME lean hog futures climb on strong demand

SubtitleCattle futures were pressured by softer cash prices and uncertain consumer demand

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures climbed to nearly four-month highs on Monday, supported by strong demand. “Cash trade got off to a good start. There’s margin out there with where fresh pork values are at. I think that’s helping to move things along,” said Matthew Wiegand, risk management consultant at FuturesOne. […] Read more


The Chicago Board of Trade building on May 28, 2018. (Harmantasdc/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

U.S. grains: corn, soy fall as US weather improves

Wheat dropped despite Black Sea supply concerns

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago soybeans and corn fell on Monday, pressured by expectations of cooler, wetter weather across the U.S. Midwest in August. Wheat also dropped, despite worries over Black Sea supplies, although no new major Russian attacks on Ukrainian grain infrastructure were reported over the weekend. Chicago Board of Trade most-active corn Cv1contract […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: CME lean hog futures reach one-week high

For beef processors, margins are worsening

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures rose on Friday, with the hog market reaching its highest price in a week as profit margins improved for pork processors. The hog market has turned higher after dropping to a one-week low on Wednesday. Most-active October lean hog futures LHV3 ended up 1.775 cents to […] Read more


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U.S. grains: grain, soy futures drop on milder US weather, with eyes on Black Sea

Markets have retreated since touching multi-week highs on Monday

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Board of Trade grain and soybean futures fell to their lowest prices in more than a week on Friday on hopes that U.S. crop weather will improve and Russia will ease its attacks on Ukraine’s grain facilities, analysts said. Technical selling added pressure to prices. Heading into August, the key […] Read more

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U.S. grains: Corn, wheat slide sharply on promise of rain, yield potential

Soybeans steady to higher, boosted by weak U.S. dollar, export news

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago corn and wheat futures slid on Wednesday on technical trading and news of a better-than-expected spring wheat forecast in parts of North Dakota, even as a heat wave stretched across the U.S. Midwest and part of the Mississippi Valley, traders said. Meanwhile, soybean futures were steady to higher on the […] Read more


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ICE weekly outlook: canola market heading towards choppy waters 

Markets will pause to see how the crops finish developing: analyst

Marketsfarm – While the recent gains in canola on the Intercontinental Exchange were likely generated by the spreaders, the market will probably become choppy, according to Ken Ball, trader with PI Financial in Winnipeg, Man.  “Spreaders for the last few days have been selling canola and buying soyoil,” Ball suggested in a July 26 interview, […] Read more

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CBOT weekly update: U.S. Fed decision one of many factors 

Russia’s withdrawal from Black Sea Grain Initiative, attacks on Ukrainian ports have caused erratic price movement

Marketsfarm – The decision by the United States Federal Reserve on July 26 to raise its key interest rates mostly served as a distraction on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) from other events affecting grain futures.  The central bank continued its efforts to wrangle inflation by pushing interest rates up 25 basis points to […] Read more



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U.S. grains: wheat pares gains after 5-month top; corn, soybeans retreat

The market pulled back from five-month highs as Russia appeared to slow its port attacks

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) wheat futures Wv1 pared gains after setting five-month highs on Tuesday after Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure raised concerns about long-term global supplies and triggered a round of fund short-covering, analysts said. The wheat market pared gains and even dipped lower at times […] Read more