Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures dropped to their lowest in nearly three months on Tuesday as export demand for U.S. supplies weakened ahead of what are expected to be record harvests in Brazil and Argentina, traders said. Corn and wheat futures closed firm on a round of bargain buying following […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy falls as export interest shifts
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle resume downtrend, but off lows
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle closed lower on Tuesday after skittish buyers and fund liquidation wiped out Friday’s modest gains that briefly halted an eight-day losing skid, traders said. February live cattle closed down 1.4 cents per pound, to 153.05 cents, and April ended 1.875 cents lower at 151.075 cents (all […] Read more
More downside than upside for Prairie flaxseed bids
CNS Canada — Flaxseed prices remain strong in Western Canada, but that strength is relative and there are more bearish than bullish factors in the background which should weigh on values over the next few months. Spot flaxseed bids can currently be found in the $13-plus per bushel area, while new-crop is in the $11 […] Read more
British lawmakers call for more protection for dairy farmers
London | Reuters –– British dairy farmers should be better protected from falls in the price of milk, lawmakers said on Tuesday in a report warning of a crisis which could damage the country’s dairy industry in the long-term. A price war between supermarkets in Britain has led to milk being sold at rock-bottom prices, […] Read more
Australia weather bureau says models show low chance of El Nino
Sydney | Reuters –– Weather models show a low chance of an El Nino, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said Tuesday, after indicators of the climate event eased in recent weeks. El Nino — a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific — can prompt drought in Southeast Asia and Australia and heavy rains […] Read more
Fertilizer firm Mosaic forecasts bigger-than-expected Q4 profit
Reuters — U.S. fertilizer company Mosaic Co. on Monday estimated it would post a larger fourth-quarter profit than expected and surpassed its targets for phosphate sales. Mosaic, the world’s largest producer of finished phosphate products and North America’s second-biggest potash producer, said it expects to earn 93 to 98 cents per share in the quarter […] Read more
France says Russia to lift ban on live pigs, some pork products
Paris | Reuters –– Russia’s veterinary services has agreed to lift a ban on French live pigs, offal and fat imposed a year ago after an outbreak of African swine fever in the east of the European Union, the French farm ministry said. Russia imposed the ban on EU pork products early in 2014 following […] Read more
Merck funds tests of lower Zilmax doses
Chicago | Reuters –– Merck and Co. is funding the testing of lower dosages of its controversial cattle growth drug Zilmax, in a move livestock experts say is crucial if the company is to resume sales of the product to the U.S. beef industry. Nearly 18 months after Merck pulled the drug from U.S. and […] Read more
Russia may consider grain export ban, but not yet, deputy PM says
Moscow | Reuters — Russia might consider banning grain exports altogether if informal trade restrictions already in place fail to benefit the economy as hoped, a senior minister said Monday. The bulk of Russia’s grain output is wheat, for which it is expected to be the world’s fourth-largest exporter this year. But in response to […] Read more
Food diversity under siege from global warming, UN says
Rome | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Climate change threatens the genetic diversity of the world’s food supply, and saving crops and animals at risk will be crucial for preserving yields and adapting to wild weather patterns, a United Nations policy paper said on Monday. Certain wild crops — varieties not often cultivated by today’s farmers […] Read more