Birds, eggs and poultry products from Washington and Oregon are being kept out of Canada after findings of high-path avian flu in a pair of backyard flocks in those states. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Dec. 24 reported highly pathogenic (“high-path”) H5N2 avian flu in a backyard free-range flock of geese, turkeys, chickens, ducks […] Read more
Canada blocks poultry, eggs from U.S. Northwest
Seed, equipment quarantined at wilt-stricken Man. farm
Seed and equipment are now under federal quarantine at a Manitoba farm where a crop pathogen never before seen in Canada made its first-ever appearance in North American canola. Without giving the farm’s specific or general location, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday it’s placed a quarantine order on seed from the farm at […] Read more
U.S. livestock: More fund sales drop CME live cattle limit-down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle nearby trading months closed down their three-cents-per-pound price limit on Friday, pressured by persistent fund liquidation as part of their yearly rebalancing of commodity allocations. Live cattle February and April closed at 160.6 cents and 159.425 cents, respectively (all figures US$). CME live cattle trading limits […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy gain on export demand
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures firmed on Friday, supported by strong export demand, while wheat weakened slightly as traders evened up positions ahead of a key U.S. government report on crop production and supplies, traders said. Corn posted the biggest gain, rallying 1.5 percent. A round of pre-report short covering following […] Read more
Argentina denounces farmer soy hoarding, says hurts state income
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentine growers hoarding soybeans to protect themselves from inflation are hurting both state and farm income in the world’s No. 3 exporter of the oilseed, a top government official said Thursday. The South American country pioneered the use of plastic horizontal silos to stockpile grains. Growers are hanging onto soybeans, […] Read more
Egypt says wheat stocks enough to last until early May
Cairo | Reuters — Egypt’s stock of wheat for its subsidized bread program will last until the first week of May, well into the start of the local harvest, after it bought 180,000 tonnes this week, Supplies Minister Khaled Hanafi said Friday. Hanafi said in a statement he expected new silos to come into use […] Read more
China’s small dairy farmers dump milk as sector enters downturn
Beijing | Reuters –– Small dairy farmers in China are dumping milk and selling cows as demand from processors slows in a sharp turnaround from last year, when a scramble for supplies prompted a huge surge in milk powder imports. Slower growth in milk product consumption, higher yields from modern dairy farms and the excess […] Read more
Analysts expect China to issue grain import quotas after state sales end
Beijing | Reuters — China’s grain imports could plummet this year, with the government determined to sell off as much of its bulging state grain reserves as possible before it finally grants mills permission to buy overseas, analysts said. In previous years, private mills were normally allocated grain import quotas in January, allowing them to […] Read more
Cargill profit surges as lower grain prices spur demand
Reuters — Replenished grain supplies following a bumper North American harvest bolstered global commodities trader Cargill’s bottom line in its latest quarter as lower prices lifted demand for crops and padded margins on meat sales. Privately-held Cargill, based in Minnesota, reported net earnings of $784 million for the second quarter ended Nov. 30, up 41 […] Read more
CN, CP face fines for summer grain handle
Both of Canada’s big two railways have been slapped with fines for missing the federal government’s mark this summer on weekly Prairie grain handling. A Transport Canada spokesperson confirmed by email Thursday that Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway (CN, CP) have been served notices of violation including administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) of $100,000 and $50,000 […] Read more