CME April 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures ease off contract highs

Chicago lean hog values retreat

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed lower on Wednesday as traders booked profits, one day after the benchmark April contract set a life-of-contract high and the U.S. Agriculture Department reported a three per cent year-on-year drop in the size of the U.S. cattle herd. CME April live cattle […] Read more

ICE March 2023 canola with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Choppy trading for canola, other oilseeds

Signals not pointing to course change for now

MarketsFarm — Expect canola and other oilseed markets to remain choppy for the time being, according to trader Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg. “All of the markets are very choppy and erratic. They’re very nervous markets,” Ball emphasized, noting war in Ukraine and drought in Argentina are having some of the biggest impacts […] Read more


(Pabradyphoto/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Weather outweighs U.S. Fed rate hike announcement

'People are returning to the Argentine situation'

MarketsFarm — Week-long rallies for grain futures on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) were disrupted by the U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest key interest rate announcement on Wednesday. The Fed revealed it is raising its key interest rate by 25 basis points in its ongoing fight against inflation. While the central bank acknowledged inflation is […] Read more

Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA’s logo on a tower in Jundiai, northwest of Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, on June 1, 2017. (File photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)

Beef consumption to rise in China, JBS predicts

China seen as more competitive in domestic chicken, pork markets

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Demand for beef in China is expected to rise as the country still has relatively low per capita consumption, Gilberto Tomazoni, chief executive of JBS SA, said on Wednesday during a business conference. He said Brazil and the U.S., where JBS has meat facilities, are well positioned to meet China’s […] Read more


CBOT March 2023 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy sags as Brazil’s harvest looms

Wheat mixed, corn ends firm

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell about one per cent on Wednesday as traders focused on the expanding harvest of a likely record-large soy crop in Brazil and positioned for the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates, analysts said. Wheat futures ended mixed, with the most-active March contract down on profit-taking, while […] Read more

Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Feeder market percolates higher amid finicky buyers

Ontario feedlots bring demand for West's calves

Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to $4 higher on average. Certain pockets in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan had steer calves up $4-$8 from week-ago levels. Alberta values were relatively unchanged from seven days earlier on all weight categories. Steady demand was noted from Ontario feedlots for calves while Alberta […] Read more


(Bayer.com)

Bayer under investor pressure to speed up CEO changeover

Drug and chem firm's stock in 'crisis of trust,' investor says

Frankfurt | Reuters — A top-10 shareholder in Bayer on Tuesday called on the group’s supervisory board to replace CEO Werner Baumann quickly, adding to investor pressure to restore trust and revive the German drugmaker’s sagging share price. Despite recent improvements in the company’s agriculture business and drug development prospects, Bayer shares have been weighed […] Read more

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Pulse weekly outlook: India looking for lentils, large Australian crop in play

India extends zero-rate tariff

MarketsFarm — An extension of zero-rate tariffs on lentils moving into India for another year should be a clear sign that the country is in the market for imports. However, Canadian lentil sales to India face stiff competition, with a large Australian crop likely to limit movement going forward. India announced at the end of […] Read more


CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-day moving average, MGEX March 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. March 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat futures firm; technical resistance weighs

Chicago soybeans up, corn down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures gained on Tuesday as traders eye winter wheat conditions across the U.S. Plains amid a second frigid cold snap this season, though futures struggled against technical resistance. Soybeans futures ended up, though prices were pressured by a correction in the soymeal charts, traders said. Corn futures ended lower, […] Read more

CME April 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: April live cattle down slightly

U.S. cattle inventory report shows steep decline; lean hogs also lower

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures climbed to new contract highs early in the session before settling slightly lower on Tuesday, as traders assessed U.S. cattle inventory levels ahead of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s biannual report. After the market closed, USDA reported that the U.S. beef cow herd dropped to 28.9 million head, […] Read more