Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures scaled to their highest in a year on Friday as soggy U.S. Midwest field conditions and forecasts for unrelenting rain across the region heightened concerns that farmers may be unable to plant a sizable portion of the crop. Soybeans followed corn higher, also supported by worries about planting […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn climbs to one-year high as rains stall planting
USDA announces more farm aid to offset trade war losses
Washington | Reuters –– The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a US$16 billion farm aid package to offset losses from a 10-month trade war with China and said payment rates to farmers would be determined by where they farm rather than what crops they grow. The package, the bulk of which will be spent on […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn sinks as trade aid seen encouraging planting
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures dropped for the first time in nine sessions on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled a farm aid package that could encourage farmers to plant more corn despite adverse weather this spring. Soybeans and wheat also declined as the USDA announced a $14.5 billion direct […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans rebound in technical bounce, trade aid details awaited
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rebounded on Wednesday in a technical correction from the prior session’s drop as the market awaited details of a Trump administration farm aid package that could encourage farmers to plant more soybeans. Corn ended firm, although spillover support from higher soy and worries over rain-delayed U.S. planting were […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn touches one-year high on slow U.S. planting
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures climbed for a seventh session to their highest in a year on Tuesday as rainy weather and soggy fields across the U.S. corn belt stalled spring planting. Wheat also advanced on worries about winter crop damage due to heavy rains and flooding in the southern U.S. Plains. Soybeans […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn nears one-year peak as rains stall planting
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures climbed for a sixth straight session on Monday and touched their highest level in nearly a year as rainy Midwest weather and waterlogged fields stoked concerns about reduced plantings and lower yields for the crop. Wheat jumped to a three-month high on delayed spring wheat planting in the […] Read more
New federal standard to expand beer ingredient options
More variety in allowable ingredients and more requirements for declarations are now part of the federal rules on what can be called beer in Canada. The federal government on May 1 announced “modernized” beer standards under Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) — the rules laying out the requirements to be met by a product […] Read more
Canada vows ‘full steam ahead’ on ratifying trade pact
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada will move quickly to ratify the new North American trade pact, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Saturday, a day after the United States agreed to lift tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. U.S. President Donald Trump had imposed the global “Section 232” tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn extends rally, wheat touches six-week high
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures extended their rally on Friday, jumping to a four-month high, as forecasts of heavy rain sweeping a wide path across the U.S. Midwest next week fuelled concerns about worsening planting delays. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) corn prices rose for the fifth session, trading through its 100-day moving […] Read more
U.S. boosts trade pact’s outlook lifting tariffs on Canadian, Mexican metals
Washington/Ottawa | Reuters — The United States struck deals on Friday to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico, the three governments said, removing a major obstacle to legislative approval of a new North American trade pact. The separate agreements, which will not impose U.S. quotas on Canadian and Mexican metals […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
