Washington | Reuters –– U.S. pork producers on Monday hailed “significant progress” in Asia-Pacific regional trade talks and urged lawmakers to give the White House authority to fast-track trade deals, a sign that a deadlock with Japan may be softening. An impasse between the U.S. and Japan, the two biggest economies in the 12-nation Trans-Pacific […] Read more
U.S. hog farmers see ‘significant progress’ in Trans-Pacific talks
California turkey farm quarantined after H5N8 detected
Chicago | Reuters –– A California turkey farm has been quarantined after confirmation of the first case of an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza strain in the Pacific Northwest, and in a commercial flock, the U.S. government said. The news on Saturday came just weeks after China banned U.S. poultry after an […] Read more
Prairie CWRS bids improve slightly despite weaker futures
CNS Canada — Average cash bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat generally moved higher during the week ended Friday, despite continued weakness in U.S. futures, as basis levels improved in many areas. Average CWRS prices were steady to up by as much as $4 per tonne, with the highest average bids in Manitoba, […] Read more
Regulatory requirements seen keeping diesel prices high
CNS Canada — Diesel prices in North America aren’t likely to come down to the levels of gasoline anytime soon, according to an analyst. “It’s probably going to trade at a premium to gasoline for some time,” said Phil Flynn, energy market analyst for Price Futures Group in Chicago. One of the main challenges facing […] Read more
Mild weather poses risks for Prairie winter wheat
CNS Canada — Milder-than-normal temperatures across Western Canada over the past week could raise some issues for its winter wheat crops, though snow cover and conditions through the rest of the winter will also be important. “It’s not ideal conditions for winter wheat, and I’d anticipate that we’d see some damage,” said CWB analyst Bruce […] Read more
Sask. eyes tougher rules on investor farm buys
Saskatoon | Reuters — Saskatchewan is likely to tighten what are already some of North America’s strictest rules for purchasing farmland, as it looks to fend off big money managers hungry for what they see as a winning investment. The province, whose fertile plains grow more wheat than Argentina, has become the latest front in […] Read more
B.C. resident positive for H7N9 avian flu
Vancouver | Reuters –– A British Columbia resident has tested positive for the H7N9 avian flu virus in the first documented case of the infection in a human in North America, the federal government said Monday. The person had returned to Canada from China and is recovering from the illness in self-isolation, the Public Health […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans rebound from three-month low, led by soymeal
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rebounded from a three-month low on Monday, led by export demand for U.S. soymeal, a key source of protein in animal feed rations, traders said. Wheat and corn closed lower. At the CBOT, March soybeans settled up 10-3/4 cents at $9.83-1/2 per bushel, rallying after […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs break five-day stretch of two-year lows
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs ended higher on Monday on short-covering, and the wholesale pork price bounce that helped snap futures’ five-day streak of two-year lows, traders said. February closed 1.525 cents per pound higher at 70.825 cents, and April up two cents, to 72.65 cents (all figures US$). CME lean […] Read more
Grain shippers’ data show ongoing rail supply/demand gap
Numbers newly crunched by a clutch of Canadian grain shippers paint a picture of a gap that’s wide, and getting wider, between the numbers of rail cars they say they need and what they say they’re getting. The Ag Transport Coalition — which so far includes eight Canadian grain-handling and crop commodity groups, working with […] Read more