Paris | Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Co., one of the world’s biggest agricultural commodities houses, may consider selling a stake to a regional player to support its development although there are no specific plans to do so, the company said Friday. Agricultural commodities traders have been grappling with lower profits from sourcing and shipping commodities […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus could consider selling stake to regional player
U.S. grains: Soy down fourth straight week on export worries, big supplies
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures eased on Friday for a sixth consecutive session, posting a fourth straight weekly drop as rain-delayed U.S. corn planting may fuel a shift to more soybean acres despite sluggish export demand from top importer China. Corn edged upward for a seventh straight day and notched its first weekly […] Read more
Climate change has U.S. fund managers adjusting agriculture investments
New York | Reuters — After historic floods devastated Midwestern agricultural states this spring, some fund managers are evaluating how climate change will affect the long-term value of companies that make or sell products ranging from tractors to fertilizer. The issue is not simply the unpredictability of weather. Instead, fund managers say, they are struggling […] Read more
Wet weather continues to delay spring seeding
Ontario Field Crop Report for the week of April 29
The past two weeks have been wet with very little getting done in the fields. Growers in the region are waiting for the weather to break and fields to dry out enough to carry equipment. While it is wet, there is very little flooding or standing water in the region. Regular, significant rainfall events keep […] Read more
U.S. grains: Weak export data drags soybeans to new lows
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures posted contract lows for a fourth straight session on Thursday after weak U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) export sales data and amid ongoing concerns that rain-delayed corn sowing would increase soy plantings. Corn was mixed as spillover pressure from lower soybeans offset support stemming from concerns about delayed […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Prices steady ahead of seeding
MarketsFarm — Feed grain prices have firmed up ahead of seeding, and producers are quick to make room in feed bins ahead of seeding. “New-crop price is significantly lower than old-crop, so at some point they’re going to converge,” said Allen Pirness, senior trader with Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. Statistics Canada’s crop intentions report, […] Read more
Glyphosate not a carcinogen, U.S. EPA reiterates
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Tuesday that glyphosate, a chemical in many popular weed killers, is not a carcinogen, contradicting decisions by U.S. juries that found it caused cancer in people. The EPA’s announcement reaffirms its earlier findings about the safety of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Bayer’s […] Read more
U.S. grains: Export worries, big supplies drag soybean futures to new lows
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell to fresh contract lows on Wednesday, pressured by sluggish exports and worries that rain-delayed U.S. corn seeding would expand the number of acres planted with soybeans, which can be sown later in the spring. Corn futures firmed as soggy fields around much of the Midwest and forecasts […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, wheat hit new lows as supplies outweigh rainy weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell for a third straight session on Tuesday and struck fresh contract lows in most months as burdensome global stocks and sluggish U.S. exports dragged prices lower, triggering technical selling. Wheat futures, too, posted contract lows as better-than-expected U.S. winter crop conditions added to pressure from largely beneficial […] Read more
Alberta UCP’s trade critic named ag minister
Alberta’s new premier has tapped a not-quite-rookie MLA with experience in farming, farm policy and U.S. politics as his new minister of agriculture and forestry. Jason Kenney, sworn in Tuesday as premier, named Devin Dreeshen, the MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake since last July, to handle the ag and forestry file. Dreeshen came to the UCP’s […] Read more
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