USDA favours corn with 2012 crop insurance price guarantees

Chicago / Reuters / Crop insurance price guarantees for 2012 should encourage U.S. farmers to plant corn over soybeans, according to analysts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture set the guarantees, which act as the floor price for crop insurance policies, at $5.68 per bushel for corn and $12.55 a bushel for soybeans across most of

Which wheat market best?

The end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk Aug. 1, 2012, will create an increased need for a viable futures market to manage risk and aid in price discovery, said representatives of the Chicago Board of Trade, Minneapolis Grain Exchange, and ICE Futures Canada as they highlighted the benefits of using their respective contracts



Crop problems lead to options bets on $7-$8 corn

For the past month, investors who foresee a potential shortfall in U.S. corn production at a time of brisk demand have placed low-risk bets that new-crop prices will surge 25 to 45 per cent by the end of this year. They’re banking on corn to surge back to the $7- or even $8-per-bushel mark after


China eyes even more U.S. soy

China, the world’s biggest food shopper, is likely to buy more U.S. soybeans this quarter, as a withering drought is expected to cut the South American harvest, pushing soy prices up to fresh highs. Benchmark Chicago soy has risen for three weeks on the relentless Southern Hemisphere summer, and analysts say prices could head higher,

Forecast calls for record canola acres, output

Canola futures on the ICE Futures Canada trading platform were mixed during the week ended Jan. 20, with the nearby months seeing small gains while the deferred values were slightly weaker. A continued strong export lineup at Canada’s West Coast, along with strong domestic demand from the processing sector, helped to generate some of the


South American weather shakes up corn, soybeans

Canola futures on the ICE Futures Canada trading platform managed to trend upward over the holiday period ended Jan. 6. Steady demand from the commercial sector provided some of the strength with weather issues in the oilseed-growing areas of South America contributing to the upward momentum. Fresh export business with China further underpinned canola values.

Modest hog herd expansion boosts futures

The U.S. hog supply increased at a modest rate this fall, with the litter size hitting a record high, the latest USDA quarterly report shows. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dec. 23 quarterly hogs and pig report showed that an average of 10.02 pigs survived to maturity in the September-November period, up from 9.9 last


Modest hog herd expansion boosts futures

The U.S. hog supply increased at a modest rate this fall, with the litter size hitting a record high, the latest USDA quarterly report shows. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dec. 23 quarterly hogs and pig report showed that an average of 10.02 pigs survived to maturity in the September-November period, up from 9.9 last

Chicago Soybeans Put Pressure On Winnipeg Canola

column Canola futures on the ICE Futures Canada trading platform lost ground during the week ended Nov. 11. Much of the price weakness was associated with the downward price action experienced in the CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) soybean complex and with the unsettled ongoing macroeconomic picture. Keeping a firm floor under canola was steady