Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures tumbled on Thursday on expectations that rains forecast for dry crop-growing areas of South America may limit harvest losses, traders said. Weather forecasts show parched areas of Argentina, the world’s top exporter of processed soy and No. 2 producer of corn, may receive significant rainfall from
U.S. grains: Corn, soy sag on South America weather forecasts
Argentina rain outlook tempers crop fears
U.S. livestock: Hogs dip on concern over slower slaughter, heavier pigs
Feeder cattle up as feed grain prices drop
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Thursday amid concerns that a reduced pace of slaughtering is limiting demand for pigs that are growing heavier, analysts said. Slow slaughtering has weighed on hog and cattle futures because livestock back up on farms when they cannot be processed, traders said. Slaughtering
U.S. livestock: Hog slaughter hits five-month low on Omicron spread
CME hogs up, cattle down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose on bargain buying on Wednesday, traders said, though U.S. pig slaughtering sank to its lowest level since August as rising cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant hit meat plants. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures slumped as traders remain concerned that the highly contagious
U.S. grains: Wheat futures fall on bigger-than-expected plantings, stocks
Winter wheat plantings exceed analysts' expectations; USDA also cuts corn, soybean crop estimates in South America
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures extended losses on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected that domestic farmers planted more acres than traders anticipated. Larger-than-expected USDA estimates for wheat inventories added pressure on the market, analysts said, after supply concerns drove Chicago Board of Trade futures prices to nine-year highs in November.
U.S. meat plants relaxed some COVID-19 safety protocols after outbreaks
Unions say companies have quickly reverted and Omicron variant has raised dangers
Reuters – Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, last year assigned a team of dedicated employees to enforce social distancing and sanitize surfaces at a South Dakota slaughterhouse where COVID-19 infected nearly 1,300 workers, the president of the local labour union said. Now, that role no longer exists, the company confirmed. The plant gradually moved employees who
U.S. grains: Corn futures near six-month high
South America weather threats support U.S. soy, corn
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures neared a six-month high and soybean futures topped a four-month high on Thursday on concerns about unfavorable dryness and heat threatening South American crops, analysts said. Rain is not expected to bring much relief to southern Brazil, the world’s top soybean exporter, and Argentina in
U.S. livestock: CME hog futures touch four-week high
USDA reports see smaller hog herd, slightly fewer cattle on feed
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures touched a four-week high on Thursday before retreating and may rise further next week because of smaller-than-expected national inventory numbers, analysts said. The U.S. hog herd totaled 74.2 million head on Dec. 1, down four per cent from a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in
U.S. grains: Soy, corn futures extend rally
South American weather woes remain 'concerning'
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean and corn futures extended a rally to new multi-month peaks on Wednesday as dry weather in some South American growing belts stoked supply concerns. Wheat futures rose for a fifth straight session, tracking corn and soy while also drawing support from brisk global demand and Ukraine
U.S. livestock: CME hogs approach four-week high
Cattle futures also rise
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures jumped to their highest prices in about four weeks on Wednesday, while cattle futures also advanced. Futures could come under pressure early on Thursday from monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture data that showed frozen pork supplies on Nov. 30 were down eight per cent from the
U.S. livestock: CME hogs near one-month high on smaller herd estimates
Live cattle, feeder cattle also up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rallied on Tuesday amid expectations the U.S. Department of Agriculture will confirm a smaller pig herd in a report due out on Thursday, analysts said. USDA, in its quarterly Hogs and Pigs report, is expected to show the herd was about 2.9 per cent smaller on