Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Wednesday on weaker wholesale pork prices, while cattle futures advanced on steady beef demand, traders said. The U.S. pork cutout, an indication of wholesale pork prices, fell by $4.31, to $84.52/cwt, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (all figures US$). Prices eased for pork […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs fall on declining wholesale pork prices
Steady beef demand lifts cattle futures
U.S. grains: Corn futures tread water as Midwest’s farmers assess storm damage
Analysts still expect large U.S. harvest
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures ended flat on Tuesday as traders and analysts predicted that farmers will harvest a large crop despite a damaging storm that tore across the U.S. Midwest on Monday. Soybean futures were steady, while wheat futures rose on technical buying. Farmers are assessing the damage to their corn from […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle jump to two-month high
Lean hogs up on bargain buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures on Monday reached a two-month high on follow-through buying from last week, while lean hog futures edged up on bargain buying, traders said. Cattle futures are extending a recovery after recently regaining a premium over cash prices, traders said. Technical buying helped support the futures market even […] Read more
U.S. senators question packers over exports to China during pandemic
USDA shows record pork exports to China in April, raising questions about rising U.S. meat prices
Chicago | Reuters — Two prominent U.S. Senate Democrats are pressing America’s top meatpackers to disclose by month’s end how much pork, beef and chicken they shipped to China during the coronavirus outbreak while warning of possible meat shortages at home. The request from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker increases scrutiny of companies such […] Read more
U.S. meatpacking workers often absent after plants ordered to reopen
"There's still so many risks"
Chicago/Washington | Reuters — Smithfield Foods is missing about a third of its employees at a South Dakota pork plant because they are quarantined or afraid to return to work after a severe coronavirus outbreak, according to the workers’ union. Tyson Foods was forced to briefly close its Storm Lake, Iowa plant — a month […] Read more
Piglets aborted, chickens gassed as pandemic slams meat sector
"We have to have less hogs somehow"
Chicago | Reuters — With the pandemic hobbling the meat-packing industry, Iowa farmer Al Van Beek had nowhere to ship his full-grown pigs to make room for the 7,500 piglets he expected from his breeding operation. The crisis forced a decision that still troubles him: He ordered his employees to give injections to the pregnant […] Read more
As meat demand rises, processors raise pay for farmers, workers
Chicago | Reuters –– North American meat processors said on Monday they would pay extra money to farmers and slaughterhouse workers as the companies scramble to meet surging demand from consumers unnerved by the spread of the new coronavirus. Companies such as Tyson Foods and Cargill want to ensure their slaughterhouses remain supplied with cattle […] Read more
CME to raise hog futures trading limits as swine fever fuels volatility
New daily limit of 3.75 U.S. cents proposed for mid-April
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group said Thursday it plans to increase daily trading limits for its lean hog futures in April, then adjust them annually because of heightened volatility linked to the outbreak of a fatal pig disease in China. The spread of African swine fever in China, the world’s biggest pork consumer, has […] Read more
Corteva to stop making Lorsban
Chicago | Reuters — Corteva will stop producing the agricultural pesticide chlorpyrifos by the end of the year, the company said on Thursday, removing the world’s largest manufacturer of a chemical that has been linked to low birth weight, reduced IQ and attention disorders in children. Corteva, spun off last year after a merger of […] Read more
U.S. EPA reaffirms glyphosate does not cause cancer
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it finished a regulatory review that found glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the United States, is not a carcinogen. The conclusion reaffirms the agency’s stance on glyphosate, the key ingredient in Bayer’s Roundup, despite judgments by U.S. juries that have found […] Read more