Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures settled mostly higher on Thursday as lower grain prices propped up feeder cattle futures, signaling cheaper feed costs, traders said. Benchmark CME October live cattle futures settled up 0.225 cent at 142.8 cents/lb., a day after dipping to a four-week low (all figures US$). CME […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up as corn prices sag
CME lean hogs end mixed

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy fall on economic concerns
U.S. Midwest's harvest nears
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell more than four per cent and corn and soybeans slipped on Thursday on mounting concerns about a global economic slowdown, analysts said, just as the Midwest crop harvest nears. Wall Street stocks came under pressure as data showing that U.S. manufacturing grew steadily in August rattled some […] Read more

Feed weekly outlook: Grain prices start moving upward
New-crop barley already en route to feedlots
MarketsFarm — Hot temperatures and a lack of precipitation in recent days are helping Alberta growers make significant progress, according to Lethbridge-based Market Place Commodities’ president Jim Beusekom. “In southern Alberta, (the harvest) is doing just fine,” he said. “We had some rain last week. Some (had) more, some less. Last week limited how much […] Read more

Canada, China agree to suspend WTO canola dispute
Lifting of canola ban renders case moot
Berlin | Reuters — Canada and China have agreed to suspend proceedings against Chinese measures affecting the importation of Canadian canola seed, according to a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint on Thursday. The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) panel suspended its work as of Tuesday, the complaint said. Work can be suspended at any time […] Read more

U.S. says no weekly agriculture export sales data until Sept. 15
Reuters — The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) on Wednesday said it would not publish weekly export sales data for crops such as corn, soybeans or wheat until Sept. 15 at the earliest, leaving grain traders in the dark about overseas demand. USDA is struggling to launch a new reporting system for the data, which has […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hog futures follow cash hogs lower
Live cattle down, feeder cattle mixed
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Wednesday on profit-taking after a two-session climb and pressure from softening cash hog prices, traders said. CME benchmark October lean hogs settled down 2.075 cents at 91.525 cents/lb. and December hogs ended down 1.625 cents at 83.875 cents/lb. The CME Lean Hog Index, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn dips but still posts monthly gain
CBOT soy lower, wheat up
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures declined for a second session on Wednesday on profit-taking at the end of the month and mounting recession worries, but the market nonetheless gained eight per cent during August due to eroding U.S. and European crop prospects. Soybean futures ended lower after a back-and-forth session. But wheat turned […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Crush margins guiding canola demand
MarketsFarm — Enormous canola crush margins will lead to increased demand for the Canadian oilseed, according to MarketsFarm’s director of markets and weather Bruce Burnett. As of Tuesday, the nearby November-October margins were estimated at $215.51 per tonne, while the same position for November-October 2023 now stands at $124.48/tonne. This time last year their margins […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Harvest, crop conditions pressuring prices
MarketsFarm — The Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour earlier this month brought attention to a potential reduction of corn yields in some areas of the U.S., causing a rally in prices. However, after crop conditions did not fall as expected, prices underwent a correction, according to one analyst. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in […] Read more

Produce prices spike in flood-hit Pakistan as food crisis looms
Flooding wrecks crops, hampers logistics
Lahore | Reuters — Vegetable and fruit prices have soared in markets across Pakistan as devastating rains ruin crops and disrupt supplies, an early sign of how the worst floods in decades are creating food shortages at a time of financial crisis. Pakistan’s 220 million people are already facing rampant inflation, with consumer prices up […] Read more