Insights and Stories on COVID-19

Apr. 17, 2020 at 6:59 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — President Donald Trump on Friday announced a $19 billion relief program to help U.S. farmers cope with the impact of the coronavirus, including $16 billion in direct payments to producers and mass purchases of meat, dairy, vegetables and other products (all figures US$). The U.S. Agriculture […]

By Karl Plume, P.J. Huffstutter

Apr. 17, 2020 at 4:08 am CDT

New York | Reuters — A fuel demand meltdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak in the United States has started up a new fight between the oil and agriculture industries over the nation’s biofuel policy, this time over whether the policy should be suspended or expanded as a result of […]

By Stephanie Kelly

Apr. 16, 2020 at 10:06 pm CDT

Alberta’s ag sector will be key in rebuilding the province’s economy once the pandemic is over, says the director of research for economics at ATB Financial. “Overall, I think one of the bright spots in a really dark economic situation in the province is our agriculture and agri-food sector,” Rob […]

By Jennifer Blair

Apr. 16, 2020 at 9:36 pm CDT

MarketsFarm — Logistics disruptions due to COVID-19 are hampering nearby movement of pulses, according to a number of industry participants speaking Thursday on a webinar organized by the Global Pulse Consortium. However, the longer-term impact of the pandemic remains to be seen. “The shipping industry has been hugely impacted by […]

By Phil Franz-Warkentin

Apr. 16, 2020 at 7:43 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live and feeder cattle futures jumped to one-week highs on Thursday as the markets extended rebounds after diving recently on concerns about the new coronavirus backing up livestock on farms. Hog futures remained under pressure from disruptions caused by the virus, which has shut pork […]

By Tom Polansek