Washington | Reuters — Canadian, Mexican and U.S. officials hailed progress on revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on Tuesday as efforts focused on crafting new rules for the auto sector, but there was no sign of a major breakthrough. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Mexican Economy […] Read more
‘Progress’ seen by ministers at NAFTA talks, but breakthrough elusive
U.S. grains: Soy, corn firm on weather worries, bargain buying
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures rose Tuesday on bargain hunting following Monday’s sharp declines, and worries about wet forecasts slowing planting in portions of the northern Midwest, analysts said. U.S. wheat futures finished mixed, with Chicago Board of Trade soft red winter wheat futures rising while K.C. hard red winter wheat […] Read more
NAFTA talks resume amid fears of ‘zombie’ deal
Washington | Reuters — Senior Canadian, U.S. and Mexican officials trying to rescue slow-moving talks to update the NAFTA trade pact met on Monday in a new bid to resolve key issues before regional elections complicate the process. With time fast running out to strike some kind of deal on the North American Free Trade […] Read more
Algeria to open farming concessions to foreigners
Algiers | Reuters — Algeria plans to offer foreign investors concessions for farm land for the first time, according to an official document, as the oil producer seeks to boost food output and reduce reliance on imports. Under the plan, which is expected to be discussed by the cabinet this week before being submitted to […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy hits one-month low as soymeal falls
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell to a one-month low Monday as soymeal tumbled for a fourth straight session, pressured by long liquidation and easing concerns about a crop shortfall in Argentina, analysts said. Wheat declined in largely technical moves, with traders taking profits after last week’s multimonth highs. Corn followed the weak […] Read more
Churchill possibly to return to shipping grain
CNS Canada — Grain could once again be shipped out of northern Manitoba’s Port of Churchill if all goes according to plan for a new potential ownership group. “The port has got all of the grain handling equipment and simply said, the first thing we want to do is resume that commercial activity,” said Louis […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans stumble as U.S.-China trade talks disappoint
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Friday on disappointment that trade talks did not move Washington and Beijing closer to a deal to resolve the mounting dispute that has crimped U.S. crop sales to China. Prices retreated after a one per cent rise on Thursday that was fueled by “unfounded rumours” the […] Read more
Trade rows spell gain, and pain, for U.S. grain exporters
Chicago | Reuters — Global grain marketers have seized upon trade tensions between the United States and several of its top export markets, including China, to turn around struggling trading units following one of the toughest years ever for the industry. After five years of bumper harvests worldwide that depressed crop prices, trading margins are […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat, corn hit multimonth highs
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed to multimonth highs Thursday on a mix of short-covering and worries about the size of the hard red winter wheat crop in top producer Kansas, traders said. Soybeans rose, staging a late-session rally that some traders attributed to optimism about the outcome of U.S. trade talks with […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Limited upside seen for U.S. soybeans
CNS Canada — It’s a fluid set of circumstances for the U.S. soybean market these days as U.S. negotiators head to China in a bid to get proposed tariffs lowered on U.S. imports — but the potential for any major rally appears limited. “I would say the beans have a more limited upside than the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
