Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentina’s Rosario Grains exchange sharply cut its forecast for the 2022-23 soybean harvest to 37 million tonnes from a previous forecast of 49 million, it said on Wednesday, as the country faces its worst drought in 60 years. The exchange also slashed its 2022-23 corn harvest estimate to around 45 […] Read more

Worst drought in decades sees Argentina exchange slash soy, corn forecasts

ICE weekly outlook: Canola likely rangebound until spring
MarketsFarm — Unless something very dramatic were to happen in the coming weeks, canola futures on the ICE Futures platform will remain rangebound at least until spring, according to David Derwin, analyst with PI Financial in Winnipeg. “Canola has been very rangebound for the last six to seven months,” he said, noting downward fluctuations during […] Read more

U.S. grains: Futures firm ahead of USDA crop data
Wheat up on technicals, short covering; corn mixed, soybeans firm on Argentine drought concerns
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures firmed on Wednesday as a drop to 15-month lows in the previous session sparked technical buying and short covering, and as traders took positions ahead of key U.S. government crop reports, traders said. Corn was mixed and soybeans edged higher, underpinned by concerns about weather-reduced crops in South […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs drop as pork cutout sinks to near two-year low
Cattle futures also follow beef values lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Wednesday for the ninth time in 10 sessions as weak cash hog prices and lower pork values dragged the market to a fresh three-month low, traders said. Pork packer margins have eroded and the closely followed cash wholesale pork cutout value fell on […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Corn imports still weigh on domestic feed market
MarketsFarm — Ample corn imports from the U.S. continue to keep the western Canadian feed grain market under pressure, with barley bids in Lethbridge trending lower through the early days of 2023. “We started the year with cash barley trading at roughly $450 (per tonne) in Lethbridge, it’s since declined to roughly $435,” said Jim […] Read more

Flax Council of Canada seeks new chief
Wayne Thompson moving to WGRF
Canada’s national market development organization for flax and flax products is officially in the market for a chief executive. The Flax Council of Canada said Tuesday its search for a new president is underway, after Wayne Thompson announced in August he has left the position to become executive director of the Western Grains Research Foundation […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: New-crop green lentil bids in line with year ago
MarketsFarm — New-crop lentil bids are starting to become available in Western Canada, with early pricing indications for green lentils not that far off the levels seen at the same time a year ago. New-crop pricing for large green lentils delivered to the elevator in the fall of 2023 can currently be found in the […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs sink to three-month low on weak pork prices
Live cattle steady to higher
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Tuesday for the eighth time in nine sessions on concerns about pork demand and slumping pork prices, traders said. The actively traded February lean hog contract dropped to a three-month low as packer margins eroded and the pork cutout price slid to the […] Read more

Mintec acquires Agribriefing to expand agrifood data offering
Paris | Reuters — British market intelligence firm Mintec announced on Tuesday the acquisition of Agribriefing in a deal it said would create a leading global provider of data on agricultural and food markets. Financial details were not disclosed. Agribriefing’s businesses include protein price-reporting agency Urner Barry and crop consultancy Strategie Grains, the latter acquired […] Read more

Activist investor reported building stake in Bayer, seeking breakup
Bayer up for 'constructive dialogue'
Reuters — Activist investor Bluebell Capital Partners has built a stake in Bayer AG and is pushing for a breakup of the German pharmaceutical and agriculture company, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources. U.K.-based Bluebell is also seeking an overhaul of Bayer’s corporate governance, the report added. A Bayer spokesperson, who declined to comment on […] Read more