Barley south of Ethelton, Sask. on July 30, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

China hits Australia with barley tariff

Duty to last for five years; China may turn to Canada, other exporters

Beijing/Sydney | Reuters — China added to tensions with Australia on Monday by announcing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties totalling 80.5 per cent on Australian barley imports from Tuesday (May 19), which is expected to all but halt a billion-dollar trade between them. China’s ministry of commerce said it had confirmed dumping by Australia and significant […] Read more

A file photo of cattle mustering in Australia’s Outback. (Hypedesk/iStock/Getty Images)

Australia requests China trade talks over beef, barley

Sydney | Reuters — Australia’s trade minister is seeking urgent talks with his Chinese counterpart after key agriculture exports were hit with suspensions and tariff threats, but said Australia will continue to push for an inquiry into the COVID-19 outbreak. Trade minister Simon Birmingham requested a telephone call with Chinese commerce minister Zhong Shan after […] Read more



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

U.S. grains: Soybeans tumble as China spat piles on demand worries

Grain markets hit by drop in demand for feed, biofuel

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean and corn futures slid on Monday as rising tensions between Washington and Beijing raised concern about further demand risk, on top of coronavirus disruptions to biofuel and livestock feed markets. Favourable crop weather also weighed on prices as planting advanced in the U.S. Midwest while rain across Europe looks […] Read more


CBOT July 2020 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans slide on renewed trade tensions with China

Corn, wheat also fall on heightened trade tensions

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures declined on Friday as renewed concern about trade tensions between the United States and China overshadowed fresh export sales to the world’s largest soybean consumer. Corn and wheat futures also fell on uncertain feed demand and good weather across much of the U.S. Midwest that signaled another strong […] Read more

(JBSs.infoinvest.com.br)

JBS sees steady trade flows but flags export woes

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, has said the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic could cause container shortages, port disruptions and other logistics issues, but said trade flows should stay strong thanks to Chinese demand. In a conference call to discuss earnings results on Thursday, JBS executives said its export operations had […] Read more


Chickpeas in India. (Nikhil Patil/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Conditions optimal for India’s winter crops

MarketsFarm — Cold weather in key growing regions of India could indicate high production levels for winter pulse crops. Heavy showers and colder temperatures in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh created “ideal conditions” for winter-sown pulses, according to India’s agriculture commissioner SK Malhotra. Malhotra explained that the output of the winter-grown pulse crops will likely […] Read more

The Chicago Board of Trade building on May 28, 2018. (Harmantasdc/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Commodities hold up while waiting on China

MarketsFarm — There’s no doubt commodities on the Chicago Board of Trade have struggled since the coronavirus outbreak in China, but the situation could be worse, a trader said. “I personally think the markets… are holding up pretty well with all of the negative news,” said Scott Capinegro of Barrington Commodities in Barrington, Ill. Some […] Read more