Chicago | Reuters — Grains trader Cargill on Thursday reported a 20 per cent drop in its fiscal second-quarter 2019 net earnings, as global trade tensions hit the bottom line along with challenges in the Chinese hog sector and a struggling U.S. dairy business. Three of the company’s four business units reported results that were […] Read more

Cargill’s net earnings down as trade fight bites

Feed weekly outlook: Prairie grain prices higher than last year
CNS Canada — Nice weather over the holidays allowed for good movement of feed grains in Western Canada, with prices steady to above year-ago levels. “I would say we cruised through Christmas and (the) New Year holidays fairly well. Not a lot of massive panic. We had nice weather which really helped, loads continued to […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat rises on technical bounce, export prospects
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose about 1.4 per cent on Thursday, reaching a one-week high on a technical rebound from multi-month lows and optimism about U.S. export prospects, analysts said. Soybeans hit a two-week top on worries about declining Brazilian crop prospects and rumours of Chinese buying interest, and corn followed the […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy up on crop stress in Brazil, hopes for China talks
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures advanced to a near two-week high on Wednesday on declining yield prospects in Brazil and optimism about U.S. trade relations with top global soy buyer China, traders said. Wheat futures rose, rebounding from multi-month lows on short-covering and concerns about excessive rains in Argentina, while corn finished modestly […] Read more

Bolsonaro gives Brazil farm ministry powers on indigenous land
Rio de Janeiro/Brasilia | Reuters — New Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro issued an executive order on Wednesday making the agriculture ministry responsible for deciding on lands claimed by indigenous peoples, in a victory for agribusiness that will likely enrage environmentalists. The temporary decree, which will expire unless it is ratified within 120 days by Congress, […] Read more

CP, CN overshoot annual grain revenue caps
Both of Canada’s big two railways were found to have made more revenue from hauling Prairie grain in 2017-18 than their federally mandated limits allow. The Canadian Transportation Agency on Monday announced Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway overtopped their maximum revenue entitlements (MREs) for the crop year by $1,500,513 and $1,047,285 respectively. CN’s […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat eases in thin holiday trade
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell more than one per cent on Monday in thin, technically driven trade, brokers said, but still posted a yearly gain of nearly 18 per cent. U.S. soybean futures ended lower, retreating from early advances tied to signs of thawing trade tension between Washington and top global soy […] Read more

Amazon reported planning to expand Whole Foods chain
Reuters — Amazon.com is planning to expand its Whole Foods Market portfolio by adding more stores to put more customers within its two-hour delivery service range, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing sources. Whole Foods employees have visited regions of western North America for potential retail spaces in parts of Idaho, southern Utah […] Read more

WFP says Yemen food aid being stolen in Houthi-run areas
Geneva | Reuters — Food aid meant for starving Yemenis is being stolen and sold in some areas controlled by the Houthi movement, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) said on Monday. The Houthis control most towns and cities including the capital Sanaa, from where they ousted Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government in 2014. A Saudi-led […] Read more

Prairie wheat bids fall with U.S. futures
CNS Canada — Wheat bids in Western Canada were mostly down for the week ended Friday with a weaker Canadian dollar and falling U.S. futures. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS, 13.5 per cent protein) wheat prices were down $1-$7, according to price quotes from a cross-section of delivery points compiled by PDQ (Price and […] Read more