U.S. plans rule to protect livestock farmers from company retaliation

Reuters – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing regulations to prevent meat companies from retaliating against livestock and poultry farmers who speak out on practices such as price-fixing. The USDA also said it would work with state attorneys general to investigate anticompetitive practices in the agricultural sector that contribute to inflation. The moves aim

A farmer drives his tractor near cracked and dry earth at the Marais Breton in Villeneuve-en-Retz, as a historic drought hit France in August.

Droughts, Ukraine war push global grain stocks toward worrying decade low

Stocks will be lower than in 2012, the most recent year that saw food riots

Reuters – The world is heading toward the tightest grain inventories in years despite the resumption of exports from Ukraine, as the shipments are too few and harvests from other major crop producers are smaller than initially expected, according to grain supply and crop forecast data. Poor weather in key agricultural regions from the United


(Ozo Foods video screeengrab via YouTube)

Meatpacker JBS to close U.S. plant-based foods business

Chicago | Reuters — Brazilian meatpacker JBS is closing its U.S. plant-based foods business, Planterra Foods, after about two years, the company said on Monday. The closure signals increasing troubles in the plant-based protein sector, where U.S. sales are flattening. Colorado-based Planterra sold fake meat under the Ozo brand, but JBS will now focus on

CBOT December 2022 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with 20- and 50-day moving averages (green and black lines), MGEX December 2022 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. December 2022 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: CBOT wheat retreats after nearing three-month high

USDA reported lower-than-expected corn stocks Friday; soy harvest progress exceeds expectations

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures settled lower on profit-taking on Monday after approaching a three-month high reached during the previous session, traders said. The setback in wheat futures came after a reduced official estimate of the U.S. harvest and heightened tensions in the Ukraine war put renewed attention on global


CME December 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs up on technical buying, short-covering

Recession worries still loom large

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle, feeder cattle and lean hog futures strengthened on Monday on technical buying and short covering, after recent selloffs were overdone, brokers said. Concerns about the risks for a global recession, which could reduce demand for beef, continued to hang over livestock markets, brokers said. Wall Street



CBOT November 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybean futures slump on global demand concerns

Traders eye favourable U.S. harvest weather

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures stumbled on Friday as rising crop sales in Argentina and warnings of a recession raised concerns about global demand for U.S. supplies, analysts said. Corn futures ended little changed, while wheat futures advanced. Traders focused on demand for crops, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture

CME December 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs end firmer, live cattle stumble

Feeder cattle futures mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended higher on Friday as the market moved up toward cash prices, analysts said. October lean hogs closed 0.85 cent stronger at 96.9 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract earlier in the session rose to 96.925 cents, its highest price since Aug. 23. Most-active December