Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures pulled back on Thursday after concerns about drought in rival exporter Argentina temporarily pushed prices above US$10 a bushel for the first time in seven weeks. The market finished unchanged, breaking a streak of eight sessions with consecutive advances. A ninth session would have marked the longest string […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans retreat from seven-week high

NAFTA negotiations grind on
Montreal | Reuters — U.S. negotiators are holding firm in their demands for a wide-ranging overhaul of NAFTA, sources close to the talks said on Thursday, raising questions about whether any real movement is happening at the latest round of negotiations on the treaty. Officials from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. are in Montreal for […] Read more

U.S. grains: Highest grain prices in weeks as U.S. dollar falls
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures rose to their highest prices in weeks on Wednesday on technical buying, a slide in the U.S. dollar and dry weather in rival exporter Argentina. The dollar’s decline to a three-year low prompted corn and wheat traders to buy back previously sold positions, brokers said, after […] Read more

Canada unveils ideas to save NAFTA
Montreal | Reuters — Canadian negotiators at the NAFTA talks on Wednesday unveiled ideas to address contentious U.S. demands for revamping the 1994 pact while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged top U.S. executives to back free trade. The sixth and penultimate round of negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) opened in […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Falling greenback boosts U.S. grains
CNS Canada — Soybean, corn and wheat futures in the U.S. are all seeing some strength from weakness in the U.S. dollar, and could have more room to the upside as speculators cover large net short positions. “The managed money is just looking for trades of value,” said Sean Lusk of Walsh Trading in Chicago. […] Read more

CN’s Q4 grain handle down in ‘challenging conditions’
U.S. income tax reform more than offset “challenging” conditions, including reduced grain handle, in Canadian National Railway’s fourth fiscal quarter. Montreal-based CN on Tuesday reported net income of $2.611 billion on total revenues of $3.285 billion for its fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, up from $1.018 billion on $3.217 billion in the year-earlier Q4. The […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat falls on chart selling
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain futures were lower on Tuesday, with wheat dropping about one per cent and corn easing for the second straight session on chart-based selling and abundant global stockpiles, traders said. Soybeans edged slightly higher, gaining for the seventh straight session to the highest in about six weeks. Warm and dry […] Read more

Key round of NAFTA talks opens amid upbeat signs
Montreal | Reuters — Officials opened a key round of negotiations to modernize NAFTA on Tuesday amidst optimistic signs, as U.S. President Donald Trump said the talks were going “pretty well” and Canada’s chief negotiator said he had high hopes for progress. Trump’s remarks helped the Mexican peso stem its losses, a reflection of how […] Read more

Canada in on TPP pact, to be signed in March
Tokyo | Reuters — Eleven countries aiming to forge a Asia-Pacific trade pact after the U.S. pulled out of an earlier version will sign an agreement in Chile in March, Japan’s economy minister said on Tuesday. Trade officials had been meeting in Tokyo to resolve rifts including Canada’s insistence on protections for its cultural industries […] Read more

Guelph to host new agri-food accelerator
The University of Guelph has created a new organization to help launch agri-food ideas and innovations. Accelerator Guelph aims to provide business training, help create networks and provide a process to innovators in agriculture and food at the university. Why does it matter? Getting research and great ideas from university researchers to the market has […] Read more