Reuters — The Biden administration on Wednesday increased the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend into the United States’ fuel mix over the next three years, but the plan has angered the biofuel industry, which says mandates for corn-based ethanol and biodiesel are not high enough. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized […] Read more
U.S. to boost biofuel mandates over next three years
Biofuel groups still feel shortchanged
Canada Bread fined $50 million over price-fixing
'Leniency' settlement follows breadmaker's guilty plea
A storied Canadian producer of bread and bakery products has a month to pay a $50 million fine for price-fixing in an ongoing federal probe which still has eyes on several major retailers. Ontario’s Superior Court on Wednesday sentenced Toronto-based Canada Bread Co. after the company pled guilty to four counts of fixing bread prices […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Shift in the pattern
Issued June 21, covering June 21 to 28
The weather pattern that brought some record heat to the eastern Prairies, and some significant rains to parts of Alberta, looks like it will be undergoing a bit of change during this forecast period. The overall flow across the Prairies appears as though it will become predominantly northwesterly as an upper low sets up over […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola market rising into summer
New StatCan acreage estimates out next week
MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts have climbed steadily higher since their late-May lows, nearing chart resistance to the upside on the first day of summer. Updated renewable fuel targets released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to live up to expectations, sparking a speculative selloff in soyoil. While the limit-down move in soyoil […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Weather fuels rallies in grain prices
Rains expected in U.S. Plains states
MarketsFarm — Weather and less-than-stellar crop conditions were the primary factors that caused week-long rallies on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) for the week ended Wednesday. Ongoing dryness in most areas of the U.S. saw crops begin to deteriorate. The corn crop dropped six points to 55 per cent good to excellent as of […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn, wheat rally to multi-month highs on weather concerns
Meteorologists 'pretty much threw in the towel'
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn, soybean and wheat futures rose to multi-month highs on Wednesday, supported by concerns about crop shortfalls around the globe due to adverse weather in key production areas. “Listening to the meteorologists this morning, they pretty much threw in the towel on any moisture for the dry areas of the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle down as corn extends rally
Hogs end lower off early gains
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures eased on Wednesday, with surging corn prices expected to boost feeding costs in the coming weeks, traders said. But live cattle contracts were close to unchanged. Hog futures fell from a nine-month high on a round of profit-taking, with the most-active August contract snapping a […] Read more
Olymel bacon plant deal a ‘signal,’ union says
Deal ends three-week strike at Drummondville
Unionized workers at Olymel’s bacon processing plant at Drummondville, Que. have voted to accept a four-year deal, ending a three-week strike and serving as a “signal” to employers in the region, their union said. Olymel announced Friday that CSN-represented workers at the Bacon Inter-America facility, who’d been on strike since May 26, voted 93.6 per […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs rally to nine-month high; cattle ease
Cattle futures weaker on seasonal slowdown and profit-taking round
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose to a nine-month high as a recent slowdown in the pace of slaughter limited the amount of retail supplies. Cattle futures were weaker on an expected seasonal slowdown and a round of profit-taking, traders said. CME July hogs jumped three cents to 95.85 cents per […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn futures steady; wheat mixed
Large Russian exports tempered fears of Black Sea corridor agreement breakdown
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures steadied on Tuesday after the market rallied sharply at the end of last week on concerns that hot and dry weather will lead to harvest shortfalls. The market remained underpinned by the most recent forecasts, which remained unfavourable for key growing areas of the U.S. Midwest, […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
