The U.S. Department of Agriculture weakened an emergency order last spring designed to prevent the spread of bird flu among the nation's dairy cattle after pushback from state and industry officials, according to state and federal records seen by Reuters.

State and industry input led US farm agency to relax bird flu testing order for cows

BRICS leaders tout grain exchange, joint finance at Russian summit
Leaders of the nations in the BRICS grouping, which accounts for 37 per cent of global economic output, predicted its influence would grow as they met in Russia on Tuesday, outlining common projects ranging from a grain exchange to a cross-border payments system.

Bank of Canada cuts rates, hails ‘good news’ on low inflation
The Bank of Canada on Wednesday reduced its key benchmark rate by 50 basis points to 3.75 per cent, its first bigger-than-usual move in more than four years, and hailed signs the country has returned to an era of low inflation.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up on strong demand
Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose on Tuesday on signs of increased demand from U.S. consumers and exporters, analysts said.

U.S. grains: Soybean, corn futures rise on increased export demand
Chicago soybean and corn futures turned higher on Tuesday as a flurry of export sales helped stem market pressure from a fast-moving U.S. harvest and improved planting weather in South America, analysts said.

Ukraine foreign minister calls for support to stop Russian strikes on its Black Sea ports
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday he and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had discussed safe navigation for shipping in the Black Sea.

US exporters race to ship soybeans as looming election stokes tariff worries
U.S. soybean export premiums are at their highest in 14 months, as grain merchants race to ship out a record-large U.S. harvest ahead of the U.S. presidential election and fears of renewed trade tensions with top importer China, traders and analysts said.

U.S. grains: Corn, soy futures up on flurry of export sales
Chicago corn and soybean futures rose on Monday as low prices spurred a flurry of international demand for U.S. grains and soy, analysts said.

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures pull back as rally fades
Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures pulled back from the previous week's rally on Monday as traders positioned ahead of Friday's U.S. Department of Agriculture Cattle on Feed report, analysts said.

Bird flu cases presumed in four Washington farm workers, state says
Bird flu is presumed to have infected four poultry workers in Washington state, making it the sixth U.S. state to identify human cases this year, according to the Washington State Department of Health.