Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures approached a two-month high on Tuesday as fears of Russian military action in Ukraine made traders nervous about a potential disruption to supplies from the Black Sea exporters. Tensions remained high after NATO said on Monday it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing Eastern […] Read more

U.S. grains: CBOT wheat nears two-month peak on Ukraine crisis
Corn hits June high

U.S. livestock: CME cattle sink to November lows
Lean hogs set contract high
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures tumbled on Monday as investors reduced risk and after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week confirmed producers placed more animals into feedlots in December, analysts said. USDA said cattle producers placed 1.96 million head in feedlots last month, up six per cent from a […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat futures rise on fears over Russia-Ukraine conflict
CBOT corn reaches seven-month high; South America rains weigh on soy futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures advanced on Monday amid fears that Russia may invade Ukraine and disrupt grain shipments from the region, a major global supplier, traders said. Corn futures also strengthened and set a seven-month high, while soybean futures weakened. Grain traders kept their attention on Russia because it is the world’s […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy eases on outlook for rain on South American crops
Corn inches higher; CBOT wheat touches one-week low
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures slumped on Friday to their lowest price in more than a week under continued pressure from forecasts for rain in dry South American growing areas, analysts said. Soybean futures have retreated about three per cent since reaching July highs a week ago on concerns about […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rebound, slaughter pace still weak
CME February live cattle up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures bounced back on Friday, though analysts said U.S. staffing shortages caused by COVID-19 infections continued to limit meat production. Most actively traded February lean hogs touched a one-week high and ended 3.05 cents stronger at 80.9 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract recovered after falling […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy sag on South America weather forecasts
Argentina rain outlook tempers crop fears
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures tumbled on Thursday on expectations that rains forecast for dry crop-growing areas of South America may limit harvest losses, traders said. Weather forecasts show parched areas of Argentina, the world’s top exporter of processed soy and No. 2 producer of corn, may receive significant rainfall from […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs dip on concern over slower slaughter, heavier pigs
Feeder cattle up as feed grain prices drop
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Thursday amid concerns that a reduced pace of slaughtering is limiting demand for pigs that are growing heavier, analysts said. Slow slaughtering has weighed on hog and cattle futures because livestock back up on farms when they cannot be processed, traders said. Slaughtering […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog slaughter hits five-month low on Omicron spread
CME hogs up, cattle down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose on bargain buying on Wednesday, traders said, though U.S. pig slaughtering sank to its lowest level since August as rising cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant hit meat plants. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures slumped as traders remain concerned that the highly contagious […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat futures fall on bigger-than-expected plantings, stocks
Winter wheat plantings exceed analysts' expectations; USDA also cuts corn, soybean crop estimates in South America
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures extended losses on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected that domestic farmers planted more acres than traders anticipated. Larger-than-expected USDA estimates for wheat inventories added pressure on the market, analysts said, after supply concerns drove Chicago Board of Trade futures prices to nine-year highs in November. […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn futures near six-month high
South America weather threats support U.S. soy, corn
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures neared a six-month high and soybean futures topped a four-month high on Thursday on concerns about unfavorable dryness and heat threatening South American crops, analysts said. Rain is not expected to bring much relief to southern Brazil, the world’s top soybean exporter, and Argentina in […] Read more