Insights and Stories on USDA

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs up as slaughter pace reaches pre-COVID levels

Aug. 20, 2020 at 5:56 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures gained on Thursday as slaughter rates returned to levels not seen since processing plants closed from COVID-19 outbreaks among workers this spring. Live cattle futures fell as pre-Labour Day buying wound down and the industry awaited Friday’s monthly Cattle on […]

Storm and drought impacts on Iowa corn seen in crop tour

Aug. 19, 2020 at 6:31 pm CDT

By Mark Weinraub P.J. Huffstutter

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures firm on wholesale strength

Aug. 19, 2020 at 5:58 pm CDT

By Christopher Walljasper

U.S. grains: Corn retreats from month high on clearer crop outlook

Aug. 18, 2020 at 6:40 pm CDT

By Christopher Walljasper

U.S. grains: Soybeans near seven-month high as dryness threatens crop

Aug. 17, 2020 at 6:31 pm CDT

By Christopher Walljasper

U.S. livestock: Live cattle step back after eight-session climb

Aug. 17, 2020 at 6:17 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures pulled back on Monday in profit taking ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cattle on Feed report at the end of the week, traders said. Live cattle fell for the first day after eight sessions of gains. The pullback […]

By Christopher Walljasper

U.S. livestock: Live cattle rise on higher beef prices, grilling demand

Aug. 14, 2020 at 4:53 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures continued to advance Friday, supported by increasing beef prices and expectations of continued meat demand going into the Labour Day weekend, traders said. Beef prices usually rise heading into the September holiday, when consumers often barbecue either at home or […]

By P.J. Huffstutter

Monday’s storm hit an estimated 37.7 million acres in U.S. Midwest

Aug. 14, 2020 at 3:57 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — A storm packing hurricane-force winds on Monday impacted 37.7 million acres of farmland across the Midwest, including 14 million in Iowa, the Iowa Soybean Association said on Friday, citing estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The toll from the derecho storm has worsened as farmers […]

By Tom Polansek

U.S. grains: Corn eases on profit-taking

Aug. 14, 2020 at 3:51 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn inched slightly lower on Friday, as traders questioned federal acreage data and assessed the extent of storm damage in the U.S. Midwest. Prices slipped early in the day, after a rally in the previous session pushed corn futures to a four-week high. Soybeans also […]

By P.J. Huffstutter

U.S. grains: Exports, storm damage offset big crop outlook

Aug. 13, 2020 at 4:29 pm CDT

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn prices surged to a four-week high on Thursday as forecasts of warmer weather and worries over recent storm damage in the U.S. Midwest countered pressure from huge government harvest forecasts. The corn rally also boosted wheat, as traders continue to debate how much impact […]

By P.J. Huffstutter