Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Monday as expectations for unfavourably hot, dry weather increased concerns over the crops, after the federal government said last week that U.S. farmers planted fewer acres than expected. Soybeans touched a four-month high and corn traded near last week’s 3-1/2-month peak as the markets
U.S. grains: Soybeans hit four-month high on hot, dry weather
CBOT corn futures near 3-1/2-month peak
U.S. senators question packers over exports to China during pandemic
USDA shows record pork exports to China in April, raising questions about rising U.S. meat prices
Chicago | Reuters — Two prominent U.S. Senate Democrats are pressing America’s top meatpackers to disclose by month’s end how much pork, beef and chicken they shipped to China during the coronavirus outbreak while warning of possible meat shortages at home. The request from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker increases scrutiny of companies such
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures, beef prices decline
Lean hogs up amid technical buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell Thursday as boxed beef prices tumbled under pressure from rising production. Beef output has increased as meat companies increase slaughtering after temporarily closing processing plants in April and May because of outbreaks of the COVID-19 coronavirus among workers. Processors killed an estimated 120,000 cattle on Thursday,
U.S. meatpacking workers often absent after plants ordered to reopen
"There's still so many risks"
Chicago/Washington | Reuters — Smithfield Foods is missing about a third of its employees at a South Dakota pork plant because they are quarantined or afraid to return to work after a severe coronavirus outbreak, according to the workers’ union. Tyson Foods was forced to briefly close its Storm Lake, Iowa plant — a month
Coolant shortage a side-effect of coronavirus
Fuel demand crash shuts U.S. ethanol plants, so meat packers lack refrigerant
Reuters – Meat packers are being hit with an unexpected side-effect of coronavirus dampening fuel demand. A slew of U.S. ethanol plants have shut down, and meat packers have been hit by a worrying side-effect: less carbon dioxide is now available to chill beef, poultry and pork. “We’re headed for a train wreck in terms of the CO2
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures touch one-month low
Improving production pressures hog futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures dropped to their lowest price in more than a month on Friday, weighed down by expectations for increasing meat production. Beef output has improved as slaughterhouses have resumed operations after closing temporarily in April and May due to outbreaks of the new coronavirus among plant workers. The
Coronavirus threatens Chicago’s last remaining trading pits
Grain options pits remain closed, for now
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago brokers and traders worry COVID-19 will kill more of the city’s once famous shout-and-gesture trading pits. CME Group, which owns the Chicago Board of Trade, said this week that most of the pits it closed in March because of the pandemic will remain shuttered indefinitely. The news disappointed some brokers
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures down on large supplies
CME August cattle also close lower
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures extended a decline on Thursday under pressure from large supplies and rebounding pork production, analysts said. Traders expect meat packers to have ample hogs to slaughter after livestock backed up on farms when processing plants temporarily closed in April and May because of COVID-19 outbreaks among meatpacking
U.S. livestock: Hogs weaken on expectations for abundant supplies
Cattle futures seen as rangebound
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Wednesday on expectations for abundant pork supplies as meat processors work their way through pigs that backed up on farms when slaughterhouses shut due to the coronavirus pandemic. Traders expect meat packers to start eating into the backlog of hogs within the next two weeks
U.S. livestock: Live cattle set one-week highs in rebound
Chicago lean hogs close lower
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose on Tuesday, reaching one-week highs in a rebound from losses last week, as traders noted that meat companies have been slaughtering more livestock. The number of livestock being killed each day has recovered from April and May, when processors temporarily shut slaughterhouses due to massive outbreaks
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
