Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures sagged to their lowest in more than two months on Thursday, weighed down by forecasts for much-needed rains in Argentina, traders said. Wheat futures closed firm, supported by strong export data, while corn slipped. The most-active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade dropped 1.2 per cent. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans drop, wheat firms, corn slips
Zimbabwe orders illegal settlers to vacate farms
Harare | Reuters — Zimbabwe’s new agriculture minister on Wednesday ordered illegal occupiers of farms to vacate the land immediately, a move that could ultimately see some white farmers who say they were unfairly evicted return to farming. Perrance Shiri, a military hardliner who was head of the air force before being picked for the […] Read more
Canadian fast-food, dining firms plan merger
A restaurant firm with well known brands in Eastern Canada’s casual dining market is set to merge into a neighbouring firm behind the franchises populating many of Canada’s mall food courts. Montreal-based MTY Food Group announced Tuesday it has a cash-and-stock agreement in place to pick up all outstanding common shares of another Montreal firm, […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans sag as South American crop prospects improve
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures fell to a three-week low on Tuesday on improving weather in Argentina and rising estimates of Brazil’s soybean crop, while corn and wheat futures hit life-of-contract lows. CBOT January soybeans settled down 6-3/4 cents at $9.75-3/4 a bushel after dipping to $9.75, the contract’s lowest […] Read more
U.S. soybean, wheat ending stocks seen up as exports fall
Washington | Reuters — Stockpiles of U.S. soybeans and wheat are expected to rise due to lower export demand amid heightened competition from rival global suppliers, government data on Tuesday showed. In a monthly supply and demand report, the U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) raised its ending stocks forecast for domestic wheat and soybeans, and trimmed […] Read more
Dreyfus to sell Australian fertilizer unit to Agrium
Paris/Winnipeg | Reuters — Global commodity trader Louis Dreyfus has agreed to sell its fertilizer business to Canada’s Agrium as it continues an overhaul in response to tough agricultural markets. Louis Dreyfus is to sell Macrofertil Australia, which has annual sales of around US$120 million, to Agrium’s Australian unit Landmark Operations in a deal expected […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat down to contract lows
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and wheat futures fell to life-of-contract lows on Monday, anchored by plentiful global grain supplies, and soybeans sagged as forecasts called for beneficial rains in Argentina, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade March corn settled down 3-3/4 cents at $3.49 per bushel after hitting a contract low at $3.48-1/4 […] Read more
EU regulators reported as set to warn Bayer on Monsanto bid
Brussels | Reuters — EU antitrust regulators are set to warn Bayer its planned purchase of U.S. seed maker Monsanto may hurt competition, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, a move that would force Bayer to offer concessions to address the concerns. The US$66 billion deal would make Bayer the world’s largest […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat hits contract lows
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures eased to contract lows on Friday, capping a week of five straight days of declines that saw the market shed 4.6 per cent of its value. Soybean futures also were weaker while corn edged higher on a mild short-covering bounce. A forecast for bigger-than-expected wheat production in Canada […] Read more
Trump open to biofuel policy reform, senators say
Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump is open to reforming the country’s biofuels policy if it can be done in a way that protects jobs in both the refining and agriculture industries, senators said on Thursday after a meeting with Trump on the issue. Nine lawmakers had requested the meeting to argue that […] Read more
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