(Dave Bedard photo)

Fund short position hits six-month low in canola

CBOT soybeans show reduced net long

MarketsFarm — The speculative short position in ICE Futures canola fell to its smallest level in six months at the beginning of July, as fund traders covered short positions and put on some new longs. That’s according to the latest Commitments of Traders report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As of July […] Read more

CME August 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle climb on firmer cash market

Hogs down on technical selling

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rallied on Friday on tight fed cattle supplies and higher cash market sales in the central U.S. Plains and western Midwest, traders said. Beef packers were in need of cattle to fill near-term operations, including a large Saturday slaughter and a full week of production […] Read more


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

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn drop on improved crop weather

CBOT September wheat also down

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Friday as recent welcome rains across the Midwest farm belt, and forecasts for more next week, aided crops that had been suffering under an early season drought. Soybeans, which notched a four-month high on Monday, ended down 1.9 per cent for the week, while […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Corn firms on technicals, short-covering

Soybeans retreat; wheat futures consolidate

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose on Thursday on technical buying and short covering following a two-week slide that took prices to 2-1/2 year lows. Soybean futures fell in a profit-taking retreat from multi-month highs posted after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unexpectedly slashed its U.S. plantings estimate and as recent rains […] Read more


CME October 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle ease on weak cash market

Lean hog futures mostly higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures declined on Thursday as a weak tone to the cash market and worries about slowing beef demand weighed on prices, traders said. Livestock traders were monitoring cash market activity at Plains feedlots, where fed cattle were lightly bid at $178/cwt, below the bulk of cash […] Read more

CME August 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures turn lower

Current-year hog futures higher

Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and feeder cattle futures took a turn lower in resumed trading Wednesday while near-month hogs turned higher. Most-active August live cattle came back off the U.S. Independence Day break down for a second day off Friday’s three-week high, closing Wednesday at 174.95 cents/lb., down 1.875 cents from Monday (all figures […] Read more


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

ICE weekly outlook: Canola makes huge move

Prairies' dry patches add to upswing

MarketsFarm — Canola came out of Canada Day continuing to build on gains made going into the holiday, largely due to spillover from the Chicago soy complex. The U.S. Department of Agriculture last Friday released its planted acres report, which saw soybeans lose four million acres from the 87.5 million planted in 2022, leading to […] Read more

Detail from the front of the CBOT building in Chicago. (Vito Palmisano/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Acreage at forefront in soy, corn markets

USDA estimates were bullish for soy, bearish for corn

MarketsFarm — Surprising acreage estimates released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last Friday could remain a major feature in soybean and corn markets for the foreseeable future, as traders contemplate a much smaller-than-expected soybean acreage base and larger-than-expected corn area. “You can’t close your eyes on these acreage numbers,” said Scott Capinegro of Barrington […] Read more


CBOT September 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average, MGEX September 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. September 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat surges on slow harvesting, poor crop conditions

Corn hits 2-1/2-year low and ends mixed, soy mostly firm

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures surged on Wednesday as slow winter wheat harvesting and deteriorating spring crop conditions fuelled buying and short covering that lifted prices from 2-1/2-week lows. The wheat rally pulled corn up from 2-1/2-year lows despite expanded plantings and recent rains that lessened concerns about drought-reduced yields. Soybeans firmed on […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: U.S. feeder markets pull Canadian values higher

Feedlots aggressively seek U.S. corn

For the week ending July 1, western Canadian feeder markets traded $2-$5/cwt higher compared to seven days earlier. Quality groups of yearlings were up $8-$10/cwt from a week earlier. South of the border, major markets in Oklahoma had feeder steers and heifers trading US$5-$10/cwt above week-ago levels. The Canadian market is functioning to ration demand […] Read more