Cairo | Reuters — Egypt’s top administrative court has ruled that the country should accept wheat with marginal levels of the common grain fungus ergot, a local newspapers said on Sunday, freezing a lower court order to ban the fungus entirely which had vexed traders. Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, baffled grain markets when […] Read more
Top court in Egypt permits wheat with trace ergot
Freeland to visit Washington this week for NAFTA talks
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland will visit Washington this week in another bid to help unblock talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement, a spokesman said on Monday. Freeland will be in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, said spokesman Adam Austen. The U.S., Mexico and Canada are struggling to […] Read more
U.S. alarmed by strike on ship delivering wheat to Yemen
Washington | Reuters — The United States said on Friday it was “alarmed” by a Houthi missile strike on a Turkish vessel carrying wheat to Yemen this month and urged the Shi’ite group to work with the United Nations to alleviate Yemenis’ suffering. The Turkish-flagged Ince Inebolu bulk carrier was damaged by an explosion on […] Read more
OIE declares Brazil free of foot-and-mouth, with vaccination
Paris | Reuters — The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) declared Brazil free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) with vaccination on Thursday, opening new export prospects for the world’s largest beef exporter. The OIE already considered most of Brazil to be free of FMD with vaccination. The declaration, which the government had been expecting since […] Read more
CME amends feeder cattle futures, options rules
Chicago | Reuters — The Chicago Mercantile Exchange will amend the feeder cattle futures contract rule to include cattle identified in the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports as fancy, thin, fleshy, gaunt or full in the calculation of CME’s feeder cattle index price, the exchange said in a release Tuesday. The amendment change will be […] Read more
JBS beats estimates, refinances bank debt
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s JBS SA, the world’s largest meatpacking company, beat analysts’ estimates for the first quarter and closed a deal to refinance the bulk of its bank debt on Monday. JBS’ net income for the first quarter, 506 million reais (C$179.45 million), was 48 per cent above analysts’ estimates, with higher […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs slump amid fund roll, NAFTA worries
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures finished lower on Friday, hit by the “roll” by funds into deferred months and uneasiness over North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks, said traders. “NAFTA fears, Goldman roll and premiums to the cash prices. Everyone who bought futures this week decided to dump them […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Short-covering boosts CME live cattle
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Thursday after short-covering and fund buying reversed the previous session’s losses, said traders. In a trading strategy known as bull spreads, traders bought June and simultaneously sold deferred months, stirred by firmer wholesale beef values and future’s discount to expected cash prices […] Read more
El Nino pattern could emerge by 2018-19 winter
Reuters — The El Nino weather pattern, associated with warmer and wetter weather than usual that may give rise to damaging conditions, could emerge by the 2018-19 Northern Hemisphere winter, with neutral conditions expected to prevail through November this year, a U.S. government weather forecaster said on Thursday. The last El Nino, a warming of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle buckle under big supply worries
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle prices on Wednesday felt pressure from softer wholesale beef prices and concerns about a looming supply buildup, traders said. Future’s steep discount to this week’s expected prices for slaughter-ready, or cash, cattle limited June market losses, they said. June live cattle closed down 0.625 cent/lb. at […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
