Reuters – Chinese soybean crushers have slowed bean purchases for deliveries through August as poor margins curbed appetite, traders and analysts said. Reduced demand in the world’s top soybean buyer could cut China’s appetite for bean imports, already forecast to drop in 2021-22 by nearly 10 per cent from a year ago due to poor livestock production margins
Chinese soybean crushers slow bean buying on poor margins
USDA forecasts lower exports to China
Drop in global output of bread-making wheat sparks hunt for supplies
From drought to too much rain, top-quality wheat supplies are under pressure
Reuters – A leading Middle Eastern flour miller paid over US$23 million in October for a high-grade Australian wheat cargo and is willing to pay 10 per cent more now for a similar consignment, but is unable to seal a deal as exporters can’t find enough food-grade grain. The miller is one of dozens of global importers
Mozart and mood lighting, a healthy prescription for chickens?
Combined with probiotics, it all adds up to a reduced need for drugs
In barns filled with classical music and lighting that changes to match the hues outside, rows of chickens are fed a diet rich in probiotics, a regimen designed to remove the need for the drugs and chemicals that have tainted the global food chain. As food giants face growing pressure to offer healthier produce, Southeast
Oilseed glut should reignite global demand
Analysis: There are abundant world stocks of major oilseeds, but demand is expected to continue to increase
Production of the world’s top oilseeds will exceed demand by the largest margin ever in 2014-15, helping to push year-end stocks above 100 million tonnes for the first time. The glut of major oilseeds has already driven prices to multi-year lows. It is widely expected to pressure prices for most of 2015. This steep increase
Grain ‘trade’ at risk of low-balling U.S. soybean yields: Maguire
Chicago / Reuters – At 47.1 bushels an acre, last month’s soybean yield estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was a new all-time high. And the average trader estimate for the USDA’s November projection is higher still, at 47.608 bushels. Even so, the long-term relationship between corn and soybeans suggests current soybean yields remain relatively
Put buyers bet CBOT wheat’s strength won’t last
Reuters — Chicago wheat prices may have rallied more than 10 per cent since October 1, but judging by a jump in bearish put option positions tied to the March delivery slot, they are likely to turn lower going into the New Year. More than 3,600 put options were bought at the $4.80, $4.90 and
Options suggest soymeal tumble postponed till Jan.
Reuters — Soymeal traders have been bracing for a steep decline in U.S. meal prices for the past several months as a record-large soybean crop was planted and grown. Indeed, traders racked up large positions in bearish put options tied to December soymeal futures throughout last summer, indicating widespread expectations that U.S. meal prices would
New EPA biofuel targets dent corn’s demand prospects
At the very least, lower usage targets for both ethanol and other biofuels are expected to reduce interest in expanding production in the sector
Many corn traders tried to shrug off the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to trim the U.S. renewable fuels usage targets for 2014 and 2015, noting that U.S. ethanol production is driven more by operating margins than government-mandated blending requirements and is likely to remain high as long as ethanol makers can make profits. ButChina could return to corn imports
They may have slowed their purchasing pace lately as agronomists and trade officials awaited greater clarity on domestic and U.S. production potential, but Chinese corn importers may soon be forced to resume buying activity after the spread between key interior prices and U.S. export corn has widened sharply recently. Questions over domestic production potential coupled
Analysis: Spring/HRW wheat spread playing tricks on wheat traders
Minneapolis spring wheat was supposed to have regained a premium over Kansas City hard red winter wheat by now, after having slipped to a rare discount to its lesser-grade cousin at the end of September. But instead spring wheat’s discount to HRW has widened even further, flying in the face of expectations that the end
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