CME February 2023 lean hogs with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: February hogs fall on high supply, export demand concerns

Cattle futures up but seasonal pressures await

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange eased for a fifth consecutive session on Tuesday, pressured by a combination added seasonal supply and deflated demand as China faces protests over COVID-19 lockdowns. “This three-week period, we’re pushing a large supply of hogs through the system,” said Rich Nelson, chief strategist […] Read more



CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat inches higher on hopes China will ease COVID-19 measures

Corn slips on export demand concerns

Winnipeg | Reuters — Chicago wheat finished slightly higher on Tuesday after the previous day’s three-month low, as investors saw hope that China would ease measures to counter COVID-19 infections after rare protests in the country unsettled markets a day earlier. Soybeans also gained on optimism about China, but corn dipped over concerns about export […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market rations demand

Risk discount built in with adverse weather

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling prices were relatively unchanged while calf prices were steady to $6 lower. Demand from Ontario buyers caused markets in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan to hold value. Alberta prices were under pressure as the market appears to be rationing demand. Calf prices are 25-30 per cent higher than year-ago […] Read more


File photo of a BNSF grain train crossing the Gassman Coulee trestle near Minot, North Dakota. (Photo courtesy BNSF Railway)

Biden asks Congress to avert U.S. rail strike

U.S. president warns of dire economic impact

Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday called on Congress to intervene to avert a potential rail strike that could occur as early as Dec. 9, warning of a catastrophic economic impact if railroad service ground to a halt. Biden asked lawmakers to adopt the tentative deal announced in September “without any […] Read more

CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hog futures tumble on China demand worries

Cattle futures lower despite bullish fundamentals

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange fell more than four per cent on Monday, pressured by worries about Chinese demand for U.S. pork and expectations of a seasonal slide in wholesale ham prices, traders said. The CME February lean hogs contract settled down 3.75 cents at 84.75 cents/lb. after […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Fund position back to net short in canola

MGEX wheat also shifts to net short: CFTC

MarketsFarm — Heavy long-liquidation in ICE Futures canola saw the managed money speculative position flip back to a net short after a brief flirtation with a net long, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The weekly report was delayed one day due to last […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line), 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 tumbles to three-month low in broad sell-off

Soybeans rise on export sales, renewable fuel talk

Winnipeg | Reuters — Chicago wheat fell on Monday to a three-month low, as commodity and equity markets dropped on concern about the impact of rare protests in China against its strict anti-COVID-19 policy. Cheap supplies from Russia and elsewhere in the Black Sea are adding competition for U.S. wheat, and prices have slipped to […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Farm cash receipts on the rise, StatCan shows

MarketsFarm — Farm cash receipts improved 13.7 per cent during the first three quarters of 2022, Statistics Canada reported Monday. From January to September, those receipts reached $66.7 billion. That increase of more than $8 billion was due to higher receipts for crops, livestock and program payments. The report noted crop receipts rose 7.3 per […] Read more

File photo of a suspension footbridge in Thailand. (Tinnakorn Jorruang/iStock/Getty Images)

Canada to boost defence, cyber security in Indo-Pacific policy

New policy document puts focus on 'disruptive' China

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada launched its long-awaited Indo-Pacific strategy on Sunday, outlining $2.3 billion in spending to boost military and cyber security in the region and vowed to deal with a “disruptive” China while working with it on climate change and trade issues. The plan detailed in a 26-page document said Canada will tighten […] Read more