File photo of fresh palm fruits and palm oil. (Slpu9945/iStock/Getty Images)

USDA’s Indonesia desk predicts increased palm oil production

An El Nino event could weigh on that outlook

MarketsFarm — Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, is forecast to see a three per cent rise in production in 2023-24, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service post in Jakarta. The country’s USDA post anticipates 46 million tonnes of palm oil production, which would be up from 44.7 during

Chickpeas. (Grigorenko/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Pulse weekly outlook: Steady world trade expected in 2023

IGC sees firmer demand for dry peas in particular

MarketsFarm — World trade in chickpeas and lentils is expected to remain relatively steady in 2023, with solid demand from South Asia underpinning markets, according to the latest outlook from the International Grains Council. The IGC sees the world trade in chickpeas in 2023 at about 1.9 million tonnes, which would be unchanged from 2022,


CBOT May 2023 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago soy closes lower

Brazil production, Fed in focus for soy; wheat, corn still capped by Black Sea deal extension

Reuters — Chicago soy futures reversed gains to close lower on Tuesday, pushed down by rising estimates of Brazilian production, while corn and wheat dipped as markets kept a cautious eye on an expected Federal Reserve rate hike. Wheat and corn continue to be capped by the extension of a Black Sea export corridor from

CME April 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs hit contract lows on follow-through selling

Cattle futures edge upward

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures dropped to contract lows on Tuesday on follow-through and technical selling after recent slides, traders said. Front-month April lean hogs settled down 0.725 cent at 77.05 cents/lb. after hitting a contract low at 77 cents (all figures US$). The contract has lost 12 per cent


CME June 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: June live cattle, hogs continue lower

Feeder cattle also down on day

Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s most-active June live cattle and lean hog contracts continued on a downward track in Monday’s trade. June live cattle closed Monday at $155.525, beneath the lower end of its 20-day Bollinger range and down 87.5 cents from Friday’s close (all figures US$ per hundredweight). Front-month April, meanwhile, opened near its 50-day moving

CBOT May 2023 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy closes higher on rising crude oil, stocks values

Ukraine Black Sea grain deal extended for at least 60 days

Mexico City | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soy futures rallied from a three-month low to close higher on Monday, catching a tailwind from U.S. stocks reassured by the announcement that UBS agreed to buy battered rival Credit Suisse, analysts said. Gains in oil prices also pushed up soybeans, which are used in ethanol


Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the UN and Turkey, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus at Istanbul on Dec. 11, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Yoruk Isik)

Ukraine Black Sea grain deal extended for at least 60 days

UN, Turkey not yet specifying extension's duration

Ankara/United Nations | Reuters — A deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain was renewed on Saturday for at least 60 days — half the intended period — after Russia warned any further extension beyond mid-May would depend on the removal of some Western sanctions. The pact was brokered with Russia and



CME April 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Nearby CME lean hogs recover slightly from slide

April cattle futures lower; U.S. cattle on feed in line with expectations

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended slightly higher in the nearby contract on Friday in a rebound from steep declines this week, though deferred contracts extended losses, traders said. Lower cutout values continue to hang over the futures market, along with broader pressure from market turmoil in the banking sector,

CME June 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down on disease chatter

Chicago cattle futures close higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures sank by the maximum daily trading limit on Thursday on rumours about a potential outbreak of a fatal pig disease which the U.S. government later said were untrue. Unsubstantiated chatter about a U.S. case of African swine fever swirled in the market, but the U.S.