Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Tuesday as supplies tighten, with beef packer margins falling into the negative for the first time in years, traders said. Beef packers lost $14.35 per head on Tuesday, compared to earnings of $1.60 a day earlier and $18.40 the week before, according to […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle firm as packer margins turn negative
Lean hog futures settle lower
U.S. livestock: Hog futures mixed; cattle futures steady-weak
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended mixed on Friday as traders waited for fresh news to gauge demand levels. The most-active CME December lean hog futures contract LHZ2 dropped 0.625 cent to 77.15 cents per lb, with support noted around the contract’s 10-day moving average. Front-month October hogs LHV2 rose 0.575 cents to settle […] Read more
U.S. grains: U.S. soybean, corn, wheat futures bounce after sell-off
Chicago | Reuters – U.S. soybean futures rose on Friday, with bargain buying in focus after prices fell to their lowest since late July a day earlier, traders said. Corn futures also ended firm after posting sharp declines on Thursday. All three commodities traded in both positive and negative territory, with concerns about tightening world supplies providing […] Read more
Weekly Canadian canola exports climb higher
MarketsFarm – An influx of freshly harvested supplies saw weekly Canadian canola exports hit their highest level in nearly two years at the end of September 2022, according to the latest Canadian Grain Commission report. The 300,500 tonnes of canola exported during the week ended Oct. 2 marked the first time exports topped 300,000 tonnes […] Read more
Alberta harvest on the verge of completion
MarketsFarm – Combining in Alberta is almost finished with the latest crop report indicating it’s at 96.3 per cent complete. The province’s Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development (AFRED) department noted that as of Oct. 4, the harvesting of all crops advanced nine points from the previous week due to dry weather. Of the 11 […] Read more
Farmland prices remain buoyant in the face of interest rate hikes
Despite significant interest rate hikes, Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is reporting continued increases in farmland values across Canada. According to the FCC report, Manitoba’s average farmland values increased by 6 per cent in the first six months of 2022. Alberta values were just behind that at 5.9 per cent and Saskatchewan was just above the […] Read more
Biden overhauling U.S. marijuana policy
Prior federal offenses to be pardoned; moves could ease U.S. business for cannabis firms
Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden took steps to overhaul U.S. policy on marijuana on Thursday by pardoning thousands of people with federal offenses for simple marijuana possession — and initiating a review of how the drug is classified. Biden said thousands of people with prior federal convictions could be denied employment, housing […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, wheat, corn fall as export concerns rise
Low depths on Mississippi hinder export traffic
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures fell to a 2-1/2 month low on Thursday, under pressure from the ongoing U.S. harvest and signs of weak overseas demand, traders said. Poor export demand also weighed on the corn and wheat markets as investors remained wary of an economic downturn. “The grain and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures firm on technical buying
Cattle futures close mostly lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures firmed for the second day in a row on Thursday, with technical buying supporting prices following the market’s bounce from a 10-month low on Wednesday, traders said. CME December lean hog futures settled up 1.275 cents at 77.775 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Front-month October hogs […] Read more
Thanksgiving in a time of bird flu
North America's poultry sector is embroiled in a fall surge of avian influenza, even as turkey demand hits one of its annual peaks
It’s the final stretch until Thanksgiving, but anyone hoping to bring their raw bird over the border may be disappointed. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public that raw poultry, including turkey, from restricted areas of the U.S. will not be allowed past the international border due to the ongoing fight with […] Read more