The Great Plains have long been celebrated for the “amber waves of grain” in the popular hymn “America the Beautiful.” The region’s states produce most of the U.S.-grown crop of hard red winter wheat, favored by bakers for bread. But with prices hovering around $5 (C$6.86) per bushel, U.S. wheat farmers have reached an inflection point, with many forced to either lose money, feed wheat to cattle or kill off the crop.
Tag Archives kansas
‘Amber waves of grain’ recede in America’s heartland as wheat farmers struggle
Midwestern farmers abandoning wheat crops as profits recede, weather challenges
Rains partially collapse roof at Kansas Cargill plant
Cargill plans to resume slaughtering cattle on Friday at its Dodge City, Kansas, beef plant, after weekend rains caused a partial roof collapse, the company said on Tuesday.
Kansas beef plant shuts down after fire
National Beef Packing Company, one of four major U.S. beef processors, said it suspended production at its Liberal, Kansas, plant for a second day on Friday, after a fire.
Tyson Foods, Cargill idle Kansas beef plants due to snowstorm
Blizzards shut down roads, stranded some workers at packing plants overnight
Tyson Foods and Cargill said on Tuesday they suspended operations at beef plants in Kansas due to a massive snowstorm, reducing U.S. meat production.
U.S. winter wheat growers seed into dust as Plains drought persists
Chicago | Reuters — With seeding roughly halfway complete, the 2023 U.S. hard red winter wheat crop is already being hobbled by drought in the heart of the southern Plains, wheat experts said. Seeding plans may be scaled back in the U.S. breadbasket despite historically high prices for this time of year, reflecting rising global […] Read more
Heat, humidity kill at least 2,000 Kansas cattle, state says
Chicago | Reuters — Extreme heat and humidity killed thousands of cattle in Kansas in recent days, the state said, and sizzling temperatures continue to threaten livestock. The deaths add pain to the U.S. cattle industry as producers have reduced herds due to drought and grappled with feed costs that climbed as Russia’s invasion of […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans sink after Midwest rains
Wheat down on big Kansas crop outlook, export competition
Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Monday as rains boosted recently planted crops across the U.S. Midwest and as traders weighed future export demand following a flurry of corn purchases by China last week. Wheat futures also fell, sinking to the lowest level in more than a month as prospects for a […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat hits one-month low, soybeans three-week low
Chicago corn down on profit-taking
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell on Friday, touching a one-month low on improving prospects for the crop in the U.S. Plains, traders said. Corn futures fell on a round of profit-taking after rising in three of the previous four sessions. Soybeans also closed lower, with concerns about demand outweighing a bargain-buying attempt […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn futures rise; soybeans, wheat weak
Kansas winter wheat tour sees record yield potential
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose on Thursday, with strong export demand highlighting concerns about dwindling crop supplies due to harvest shortfalls in Brazil, traders said. Soybeans and wheat weakened after firming early in the session. Private exporters reported the sale of 1.224 million tonnes of corn to China for delivery in the […] Read more
USDA to probe surging beef prices versus falling cattle prices
Tyson says will co-operate with department's investigation
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Agriculture Department will investigate why a surge in beef prices because of coronavirus-related hoarding did not translate into higher cattle prices for farmers, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Wednesday. The investigation adds scrutiny on the small group of meat companies such as Tyson Foods and Cargill that dominate […] Read more
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