Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell to a three-month low on Thursday, the sixth straight session of declines, on pressure from easing vegetable oil prices and improving crop weather in South America. Wheat and corn futures both were the highest in more than a week, with prices notching narrow gains on better-than-expected U.S. […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans at three-month low

U.S. grains: Wheat climbs on frigid weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rebounded on Wednesday to notch a 1-1/2-week high on worries about frigid weather across the Wheat Belt that threatens to damage crops lacking protective snow cover. Corn also rose on spillover support from wheat and as traders covered short positions following recent contract lows. Soybeans fell to three-month […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans slump on technical selling
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Tuesday for the ninth time in 10 sessions on technical selling and forecasts for crop-boosting rains in South America. Corn firmed on short-covering after touching contract lows, but prices remain capped by abundant supplies. Wheat futures ended mostly lower, with only hard red winter wheat contracts […] Read more

Price spike in sulphur leaves farmers, fertilizer makers sour
Winnipeg | Reuters — Phosphate fertilizer producers such as Mosaic Co. and PotashCorp are paying the highest prices in two years for sulphur, a key ingredient in their farm products, but farmers are the ones absorbing the extra cost. Higher sulphur costs, the result of tight global supplies and strong Chinese demand, come as fertilizer […] Read more

Richardson buys Winnipeg-area input retailer
An independent crop input retailer is being merged into one of its neighbours near Winnipeg as grain firm Richardson International continues on a retail expansion track. Privately-held Richardson announced Dec. 11 it has closed a deal to buy the retail assets of Bestland Air Ltd. at Starbuck, Man., about 30 km southwest of Winnipeg. Bestland […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans sink to three-month lows on Argentine rains
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures slumped to three-month lows on Monday as rain in Argentina eased concerns that farmers would scale back planting in the country, the third-largest soybean exporter and top soy product supplier. Corn futures also declined on the rainy Argentine weather and pressure from abundant supplies of the grain. Wheat […] Read more

Railway CEO Hunter Harrison, 73
New York | Reuters –– CSX Corp. CEO Hunter Harrison has died, the U.S. freight railway operator said on Saturday, just a few days after announcing that the veteran rail executive it hired earlier this year to boost its profits had taken a medical leave of absence. Harrison, 73, died “due to unexpectedly severe complications […] Read more

NAFTA Washington talks said to leave major differences untouched
Washington | Reuters — Talks this week to update the North American Free Trade Agreement made some progress on less-controversial chapters and technical language, but did little to resolve deep differences on autos, dispute settlement and a five-year sunset clause, some participants said on Friday. The “intersessional” round in Washington, which did not include trade […] Read more

Agri-food supercluster announces board, CEO
The new Smart Agri-Food Supercluster (SASC) will field a team of 11 innovation and corporate leaders from across Canada as its interim board of directors. The board (see below), which will be chaired by Doug Beever of Agrium, has also appointed Rob Davies as its interim CEO. Davies brings more than three decades of leadership […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soybean futures ease
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures dipped on Friday, hitting fresh contract lows after giving up early gains on technical selling, traders said. Soybean futures also weakened slightly, pressured by forecasts for improving crop weather in South America. The outlook for rain added to the pressure on corn. “Corn tried the upside early on […] Read more