Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rallied to new contract highs in deferred months on Wednesday on projections that China will accelerate pork imports in the last half of the year, following an outbreak of an incurable swine disease. China is expected to import more pork to fill a hole in protein supplies left […] Read more

Alberta’s incumbent agriculture minister was among the casualties as Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party defeated Rachel Notley’s New Democrats in Tuesday night’s provincial election. Oneil Carlier, the provincial NDP government’s minister of agriculture and forestry since May 2015 and deputy government house leader since February 2016, was unseated in his riding of Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland […] Read more

Prairie grain handler and processor Parrish and Heimbecker plans to become the single biggest user of Ontario-grown wheat with a major expansion of its newest flour mill. The privately-held Winnipeg company on Tuesday announced expansion work is now underway on both its mill and adjacent Lake Ontario harbour terminal at Hamilton. Few details were available […] Read more

MarketsFarm — Depending on whom one has spoken with, there are differing views as to grain exports to China other than canola. The federal government has stated there have been no export issues outside of canola. “The current actions taken by China are limited to canola seed, and we have not received any indication of […] Read more

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures slumped on Tuesday with strong crop ratings and increased forecasts for global harvests pushing Chicago Board of Trade wheat to a one-month low. Wheat prices came under pressure after the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a weekly report issued late on Monday, rated 60 per cent […] Read more

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures closed mixed on Tuesday as front-month contracts stumbled in a setback from recent gains, while deferred contracts rose on expectations for increased demand from China due to an outbreak of a fatal hog disease. Gains in the market have been fueled by worries about an epidemic of African […] Read more

Reuters — China would likely lift a ban on U.S. poultry as part of a trade deal and may buy more pork to meet a growing supply deficit, but it is not willing to allow a prohibited growth drug used in roughly half the U.S. hog herd, two sources with knowledge of the negotiations said. […] Read more

MarketsFarm — Monsoon rains in India are expected to be near normal in 2019, according to the first long-range forecast of the year from the India Meteorological Department. The southwest monsoon typically runs from June through September. It provides crucial moisture for the country’s agriculture sector, as it accounts for roughly 70 per cent of […] Read more