Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn, soybean and wheat futures fell on Monday, with investors shedding risky assets amid fears the coronavirus outbreak in China could dent the global economy, traders said. “The same thing happened with the SARS outbreak, which ended up costing the global economy $40 billion in 2002-03,” Craig Turner, senior commodities […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat fall on coronavirus fears
Younger aggies sought for new Canada-wide council
Twentysomethings and 18- and 19-year-olds who are working in Canadian agriculture and agri-food and “interested in shaping the future of the sector” are being sought for a new federal ag policy advisory council. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Friday launched the application process for membership in a new Canadian Agricultural Youth Council, setting the […] Read more
Canada, EU, China, others agree on temporary fix to WTO crisis
Brussels/Davos | Reuters — Canada, the European Union, China and 14 other World Trade Organization members agreed on Friday to create a temporary mechanism to settle trade disputes after U.S. action rendered the WTO incapable last month of acting as the umpire of global trade. The Canadian government and the European Commission said separately that […] Read more
Roundup cancer trial postponed to continue settlement talks
Reuters — Bayer AG said on Friday it has reached an agreement with plaintiffs’ lawyers to postpone a Missouri jury trial over allegations its herbicide Roundup causes cancer, to provide room for negotiations to settle the litigation. “While Bayer is constructively engaged in the mediation process, there is no comprehensive agreement at this time. There […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans hit six-week low as China virus sparks selling
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures sank to their lowest level in more than six weeks on Friday as fears over the coronavirus spreading from China triggered broad-based selling. Corn and wheat futures also weakened as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a second U.S. case of the new virus in […] Read more
AAFC forecasts more wheat, less canola seeded in spring
MarketsFarm — Canada’s farmers will seed more wheat and less canola in the 2020 growing season, according to the first supply/demand estimates for the 2020-21 marketing year, released Thursday by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Total seeded wheat area is forecast to rise to 25.77 million acres, from 25.02 million the previous year. Production is forecast […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Temperatures rise, Prairie bids cool down
MarketsFarm — Feed grain bids in southern Alberta are cooling down as temperatures warm up after a bitter cold spell earlier in the month. After dealing with temperatures in the -20 C to -34 C range over much of the week ended Jan. 17, conditions in the key Lethbridge feeding area have flipped the other […] Read more
Favourable growing conditions forecast for major ag regions
MarketsFarm — Canadian producers looking for challenging growing conditions elsewhere in the world to prop up commodity prices may be disappointed during the 2020 growing season. South America “If you’re looking for any help from South America for your canola or soybeans or corn, you’d better look somewhere else,” Drew Lerner, president of World Weather […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn futures hit three-month high on export demand
Profit-taking sparks pullback in CBOT wheat
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures topped a three-month high on Thursday on improved export demand, while wheat futures traded near a 1-1/2 year high reached a session earlier. Soybeans eased to a one-month low as traders awaited signs of Chinese purchases of U.S. crops in the wake of last week’s initial trade agreement […] Read more
Zimbabwe says grain stocks running out after drought
Harare | Reuters — Zimbabwe has only 100,000 tonnes of grain in its strategic reserves, enough to last just over a month, as the southern African nation suffers the effects of a severe drought, according to the agriculture minister. More than half the country’s population faces food shortages after maize harvests halved last year. The […] Read more
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