Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 11, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

Farmers hit by trade disputes should be helped faster, Trudeau says

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s agriculture department should move more quickly to help farmers harmed by protectionist measures imposed by other nations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday. Canadian farmers are caught up in a trade and diplomatic dispute between Ottawa and Beijing. In a formal letter of instruction to Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Trudeau […] Read more

CBOT January 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: China trade news provides lift

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures touched a three-week high on Friday after Washington and Beijing announced a “phase one” trade deal, but the market pared gains amid uncertainty about the details of the pact, including the size of any potential Chinese agricultural purchases. As part of the agreement, Beijing committed to buy an […] Read more



Han Jun, China’s vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, attends a news conference on the state of trade negotiations with U.S. in Beijing on Dec. 13, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Jason Lee)

Chinese officials, Trump agree to tariff rollbacks

Beijing/Washington | Reuters — The United States and China cooled their trade war on Friday, announcing a “phase one” agreement that reduces some U.S. tariffs in exchange for increased Chinese purchases of U.S. farm goods. Chinese officials offered no specific details on the amount of U.S. agricultural goods Beijing had agreed to buy, a key […] Read more






CME February 2020 live cattle with 20-, 30- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise on technical buying

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures rose on Wednesday, rebounding from Tuesday’s downturn, while hog futures eased. Traders said that signs of strength in the cash market added support to the strength in both live and feeder cattle contracts. Technical buyers also helped pushed prices higher after early signs of strength. Chicago Mercantile Exchange […] Read more