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. meat plants relaxed some COVID-19 safety protocols after outbreaks
Unions say companies have quickly reverted and Omicron variant has raised dangers
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
U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans hit summertime-level highs
Dryness in Brazil and Argentina in view for soy and corn; investors show renewed appetite for risk, traders say
Chicago | Reuters — Unfavourable dryness in crop-growing areas of South America on Tuesday pushed Chicago Board of Trade corn futures to their highest price since July and soybeans to an August high, analysts said. Wheat futures also rallied. South American weather was in the spotlight amid concerns about dry weather in southern Brazil, the
U.S. EPA reviewing dicamba over crop damage claims
Chicago | Reuters –– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is assessing whether dicamba herbicide can be sprayed safely on soybean and cotton plants genetically engineered to resist the chemical, without the procedure posing “unreasonable risks” to other crops, an agency official said Tuesday. Farmers and scientists for years have reported problems with dicamba drifting away
U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hog futures sag as broad selling hits markets
Crude, U.S. equities caught in sell-off
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures slumped on Monday as traders reduced risk in the face of rising coronavirus cases, brokers said. Selling hit a range of markets including crude oil, which lost more than three per cent, and U.S. stocks. “The risk-off trade is back today,” said Dan Norcini, an independent
U.S. grains: Winter wheat futures rise on demand, crop woes
CBOT soybeans up, corn down
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. winter wheat futures rose on Monday on global demand and concerns about poor crop weather in America’s Plains region, while concerns about unfavourable dryness in parts of South America helped lift U.S. soy futures, analysts said. Traders focused on weather conditions after crop observers in Kansas said hurricane-force winds that
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