Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell 2.2 per cent on Wednesday, dropping below the key US$4 a bushel level on pressure from an industry report that showed demand from the ethanol sector was waning. Wheat futures also declined on concerns about a strong dollar hitting export demand for U.S. offerings amid an ample […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn drops as ethanol stocks build
U.S. livestock: CME hogs rally in anticipation of cash price rebound
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs turned higher Wednesday after initial selling, benefiting from sentiment that cash prices are about to bottom out soon, traders said. February closed 0.75 cent per pound higher at 79.325 cents, and April finished up 0.525 cents at 81.875 cents (all figures US$). Slaughter-ready (cash) hog prices […] Read more
Hog nursery barn Quebec’s third PED case
A hog nursery operation in Quebec’s Monteregie was confirmed Dec. 31 as the province’s third case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in hogs. Quebec has previously booked two cases of on-farm outbreaks of the PED virus (PEDv) — both at hog finishing operations in the Monteregie in February and November 2014 respectively. The latest case […] Read more
Researchers identify new PEDv strain in Minnesota
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. researchers have identified a new strain of a hog disease that has wiped out millions of baby pigs, a sign the virus will keep mutating as producers work to contain it. A third strain of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) was detected in a Minnesota hog herd and found to […] Read more
Canola crush margins holding steady near $100
CNS Canada — Canola crush margins in Western Canada may be well off the highs seen last winter but are still very profitable for domestic processors as they hover around $100 per tonne above the futures. Crush margins provide an indication of the profitability of the product values relative to the seed cost when processing […] Read more
Verticillium wilt makes jump to Canadian canola
A Manitoba canola field has been confirmed as the first in North America with Verticillium wilt, a fungal disease well known to northern Europe’s canola and vegetable growers. With no seed treatments or foliar fungicides yet registered against it — and with no resistant canola varieties available — the disease, if here to stay, may […] Read more
Wheat midge populations to collapse in parts of Alta.
CNS Canada — Recent large wheat midge populations in the eastern Peace region of Alberta are expected to collapse in 2015, according to a forecast report from the Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network. But there is still a risk of higher populations in the region due to the very large levels of the insect population […] Read more
Lower-quality malt barley still commanding firm prices
CNS Canada — Western Canadian malt barley is still receiving firm bids despite a lack of high-quality supplies, according to industry watchers. “Prices are still fairly high but quality is fairly low.” said Reid Fenton, president of BLB Grain Group at Three Hills, Alta. “If it grows, it goes,” is how he described the current […] Read more
China expected to boost imports of protein-rich wheat
Beijing/Singapore | Reuters — Chinese wheat buyers are likely to step up imports of higher quality grains to meet a domestic shortfall even though total overseas purchases are forecast to tumble this year due to bumper production at home, analysts and traders said. China, the world’s biggest wheat producer and consumer, has seen output climb […] Read more
Korea says cattle found infected with foot-and-mouth
Seoul | Reuters –– South Korea said Tuesday that foot-and-mouth had spread to a cattle farm in the country for the first time in more than three years, a blow to authorities battling to contain an outbreak of the disease. The outbreak was discovered around half a year ago on hog farms, intensifying fears about […] Read more