Grains, Seeds, Vegoils, Meals, Softs, Agri News

Nov 27 - Steak out: China's coronavirus testing chokes beef trade
In a supermarket in downtown Beijing, refrigerator shelves normally filled with steak from around the world sit empty as tougher testing for the novel coronavirus creates supply bottlenecks and raises prices for importers. Fresh supplies of beef won't arrive for days, a salesman at the Suning.com-owned Carrefour outlet told Reuters - if then. That's a big setback for the industry at traditionally one of its busiest times of the year. 

Nov 27 - IGC cuts forecast for 2020/21 global corn crop
The International Grains Council (IGC) on Thursday cut its forecast for global corn (maize) production in the 2020/21 season, while doubling its projection for China's corn imports. In its monthly update, the inter-governmental body reduced its global corn crop forecast by 10 million tonnes to 1.146 billion tonnes mainly due to diminished outlooks for crops in the United States, Ukraine and European Union.

Nov 27 - China's largest wholesale market suspends sales, storage of frozen goods as COVID precaution
China's biggest wholesale food market has suspended the sale and storage of chilled and frozen meat and seafood as the government ramps up inspections of cold-chain goods after several new cases of coronavirus infections. The Xinfadi market in Beijing, which was at the centre of an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the Chinese capital in June, has disposed of products and disinfected over a hundred cold storage units and shut down their power, the state-backed Beijing News has reported.

Nov 27 - Fast spreading bird flu puts EU poultry industry on edge
A highly contagious and deadly form of avian influenza is spreading rapidly in Europe, putting the poultry industry on alert with previous outbreaks in mind that saw tens of millions of birds culled and significant economic losses. The disease, commonly called bird flu, has been found in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and, for the first time this week in Croatia, Slovenia and Poland, after severely hitting Russia, Kazakhstan and Israel.

 Nov 27 - Rains help Argentine soy planting, some dry pockets remain - exchange
Argentine soy planting progressed by 10.6 percentage points over the last week as rains brought relief to the country's central farm belt, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said on Thursday. Argentina is a major international soybean, corn and wheat supplier and the world's top exporter of soymeal livestock feed, used to fatten hogs and poultry from Europe to Southeast Asia.

 Nov 27 - Indian farmers clash with police in protest over market reform
Thousands of protesting Indian farmers scuffled with police on Friday during a march to the capital, Delhi, against new laws liberalising procurement that they say will leave them vulnerable to big companies. Police fired several rounds of tear gas at some places on the outskirts of Delhi and used water cannons at entry points to stop the farmers coming into the city centre.

Nov 27 - Brazil rice processors request more time to buy duty-free rice
Rice processors in Brazil have asked the government to extend a deadline by which they can buy the cereal from outside the South American trade bloc Mercosur without paying any tariffs, according to industry representatives. The request involves extending the deadline to February from December, after the sector faced logistical issues that disrupted deliveries of rice from India.

Nov 27 - EU trims 2020/21 wheat production, keeps export forecast
The European Commission cut slightly its 2020/21 forecast for usable common wheat production in the European Union's 27 countries to 115.8 million tonnes, from 115.9 million estimated last month. In supply and demand projections released on its website, the Commission kept unchanged its monthly forecast for EU-27 exports of common wheat, or soft wheat, for the 2020/21 season that started in July at 24.0 million tonnes.

Nov 27 - Fists and pig guts fly in Taiwan parliament debate on U.S. pork
Legislators from Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party threw pig guts and exchanged punches with other lawmakers in parliament on Friday as they tried to stop the premier taking questions, in a bitter dispute over easing U.S. pork imports. President Tsai Ing-wen announced in August that the government would, from Jan. 1, allow imports of U.S. pork containing ractopamine, an additive that enhances leanness but is banned in the European Union and China, as well as U.S. beef more than 30 months old. 

Nov 27 - Russian wheat offered lowest at Egypt's GASC tender
Egypt's state grains buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC,) on Thursday received a lowest offer of $261 a tonne for 55,000 tonnes of Russian wheat in an international purchase tender, traders said. The offer was presented by GTCS.

Nov 27 - S.African farmers expected to harvest 15.408 mln tonnes of maize in 2020
South African maize farmers will likely harvest 15.408 million tonnes of maize in 2020, slightly lower than last month's estimate after slow pace of service deliveries effected quality of the crop, the government's Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) said on Thursday. Giving its final production forecast for the 2020 crop, the CEC estimated that harvest would be 36.7% higher compared with 11.275 million tonnes harvested in the 2018/2019 when yields were hurt by dry weather conditions.

Nov 26 - Chinese buyers look to cancel U.S. soybean orders as processing margins shrink
Some Chinese soybean importers and processors are looking to cancel deals signed for U.S. cargoes for December and January shipment, after crushing margins collapsed following a steep rally in Chicago futures, three trade sources said. This is a first sign of slowing Chinese demand after a five-month buying spree that combined with dryness in top producer Brazil to add more than quarter to benchmark Chicago futures since the crop year began on Sep. 1, and 13% this month.

Nov 26 - Coronavirus risk to consumers from cold chain products 'very low', says Chinese official
The risk to consumers of catching the coronavirus from cold chain food products was "very low," a senior Chinese official said on Wednesday, after China increased inspections of imported frozen foods to the irritation of its trade partners. The World Health Organization has also said the risk of catching COVID-19 from frozen food is low.

Nov 26 - Russia's grain export quota puts squeeze on small traders
Russia's grain export quota for February through June 2021 will consolidate the market positions of major traders and speed the exit of smaller players, analysts said. The loss of smaller traders will also disrupt supplies to secondary seasonal importers, they added. The number of smaller trading companies in Russia, one of the world's largest wheat exporters, has fallen steadily in recent years while large exporters - some of which are state-controlled and have crucial access to port infrastructure - have increased their market share. 

 Nov 26 - Egypt's GASC seeks wheat for shipment Jan. 20-31
Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) set a tender on Wednesday to buy an unspecified amount of wheat from global suppliers for shipment Jan. 20-31. GASC Vice Chairman Ahmed Youssef said the authority was seeking to buy cargoes of soft and/or milling wheat from the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Poland, Argentina, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Paraguay and Serbia.

 Nov 26 - Japan bird flu outbreak spreads to farm in third prefecture
Bird flu has been detected in a third Japanese prefecture, the agriculture ministry said, as a wave of infections at poultry farms sparks the country's worst outbreak in more than four years. Avian influenza was discovered at an egg farm in Awaji city in Hyogo prefecture west of Tokyo, which is near Kagawa prefecture where the first infections were discovered in poultry earlier this month, the ministry said on its website.

Nov 26 - Improving farm economy drives up Deere earnings
Deere & Co on Wednesday reported a rise in quarterly earnings, defying Wall Street estimates, as higher crop prices, government subsidy payments and replacement demand lifted sales of farm machines. The maker of John Deere and the world's largest farm equipment producer forecast net income of $3.6 billion-$4.0 billion for fiscal 2021 as it expects to benefit from improving conditions in the farm economy and stabilization in the construction and forestry markets. 

Nov 26 - Ukraine 2020 grain crop could fall to 65 mln T - deputy minister
Ukraine 2020 grain crop could decrease to 65 million tonnes from a record 75 million tonnes in 2019, deputy economy minister Taras Vysotskiy said on Wednesday. The ministry previously saw the harvest at 68 million tonnes. Vysotskiy gave no reason for the smaller output.

Nov 26 - Egypt to pay VAT on freight of imported wheat cargoes - ministry
Egypt, the world's largest wheat buyer, will pay value-added tax on the freight of imported wheat cargoes until the law is amended to remove those charges, the finance ministry said on Wednesday. Egypt's cabinet said last week it aimed to amend the VAT law to exempt freight charges from the tax for cargoes of imported strategic commodities such as wheat and legumes.

Nov 26 - Protesters calling for jobs stop Tunisia's entire phosphate output
Protesters calling for jobs stopped Tunisia's entire phosphate output on Wednesday by launching sit-ins at the sole producer of the key export during a day of strikes and protests around the country, officials and witnesses told Reuters. State-run Gafsa Phospate was once one of the world's largest producers of phosphate minerals which are used to make fertilisers and is an important source of foreign currency for the North African state.

Nov 25 - China's imports of U.S. soybeans surge in October
Chinese imports of U.S. soybeans surged almost three-fold in October on a year-on-year basis, customs data showed on Wednesday, as cargoes booked following a Phase 1 trade deal between the United States and China arrived in the country. The world's top buyer of soybeans, brought in 3.4 million tonnes of the oilseed from the United States in October, up 196.4% from 1.147 million tonnes a year ago, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

Nov 25 - U.S. farmers plant more winter wheat as grain prices rally
U.S. farmers expanded seedings of winter wheat this autumn for the first time in eight years as strong demand and dry weather in several producing countries fuels higher prices for the grain, farmers and analysts said. Winter wheat, seeded in the Northern Hemisphere in autumn for harvest in June, is the first cash crop to be planted since an agricultural commodity price rally began in August. The rally is a welcome relief for farmers after four years of global surplus grain stocks that have kept prices low and hobbled the U.S. agricultural economy.

Nov 25 - Argentine oilseed workers on alert for strike as contract talks stall
A union representing Argentine oilseed workers said on Tuesday that contract talks with export companies had stalled after days of talks mediated by the government to avoid a strike that could affect the country's key farm industry. "We call on all our members to remain on a state of alert," said a statement from the Federation of Oilseed Industry Workers that criticized local and international export companies for being tight-fisted.

 Nov 25 - U.S. to enforce duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco, Russia
The U.S. Department of Commerce said on Tuesday it would set preliminary duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Russia and Morocco, after launching an investigation to determine if producers in these countries were receiving unfair subsidies. The department set preliminary duties of 23.46% on imports from Morocco's OCP Group and other producers in the country, 20.94% on those from Russia's Phosagro, 72.50% on EuroChem and 32.92% on all other Russian producers.

 Nov 25 - Japan's bird flu outbreak spreads to second prefecture
Japan has detected a new outbreak of bird flu on a chicken farm in southwestern Fukuoka prefecture, in addition to the eight already reported in Kagawa prefecture west of Tokyo, the government said on Wednesday. The wave of avian influenza that began earlier this month is proving to be the worst in around four years and the first serious spread of the virus in two years.

Nov 25 - Ukraine has used 66.5% of season's wheat export quota so far
Ukraine has used 66.5% of the 2020/21 wheat export quota, shipping abroad 11.63 million tonnes of the commodity so far in the July-June season, economy ministry data showed on Tuesday. Grain traders and the government have agreed that the volume of wheat available for export this season must not exceed 17.5 million tonnes.

Nov 25 - Casillo's trading business Transgrain France to close
Trading firm Transgrain France is to close as part of a wider restructuring at Italian parent Casillo, it said on Tuesday. Family-controlled Casillo is a large wheat trader and miller, specialising in the durum wheat variety used in pasta.

Nov 24 - EU grain sowing catches up after delays, too late for rapeseed - MARS
Improved weather conditions in the past month have helped winter grain sowings be completed on time in most of Europe but arrived too late for rapeseed crops, the European Union's crop monitoring service MARS said on Monday. Frequent rains in October had slowed the progress of sowing in large parts of western, central and south-eastern Europe but drier conditions in November allowed sowing progress to recover in the Benelux countries, France, Germany, Poland, Slovenia and Croatia, it said in a monthly report.

Nov 24 - Will Thanksgiving week interrupt the bull run in CBOT futures? - Braun
Many commodity traders take a breather during the U.S. Thanksgiving holidays to spend time with family and kick off the festive season. The holidays are already expected to look a lot different this year for most, a theme that is already true of recent trade in Chicago grain and oilseed markets. Trends in futures prices can be somewhat erratic during Thanksgiving week, especially when participation is thinner. But the market this year has already been on an unusually bullish run, and participation has mostly been stronger than usual.

Nov 24 - 'Very stressful': COVID-19 surge slices U.S. demand for big Thanksgiving turkeys
All summer, Greg Gunthorp slaughtered and froze 15- to 24-pound turkeys on his northeastern Indiana farm for Thanksgiving sales to retailers, restaurants and families across the Midwest. But as surging COVID-19 cases prompted U.S. cities and states to urge Americans to stay home just weeks before the holiday, customers swapped out orders for whole birds for smaller turkey breasts. 

 Nov 24 - U.S. winter wheat ratings decline, bucking trade expectations
The U.S. Department of Agriculture in a weekly crop progress report on Monday rated 43% of the U.S. winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, down from 46% a week earlier and bucking trade expectations for an improvement. A dozen analysts surveyed by Reuters on average had expected the government to rate 47% of the crop as good to excellent, and estimates ranged from 46% to 48%.

 Nov 24 - China October pork imports up 80% on year - customs
China imported 330,000 tonnes of pork in October, customs data showed on Monday, up 80.4% on a year prior, as the world's biggest meat consumer continued to stock up on proteins after a plunge in its own pork output. China's pork output fell 19% in the first half of the year after fatal pig disease African swine fever devastated its huge hog herd over the last two years.

Nov 23 - Thousands join Taiwan protest, anger focused on U.S. pork
Thousands of people took to Taipei's streets on Sunday for the annual "Autumn Struggle" protest march organised by labour groups, with much of the anger focused on the government's decision to ease restrictions on imports of U.S. pork. Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), rallied its supporters to join the march for the first time, having mounted an increasingly strident campaign against the pork decision, which it says threatens food safety.

Nov 23 - Funds, index traders carrying big longs in CBOT corn and soybeans - Braun
Speculators have maintained heavily bullish bets in Chicago-traded corn and soybeans for at least a month now as the supply picture grew significantly tighter than anyone expected. But other market participants have also been very active lately, adding to the overall optimism.

Nov 23 - Plotting future, U.S. biofuel industry seeks federal clean fuel program from Biden
America's biggest biofuel companies plan to ask President-elect Joe Biden to impose a nationwide standard to reduce carbon emissions from transport fuels, according to five sources familiar with the matter, and hope to preserve a role for products like ethanol amid the fight against climate change. The planned push from the biofuel industry reflects its increasing concern about the future as Biden prepares measures to slash emissions that could upend traditional energy markets, and as the federal regulation that has underpinned growth in the biofuel market for more than a decade - the Renewable Fuel Standard - nears expiry in its current form.

 Nov 23 - French winter barley in good shape as cereal sowing winds down
Almost all recently sown French winter barley was in good condition as farmers neared the end of their autumn sowing campaign in the European Union's biggest grain producer, crop data showed on Friday. An estimated 95% of French winter barley was in a good or excellent state during the week ending Nov. 16, farm office FranceAgriMer said in a weekly cereal report.

 Nov 23 - Ukraine 2020 grain harvest 95% complete
Ukraine has harvested 60.3 million tonnes of grain from 14.6 million hectares, or 95% of the sown area, as of Nov. 19, economy ministry data showed on Friday. Farmers had completed the wheat and barley harvest and collected 24.5 million tonnes of corn from 4.7 million hectares, or 86% of the sown area, the data showed.

Nov 23 - Iraq says Iran, Turkey and Saudi interested in its local barley
Iraq's agriculture minister said Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey had expressed interested in buying its local barley in a tender, al-Sabah newspaper reported on Sunday. "The ministry is planning on paying local barley farmers from the revenue of the sale and export of the crop in an international tender this week, around 700,000 tonnes," the paper quoted Mohamed al-Khafaji as stating.

Nov 20 - Parched Argentine soy boosted by rain, but more moisture 'urgently' needed 
Argentine soy planting jumped 16 percentage points over the last week, propelled by rains that brought relief to key drought-hit areas, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said on Thursday, although many parts of the country remained woefully dry. Some 28.8% of a total expected soy area of 17.2 million hectares has been sown so far, the exchange said in a report.

Nov 20 - Euronext sees H2 2021 launch for durum, barley cash-settled futures 
Euronext expects to launch in the second half of next year its planned durum wheat and animal-feed barley contracts, marking the exchange's move into cash-settled futures for grains, its head of commodities said on Thursday. Euronext announced a year ago it would develop cash-settled contracts, starting with durum and feed barley, as a way to expand its commodity business currently focused on futures offering physical delivery.

Nov 20 - China to remain pork importer for 4-5 years - Danish Crown CEO 
The world's top pork consumer China is likely to remain an importer of the meat for up to five years as new outbreaks of African swine fever delays attempts to restore pig production, head of Europe's biggest pork producer said on Thursday. An epidemic of the incurable African swine fever swept through China's hog herd in 2018, causing production to plunge and reduced the breeding stock by an estimated 60% by late last year.

 Nov 20 - Contemplating room for growth in record U.S. corn, soy export outlooks - Braun 
The United States has sold an unusually large amount of corn and soybeans for export when compared against the record expectations for the full marketing year. Questions remain whether export projections need to move even higher and if such a huge schedule is even possible. Last week, U.S. soybean export sales for the 2020-21 marketing year hit an 18-week low. But commitments as of Nov. 12 total 51.3 million tonnes, some 86% of what the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects will be shipped in the entire marketing year ending Aug. 31, 2021. 

 Nov 20 - ADM, InnovaFeed to build world's biggest insect protein plant in Illinois 
U.S. grain trader and processor Archer Daniels Midland Co and French biotech company InnovaFeed announced plans on Thursday to build the world's largest insect protein plant in Decatur, Illinois. The announcement comes amid rising global feed grain prices and tightening supplies, and as more companies work toward reducing the carbon footprint of their operations. Insects are seen as a sustainable alternative to fishmeal and other high-protein feeds.

Nov 20 - Tyson Foods suspends employees after lawsuit alleges managers bet on workers catching COVID-19 
Tyson Foods Inc said on Thursday it suspended employees without pay and hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct an investigation in response to a wrongful death lawsuit that alleges managers at an Iowa pork plant took bets on how many employees would catch COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the meatpacking industry, infecting thousands of workers since the spring and forcing companies like Tyson, Smithfield Foods and JBS to shut slaughterhouses hit by outbreaks.

Nov 20 - German pig prices fall as slaughterhouse capacity cut after COVID-19 
German pig prices fell this week, partly due to a fall in capacity at slaughterhouses as they implement changes to meet higher standards following COVID-19 outbreaks, farming associations said on Thursday. Average German pig prices this week fell to 1.19 euro a kilo from 1.27 euros a kilo last week, said the association of German animal farmers VEZG.

Nov 20 - Corteva sticks with CEO amid Starboard pressure - sources 
Corteva Inc's board of directors decided to back chief executive officer James Collins after activist investor Starboard Value LP took issue with the performance of the agricultural products company's management, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Corteva, valued at $27 billion, became a publicly traded company last year after it was spun out of chemical giant DowDuPont. Starboard, which owns 11.7 million shares or 1.6% of Corteva, has said that the company has not lived up to its potential and is lagging behind its peers.

Nov 20 - Olam CEO says economic recovery from COVID-19 will be painfully slow 
The chief executive of one of the world's largest agri-commodity trade houses said on Thursday global economic growth will only return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022 at the earliest. "I don’t see V-shaped recovery. We’ve come down in an escalator, but we're going to go back up the stairs," Sunny Verghese of Olam International said at the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) conference.

Nov 20 - Japan's Kagawa prefecture to cull 850,000 chickens after bird flu outbreak 
Japan's Kagawa prefecture will cull 850,000 chickens at two poultry farms after the country detected a bird flu outbreak earlier this month, the local government said in a statement on Friday. These will be the sixth and seventh cases of the avian flu in western Kagawa prefecture and the biggest culling to be done at one time since the country's first bird flu outbreak in more than two years was found in the poultry this month, an official at the prefecture said.

Nov 19 - Abu Dhabi's ADQ eyes around $1 bln loan to back Louis Dreyfus deal - sources 
Abu Dhabi state-owned ADQ is in talks with banks for a loan of about $1 billion that would back its acquisition of a 45% stake in commodities trader Louis Dreyfus Co (LDC), three sources said. ADQ said last week it had signed an agreement to acquire an indirect 45% equity stake in LDC, in what would be the first outside investment in the family-owned commodity merchant's 169-year-old history. 

Nov 19 - Argentine government steps in to end grains sector tug boat strike 
The Argentine government on Wednesday stepped in to end a less than day-old strike by tug boat crews that had threatened to disrupt the country's key grains export sector, with the Labor Ministry ordering a resumption of contract negotiations. The strike had begun at midnight, according to a statement issued by four crew members' unions. Contract talks had broken down over wages, but the ministry ordered negotiations to continue. The government regularly issues such orders to keep the strategically important grains export sector operating.

Nov 19 - U.S. crop planting could hit record next year if prices, weather hold - USDA 
American farmers could plant a record acreage of major field crops next year if favourable prices continue and spring weather allows, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official said on Wednesday. Corn and soybean prices are both profitable for U.S. farmers at current levels following a recent rally spurred by Chinese demand, Mark Jekanowski, chairman of the USDA’s World Agricultural Outlook Board, told the Global Grain conference.

 Nov 19 - French wheat exports to China could rise in 2020/21 - trader 
French wheat exports to China in 2020/21 could surpass last season's large volume as France's status as one of the few approved suppliers allowed it to capture robust Chinese demand, trading firm Lecureur said on Wednesday. French shipments to China are expected to reach 1.6 million tonnes in the first half of the July-June season, already equalling volumes over the whole of 2019/20, Thierry de Boussac, Lecureur's commercial director, told the Global Grain conference.

 Nov 19 - U.S. ethanol recovery threatened by rising virus restrictions -Braun 
U.S. ethanol production, a main source of demand for domestic corn, has been unusually light ever since March, when the coronavirus pandemic sharply curbed global fuel consumption. Ethanol output in recent weeks has very slowly chipped away at its deficit versus prior years, but the resurgence of the virus and increasing restrictions, especially just before the holidays, threaten to derail a comeback in fuel demand.

Nov 19 - Ukraine's 2020/21 barley exportable surplus used by 80% 
Ukraine has exported 3.4 million tonnes of barley in the first four months of the 2020/21 July-June season, using around 80% of this season's exportable surplus, analyst APK-Inform said on Wednesday. Poor weather has cut the barley harvest to 7.98 million tonnes this year from 8.92 million tonnes in 2019, reducing possible export to 4.2 million tonnes in 2010/21 from almost 5 million tonnes a season earlier.

Nov 19 - S.Africa 2020 maize harvest forecast to be 36% higher than last season - survey 
South Africa's 2020 maize harvest is expected to be 36% higher than the previous season, boosted by favourable weather conditions, a Reuters survey of five analysts and traders showed on Wednesday. The Crop Estimates Committee is expected to peg the 2019/2020 maize harvest at 15.379 million tonnes in its final estimate on Nov. 26, down from its October forecast of 15.420 million tonnes. 

Nov 19 - UK looking to support N.Ireland food chains, minister says 
Britain is considering further support measures for agricultural food producers and trying to find a solution for supermarkets as part of its Brexit talks with the European Union over trade to Northern Ireland, a minister said. Britain is 43 days away from the end of a Brexit transition period, after which EU rules that ensure free movement of goods between Britain, British province Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland will cease to apply. Talks on how to replace EU rules and keep goods flowing freely have yet to reach agreement.

Nov 18 - U.S. farmers celebrate soy price surge as Brazil misses out 
U.S. farmers sold freshly harvested soybeans directly off their combines for a profit as prices rose to a four-year high this autumn, a welcome change from the losses suffered during the U.S.-China trade war. Strong exports to China as the world's top soybean importer emerged from lockdown helped push the most-active soybean futures contract at the Chicago Board of Trade Sv1 up 12.3% between Aug. 1 and mid-September, when harvest kicked into gear across the U.S. Midwest. 

Nov 18 - China's irritated trade partners push back on coronavirus food tests 
Major food-producing countries are growing increasingly frustrated with China's scrutiny of imported products and are calling on it to stop aggressive testing for the coronavirus, which some say is tantamount to a trade restriction. China says it has found the virus on the packaging of products from 20 countries including German pork, Brazilian beef and Indian fish, but foreign officials say the lack of evidence produced by authorities means it is damaging trade and hurting the reputation of imported food without reason.

Nov 18 - FranceAgriMer raises non-EU soft wheat export outlook again 
Farm office FranceAgriMer on Tuesday increased its forecast of French soft wheat exports outside the European Union in 2020/21 for the second month in a row, pointing to brisk demand for a smaller French surplus this season. In monthly supply and demand data, FranceAgriMer projected soft wheat exports outside the EU and Britain in the July-June season at 6.85 million tonnes, up from 6.7 million tonnes seen last month.

 Nov 18 - Ukraine 2020 grain harvest 94% complete 
Ukraine had harvested 58.3 million tonnes of grain from 14.4 million hectares, or 94% of the sown area, as of Nov. 16, Ukraine's economy ministry said on Tuesday. It said farmers had completed the wheat and barley harvest and collected 22.7 million tonnes of corn from 82% of the sown area.

 Nov 18 - Jordan buys about 60,000 tonnes feed barley in tender - trade 
Jordan's state grain buyer has purchased about 60,000 tonnes of animal feed barley to be sourced from optional origins in an international tender which closed on Tuesday, traders said. It was bought at an estimated $238.99 a tonne c&f for shipment in the first half of February 2021. Seller was believed to be trading house Cerealcom Dolj.

Nov 18 - Beyond Meat launches plant-based minced pork in China 
Beyond Meat Inc on Tuesday launched plant-based minced pork in China, as the faux meat maker seeks to tap into the growing demand for its products in the lucrative Asian market. The company said its latest product, Beyond Pork, will initially be available at five popular restaurants in Shanghai.

Nov 18 - Germany may cull up to 70,000 chickens as bird flu found on another farm 
Bird flu has been found on another chicken farm in Germany and a programme to slaughter up to 70,000 poultry is being prepared, authorities said on Tuesday. Type H5N8 bird flu was confirmed in a farm near Rostock in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, said a spokesman for the local government authority Landkreis Rostock.

Nov 17 - Barley trade routes redrawn as China tariff hits Australian farmers 
Out in Australia's grain fields, farmers have started harvesting one of their biggest ever barley crops, after drought-relieving rains convinced many to plant to the edges of their paddocks. Yet the tractors are working under the cloud of a new tariff imposed by China -- seen widely as retaliation for Australia's push for a UN probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic -- that has all but halted barley trade between the two countries.

Nov 17 - NOPA October soybean crush jumps to record-high 185.245 million bushels 
The monthly U.S. soybean crush surged to a record high in October, topping all trade estimates, according to data released by the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) on Monday. NOPA said its members, which handle about 95 percent of all soybeans processed in the United States, crushed 185.245 million bushels of soybeans last month, up from 161.491 million bushels in September and 175.397 million bushels in October 2019.

Nov 17 - U.S. corn harvest 95% done, soy 96%; wheat ratings improve - USDA 
The U.S. corn harvest was 95% complete as of Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a weekly crop progress report on Monday, ahead of the five-year average of 87% but 1 percentage point behind the average estimate in a Reuters analyst poll. The U.S. soybean crop was 96% harvested, the USDA said, ahead of the five-year average of 93% and matching an average of expectations from 10 analysts surveyed by Reuters.

Nov 17 - Tyson Foods beats profit estimates, sees lower COVID-19 costs in 2021 
Tyson Foods beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit on Monday, but faces rising costs for animal feed and uncertainty over labor as COVID-19 cases surge in the United States. The pandemic has hurt the nation's highest-selling meat company as demand has declined from restaurants, hotels and cafeterias. Virus outbreaks among plant workers this spring forced slaughterhouses to close, limiting supplies in grocery stores as consumers scrambled to stock up. 

Nov 17 - Russian wheat-sowing regions in poor shape, depend on winter weather 
Conditions for Russia's winter wheat sowings remain tense, especially in part of Volgograd, Stavropol and nearby regions, despite some improvement seen in recent weeks, analysts said on Monday. Farmers in Russia, one of the world's largest exporters of the grain, have been sowing winter wheat in dry soil this year, increasing risks for the 2021 crop.

Nov 17 - Ukraine wheat, corn prices resume rising - APK-Inform 
Ukrainian wheat and corn export prices have resumed its upward trend, adding $4-$7 per tonnes over the last week thanks to a smaller harvest and high demands from importers, APK-Inform agriculture consultancy said on Monday. Last month, high demand from importers and worries about a delay in winter wheat sowing had pushed Ukraine's milling wheat export prices to the highest in two seasons.

Nov 17 - Funds’ bullish corn, soy views little changed after USDA’s supply cuts - Braun 
Chicago corn and soybean futures surged after the U.S. government slashed domestic supply outlooks last week, but against expectations, speculators’ bullish bets were very little changed by comparison. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Nov. 10 made historically large cuts to the U.S. corn and soybean harvests. But the agency maintained or increased robust demand expectations, sending ending stock projections to multiyear lows, well below what traders predicted.

Nov 17 - China's Oct pig herd grows 26.9%, sow herd up 31.5% yr/yr 
China's pig herd grew 26.9% in October from a year earlier and its sow herd rose by 31.5%, the ministry of agriculture said on Monday, extending strong rebounds in the previous few months after large numbers of pigs were killed by the African swine fever. Pork supplies improved as a result, with meat prices declining since October, the ministry said. 

Nov 17 - Smithfield Foods, subcontractor fined $100,000 for COVID-19 violations in California 
Smithfield Foods, the world's biggest pork processor, and a subcontractor face fines of more than $100,000 from California's workplace safety regulator for failing to protect employees from COVID-19 and other violations during the pandemic. The penalties increase pressure on Chinese-owned Smithfield over U.S. working conditions during the health crisis, after federal regulators hit the meatpacker and others with smaller fines.

Nov 17 - Argentina aims to increase meat exports by 33% over three years 
Argentine meat processing plants will invest $187 million in a bid to increase exports from the country by 33% over three years to 1.2 million tonnes per year, the head of a local trade group said on Monday during a conference with government officials. Argentina is a major world exporter of beef and China its main customer. The governor of Buenos Aires province, home to many of the country's meat plants, said that the production expansion is mainly intended to serve the Chinese market, the destination of 73% of Argentine meat exports in the first nine months of 2020.

Nov 17 - Malaysia's FGV posts quarterly profit, expects palm prices to remain strong 
Malaysia's FGV Holdings Bhd (FGV), the world's largest crude palm oil producer, on Tuesday posted a third-quarter profit compared with a year-ago loss and said it expects the commodity's price to remain strong until the end of 2020. The company, which posted its second consecutive quarterly profit, attributed results to higher crude palm oil (CPO) prices and lower losses in its sugar sector.

 

Nov 16 - Brazil farmers sell record soy volume in advance from 2020/2021 crop - Datagro 
Brazilian farmers have pre-sold an unprecedented amount of their new soybean crop amid a rally in Chicago that compelled many to trade in their beans even before laying a single seed on the ground this year. On Friday, agribusiness consultancy Datagro said farmers had sold 71.76 million tonnes of Brazil's most prized export commodity through Nov. 6, corresponding to 53.4% of the estimated output for the current planting cycle.

Nov 16 - Shanghai to start testing 'high-risk' cold storage food imports for coronavirus 
Shanghai city government said all imports of what it called "high-risk" imported cold-storage food will need to be tested for coronavirus and have packaging disinfected before being stored or sold in the city. Announcing the move in a post on the city's official WeChat account on Sunday, the authorities did not specify what it meant by "high-risk" imports, but the ban comes as two more Chinese cities said they had found the virus on frozen imports. 

Nov 16 - Bumper soy crop ruled out in Brazil's top grain state amid drought - analyst 
A "super soybean harvest" is ruled out for the 2020/2021 season in Brazil's biggest grain state, Mato Grosso, as irregular rains cast doubt over yields and the volumes when the crop is ready next year, an analyst with agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Friday. The Brazilian government said earlier in the week that Mato Grosso will reap almost 37 million tonnes of soybeans in 2021, while Brazil should harvest a record of about 135 million tonnes. 

 Nov 16 - Ukraine grain exports seen down at 18.5 mln T so far in 2020/21 
Ukraine's grain exports have fallen to 18.5 million tonnes so far in the season that runs from July 2020 to June 2021 from 21.4 million tonnes in the same period last season, the economy ministry said on Friday. Traders had sold 3.4 million tonnes of corn as of Nov. 13, down from 5.3 million tonnes on the same date last year. The total export volume included 11.2 million tonnes of wheat and 3.5 million tonnes of barley.

 Nov 16 - High food prices hurting India's poor, pain to persist 
India's retail inflation may stay elevated for at least three more months after hitting a six-year high in October, as excess rain has damaged standing crops and seedlings, while edible oils that the country imports have become expensive. The high prices are a particular cause of concern for India's hundreds of millions of poor people, who have already been squeezed by the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on an economy that contracted a record 23.9% in April-June.

 Nov 16 - Bangladesh issues first rice import tender in three years 
Bangladesh's state grains agency issued an international tender to purchase 50,000 tonnes of rice on Monday, its first buying tender in three years amid a surge in prices of the staple grain.  The deadline to submit offers is Nov. 26, with validity up to Dec. 10. The rice is to be shipped within 40 days of signing a contract, according to the tender document and officials at the purchasing agency.

 Nov 16 - India's vegetable oil imports drop 13% in 2019-20 - industry body 
India's vegetable oil imports fell 13% in the marketing year to October, a leading trade body said on Friday, due to sluggish demand from hotels and restaurants which bore the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. India imported 13.5 million tonnes of vegetable oils in the 2019-20 oil year, the Solvent Extractors' Association said in a statement.

Nov 16 - Outside Mogadishu, locusts turn farmland into desert 
A rifle on his back, Mohamed Yasin tries in vain to chase away the swarm of yellow-coloured insects that have invaded his farm as his camels mill about nearby. Swarming on the outskirts of Mogadishu, locusts are eating away at Yasin's livelihood, destroying maize and beans and all his grass.

Nov 13 - Grain grab: China's global hunt for feed grains roils world market
Chinese feed producers, pig farmers and traders are reshaping the global grain market as they scour the world for supplies amid a domestic shortfall that sent local corn prices to record highs and is expected to fuel global food inflation in 2021. The country's buying has put it on a trajectory to emerge as the top grain buyer by far this season, shattering previous purchase records and marking a clear break from China's history as a relatively self-sufficient player in grain markets.

Nov 13 - EU facing tight grain supply despite lockdown demand drag – analyst
Grain supply in Europe could tighten this season despite coronavirus lockdowns clipping demand, as barley exports continue to flow to China and wheat makes up for a shortfall in imported maize, Strategie Grains said. In a monthly report, the analyst firm lowered its forecast of European Union and UK maize imports in 2020/21 by almost 2 million tonnes to just under 17 million tonnes, citing rising international prices due to a disappointing Ukrainian harvest and high Chinese demand.

Nov 13 - Argentina's wheat harvest seen at 16.7 mln tonnes, lowest in five years, exchange says
Argentina's wheat harvest is seen at 16.7 million tonnes, slightly down from the previous 17 million tonne estimate due to a prolonged drought, the Rosario Grains Exchange (BCR) said. The estimate suggests wheat production in Argentina, a major global exporter, will be the lowest in five years, the exchange said late on Wednesday. 

 Nov 13 - NOPA October U.S. soy crush seen at 177.123 million bushels - survey
The U.S. soybean crush likely surged in October to the second highest monthly level on record on strong processing margins and ample supplies of newly harvested beans, according to analysts polled ahead of a National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) report due on Monday. NOPA members, which handle about 95% of all soybeans processed in the United States, were estimated to have crushed 177.123 million bushels of soybeans last month, according to the average of estimates from 11 analysts.

 Nov 13 - Argentina says China has found coronavirus trace on beef shipment packaging
Argentine authorities said on Thursday that they had been informed about an alleged finding by China of traces of COVID-19 on the external packaging of a shipment of the South American country's beef.  China is the main buyer of beef from Argentina's famed ranchers, which in the first nine months of the year sent almost three-quarters of the 645,000 tons exported by the South American country to the Asian nation, official data show.

Nov 13 - Algeria starts buying milling wheat in tender - trade
Algeria’s state grains agency OAIC has started purchasing optional-origin milling wheat in an international tender which closed on Thursday, European traders said in initial assessments. Initial estimates put the purchase at around 500,000 tonnes but more details are expected later. It was thought to have been largely purchased at around $274.50 a tonne c&f, traders said. More detailed assessment of prices are expected later.

Nov 13 - USDA updates farmer-reported U.S. crop planting totals for November
Farmers participating in U.S. crop subsidy programs reported "prevented plantings" by Nov. 2 of 6.184 million acres of corn, 1.476 million acres of soybeans, 1.270 million acres of wheat and 10.215 million acres for all crops, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Thursday. Producers enrolled in subsidy programs as of Nov. 2 reported planted acreage, including failed acres, at 88.454 million acres of corn, 81.949 million acres of soybeans, 46.159 million acres of wheat and 243,877 million acres for all crops.

Nov 13 - Brazil's cattle prices soar, squeezing meat firms like JBS and Marfrig
The price of Brazilian cattle is fast approaching the 300 reais ($54.95) per 15-kilogram arroba, squeezing meatpackers' margins at a time of strong Chinese demand for Brazilian steaks, analysts said. Cattle prices hit 292 reais per arroba on Wednesday, up nearly 5% in November alone and a 40% increase year to date, driven by strong export market demand.

Nov 13 - Britain's wheat imports surge in September
Britain's wheat imports rose sharply in September and are running at more than double last season's pace, customs data showed on Thursday. Wheat imports for the month totalled 337,212 tonnes, up from 222,337 tonnes in August.

Nov 13 - India allocates extra $8.71 billion in fertilizer subsidy
India has earmarked an extra 650 billion rupees ($8.71 billion) in fertilizer subsidies for the current fiscal year, begun in April, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday. The government has decided to allocate the extra subsidy to ensure that there is adequate availability of fertilizer to farmers, Sitharaman said while announcing a third round of fiscal stimulus to help stressed sectors battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nov 13 - COFCO crushing plant in Argentina partially restarts after fatal accident
A grains crushing plant of Chinese farm giant COFCO International partially resumed operations on Thursday, after halting them on Tuesday after an incident in which three contractor workers died, a spokesman told Reuters. Argentina is the world's leading exporter of soybean oil and meal, with huge processing plants mostly along the Parana River around the city of Rosario in Santa Fe province.

Nov 12 - Evaluating CBOT soybean prices against historically thin inventory - Braun
Soybean stockpiles in the United States are set to shrink to a seven-year low by next August, while domestic demand jumps to an all-time high. But prices are notably lower than in previous low-supply years. Chicago soybean futures have risen more than 30% over the last three months, a very unusual trend during the U.S. soybean harvest. Most-active futures on Tuesday had their biggest single-day surge in more than a year after the U.S. Department of Agriculture slashed U.S. ending stocks on a smaller crop estimate. 

Nov 12 - Strikes by Argentina grains port workers delay loading of five ships
The loading of five cargo ships in different grains ports in Argentina has been stalled for days due to strikes by port workers, the labor union representing the employees and an industry source said on Wednesday. ADM and the local ACA cooperative have each had a ship waiting since Saturday to complete cargo loading at the companies' terminals in Puerto General San Martín and San Lorenzo, the shipping hub north of Rosario, according to the URGARA union. 

Nov 12 - Australia's GrainCorp annual loss shrinks, sees growth in 2021 earnings
GrainCorp said it expects growth in earnings next year from a strong winter crop and posted a smaller annual loss for 2020 on Thursday, as restructuring efforts by the Australian bulk grain handler as well as stronger oilseed crush volumes and margins helped. After battling a three-year drought that ravaged farms across eastern Australia and wilted output, GrainCorp's fortunes turned earlier this year as better rainfall and the restructuring of grain contracts helped it post a profit for the first half. 

 Nov 12 - Louis Dreyfus to gain first outside investor via deal with Abu Dhabi's ADQ
Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has agreed to sell a 45% stake to Abu Dhabi's ADQ, the companies said on Wednesday, the first outside investment in the family-owned commodity merchant's 169-year-old history. The deal comes after a search by chairwoman Margarita Louis-Dreyfus for an investor to relieve debt built up to buy out other shareholders, and extends state-owned holding company ADQ's foray into food commodities that are crucial to import-reliant Gulf states.

 Nov 12 - India startups seek high-tech solutions to colossal food waste
Startups and venture capital are pouring into what might seem an unlikely place: India's vast, outdated agriculture industry. Seizing on controversial new deregulation, entrepreneurs are selling farmers apps to connect them to big buyers nationwide and using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the rickety supply chains that lose one-fourth of India's produce to wastage.

Nov 12 - Brazil's JBS reports surging quarterly profit; beats estimates
Brazil-based meat giant JBS SA on Wednesday reported a near nine-times increase in third-quarter net profit, beating market expectations, driven by strong demand at home as well as from the United States and China. July-September profit reached 3.133 billion reais ($581.2 million) versus 357 million reais in the same period a year prior. That compared with the 2.870 billion reais average of three analysts estimates compiled by Refinitiv.

Nov 12 - Turkey buys 550,000 tonnes wheat in tender, traders say
Turkey's state grain board TMO has purchased 550,000 tonnes of wheat in a tender for the same volume, which closed on Wednesday, traders said. Turkey continues an active period of grain importing to cool local prices and support the country's large flour export programme.

Nov 12 - U.S. meat company sues New Mexico to stay open after COVID-19 cases
A U.S. meat company that supplies Walmart and Costco is suing New Mexico to fight a state order that seeks to close a production facility where more than 100 workers have tested positive for COVID-19. The lawsuit from Stampede Meat argues the plant in Sunland Park, New Mexico, should stay open under an executive order from President Donald Trump, pitting the federal government against local health officials as coronavirus infections rise.

Nov 12 - UK approves post-Brexit farm law prioritising environment
The British parliament approved a new agriculture law on Wednesday that will reward farmers for taking better care of the environment, as the country prepares to exit the European Union's single market and customs union on Dec. 31. The National Farmers Union (NFU), which has long campaigned for food safety and animal welfare standards to be enshrined in UK law after Brexit, hailed the law as a "landmark moment" that will set out how Britain farms for generations to come.

Nov 11 - USDA cuts domestic corn, soy supplies to smallest since 2013/14

U.S. corn and soybean stockpiles this marketing year will fall to their smallest in seven years due to reduced harvest expectations and strong exports, the government said on Tuesday. The stocks figures were smaller than expected and analysts said supplies could tighten further as overseas buyers look to hoard commodities and secure their food supplies as COVID-19 cases rise globally, spurring fears of supply chain disruptions.

Nov 11 - Global grain merchants see improved trading prospects on China, pandemic stockpiling
Global grain merchants see business booming in their core trading businesses now and in the future after years of uneven returns, thanks to resurgent grain imports by China and stockpiling by other nations during the coronavirus pandemic, two agribusiness executives told Reuters. Large agricultural traders, including Archer Daniels Midland Co and Cargill Inc, are well-placed to benefit from tightening global grain stocks and heightened price volatility, the executives said at the Reuters Events Commodity Trading Summit.

Nov 11 - Argentine grains port workers, export firms still far from deal to end strike - source 
Argentina agro-export companies and grains port workers are still far from reaching a salary agreement, a port chamber source said on Tuesday, prolonging strikes that continue to impact shipments from one of the world's top exporters. The URGARA union, which represents inspectors who check the quality of grains before they are loaded onto ships, launched surprise strikes on Monday to protest stalled wage talks, hitting shipments in some major terminals of Puerto General San Martín, San Lorenzo, Quequén and Bahía Blanca. 

Nov 11 - Algeria tenders for a nominal 50,000 tonnes milling wheat
Algeria's state grains agency OAIC has issued an international tender to buy milling wheat to be sourced from optional origins, European traders said on Tuesday. The tender sought a nominal 50,000 tonnes, but Algeria often buys considerably more in its tenders than the nominal volume sought.

 Nov 11 - Ukraine 2020 grain harvest 90% complete, sowing near end
Ukraine has harvested 55.3 million tonnes of grain from 13.8 million hectares, or 90% of the sown area, as of Nov. 9, Ukraine's economy ministry said on Tuesday. It said farmers had completed the wheat and barley harvest and collected 19.6 million tonnes of corn from 4 million hectares, or 72% of the sown area.

 Nov 11 - Cargill agrees to sell Venezuela unit to local firm, investment fund
Cargill said on Tuesday it has agreed to sell its Venezuela unit to a group of investors represented by Phoenix Global Investment and local firm Grupo Puig. The sale affects all of Cargill's activities in the country, including plants that produce flour, pasta, cooking oil, and animal feed, the company said in a statement.

Nov 11 - Socially conscious investors rank Brazil's JBS, BRF 'medium' risk, Minerva 'high'
Meatpackers in Brazil such as JBS SA and BRF SA have yet to address key sustainability issues affecting investor perceptions of their industry, according to the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index released on Tuesday. One smaller Brazilian meatpacker, Minerva SA, was ranked "high risk" by the FAIRR Initiative, an investor network that monitors environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues across the dairy, meat and aquaculture sectors.

Nov 11 - Accident at COFCO crushing plant in Argentina kills three, halts operations
Activity at an Argentine grains crushing plant for China's COFCO was halted on Tuesday after an accident that killed three workers, the company said. "We regret to inform that at our plant in the town of Saforcada, three employees of the Tork company, hired to carry out work in silos, lost their lives while doing their task," COFCO said in a statement.

Nov 11 - German region orders poultry indoors after bird flu found
Authorities in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein on Tuesday ordered that all poultry be kept indoors following the discovery of bird flu in two farms in the region. Type H5N8 bird flu was confirmed in a second poultry farm in Schleswig-Holstein on Monday following a case on another farm in the state last week.

Nov 10 - Argentina grains port workers strike over wages, affecting shipments - union spokesman
Argentine grain port workers launched surprise strikes to protest stalled wage talks, their labor union said on Monday, delaying shipments from one of the world's top exporters. "We are going to make surprise halts as much as we consider it necessary," said Juan Carlos Peralta, a spokesman for the URGARA union, which represents inspectors who check the quality of grains before they are loaded onto ships.

Nov 10 - U.S. corn harvest 91% complete, soybeans 92% complete -USDA
The U.S. corn harvest was 91% complete as of Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a weekly crop progress report on Monday, ahead of the five-year average of 80% and matching the average estimate in a Reuters analyst poll. The U.S. soybean crop was 92% harvested, the USDA said, ahead of the five-year average of 90% but behind the average analyst expectation of 94%. 

Nov 10 - China, U.S. corn trade in focus for Tuesday's USDA report - Braun
The November supply and demand update from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is often relatively quiet compared with other months, but global corn trade is high on the market’s watch list this time around with eyes on both China and the United States. Market participants have long been waiting for recognition from the U.S. government that China plans to import more than 7 million tonnes of corn over the next year, especially since its U.S. purchases alone exceed that number.

 Nov 10 - Bayer makes 'substantial progress' in Roundup cancer lawsuits, mediator says
A court-appointed mediator on Monday said Bayer AG has made "substantial progress" toward resolving tens of thousands of remaining claims that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. The mediator Kenneth Feinberg spoke at a Zoom hearing in San Francisco federal court, where a judge still oversees nearly 2,000 unresolved cases over glyphosate-based Roundup, which Bayer acquired with its purchase of Monsanto. Other cases are in state courts.

 Nov 10 - Crop Watch: Ohio wraps up, farmers look ahead to 2021 acreage plans - Braun
Harvest conditions were finally favorable in Ohio last week after multiple rain delays, and it was worth the wait for the Crop Watch producer, who was pleasantly surprised by the strong corn result. Elsewhere across the Corn Belt, harvest is mostly complete, and the growers are already contemplating their spring plans, which vary depending on the producer.

Nov 10 - China suspends fish imports from Indonesian firm after coronavirus detected
China has suspended imports from Indonesia's PT. Anugrah Laut Indonesia for one week after the novel coronavirus was detected in a sample of frozen fish products supplied by the firm, Chinese customs said on Tuesday. Trade will automatically resume as soon as the seven-day suspension is completed, the General Administration of Customs said.

Nov 10 - Russian wheat prices rise after one week of decline
Russian wheat export prices rose last week, after a decline the week before, driven by suppressed sales by farmers, a stronger rouble and improved wheat prices in Chicago and Paris, analysts said on Monday. Russian wheat with 12.5% protein loading from Black Sea ports was at $253 a tonne free on board (FOB) at the end of last week, up $2 from the previous week, said Dmitry Rylko, the head of the IKAR agriculture consultancy. 

Nov 10 - Brazil's BRF posts 3rd qtr profit, slightly above forecast
Brazilian food processor BRF SA turned a third-quarter profit driven by a strong performance in its home market, slightly beating expectations, according to a securities filing on Monday.
BRF said it earned 218.7 million reais ($40.61 million), versus analysts' average estimate of 203.15 million reais according to Refinitiv data. 

Nov 09 - China's Oct soybean imports soar to 8.7 mln T on rising Brazilian, U.S. cargoes 
China's soybean imports jumped 41% in October from a year ago, according to data from the General Administration of Customs released on Saturday, as delayed Brazilian cargoes cleared customs and U.S. soybean arrivals grew. The world's top soybean importer brought in 8.69 million tonnes of the oilseed in October, up from 6.18 million tonnes in the same month of the previous year, as crushers booked Brazilian beans earlier on good crush margins and as more U.S. beans started to flow in, the data showed.

Nov 09 - Brazil issues rule facilitating U.S. GMO soy imports, ministry says 
Brazil's agriculture ministry has issued a regulation facilitating imports of genetically modified (GMO) soybeans from the United States, it said in a statement in response to questions from Reuters. The statement sent late on Thursday said the regulation conferred legal security to imports of grains from the United states "by recognizing the equivalence of genetically modified events approved in the United States and in Brazil".

Nov 09 - Funds buy CBOT corn for 13th straight week despite price skid - Braun 
Chicago-traded corn futures fell last week over fears of rising global coronavirus cases, but speculators continued to buy the yellow grain as export demand remains strong. That optimism lingered late in the week with robust import possibilities in China. In the week ended Nov. 3, money managers increased their net long position in CBOT corn to 290,080 futures and options contracts from 276,235 a week earlier, based on data published on Friday by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

 Nov 09 - China's Tianjin to test cold storage food sites after confirmed coronavirus case 
China's northern port city of Tianjin said on Sunday it plans to carry out tests on some cold storage facilities and their staff after a confirmed coronavirus case involving a worker who had handled frozen pork imported from Germany. The patient, a 38-year-old male employee of a frozen food company in the Binhai New Area district of the city, had handled pork products from Germany on Nov. 4, the local government said.

 Nov 09 - U.S. farmers to seed more soy and wheat, less corn for 2021/22 - USDA 
U.S. farmers are likely to expand plantings of soybeans and wheat while slightly reducing seedings of corn for the upcoming marketing year, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Friday. The USDA forecast that farmers will seed 90.0 million acres of corn in the 2021/22 crop year, down from 91.0 million for 2020/21. For soybeans, plantings are projected to rise to 89.0 million acres, from 83.1 million.

Nov 09 - French soft wheat sowing 76% complete by Nov. 2 
French farmers had sown 76% of the expected soft wheat area for next year's harvest by Nov. 2, compared with 66% a week earlier, farm office FranceAgriMer said on Friday. Soft wheat sowing remained both ahead of the pace last year, when 63% of the area had been sown by the same week, and in line with the average rate of the past five years, FranceAgriMer said in its weekly cereal crop report.

Nov 09 - EU set to impose tariffs on $4 bln U.S. goods next week 
The European Union is poised to move next week to impose tariffs on $4 billion of U.S. imports in retaliation for U.S. subsidies for planemaker Boeing, EU diplomats said, teeing up an eleventh-hour showdown with U.S. President Donald Trump. A majority of EU governments have backed imposing the widely expected tariffs once EU trade ministers meet next Monday - the latest twist in a transatlantic trade saga that has spanned 16 years and four U.S. presidents.

Nov 09 - Ukraine wheat, corn export prices flat over the past week 
Ukrainian wheat and corn export prices were almost unchanged over the last week due to improving prospects for the 2021 harvest, APK-Inform agriculture consultancy said on Monday. Last month, high demand from importers and worries about a delay in winter wheat sowing had pushed Ukraine's milling wheat export prices to the highest in two seasons.

Nov 06 - Australian wheat prices drop below Black Sea in Asia for 1st time in 4 years
Prices of Australian wheat offered in Asia slid this week below Black Sea values for the first time in at least four years, with the country forecast to harvest a near-record crop, two trade sources said. For January shipment, Australia Premium White (APW) wheat is being quoted at $275 a tonne, including cost and freight (C&F), to Southeast Asia, compared with a similar quality of Black Sea wheat at $285 a tonne.

Nov 06 - USDA attache report sees China 2020/21 corn imports at 22 million T
An attache report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service post in Beijing estimated China's corn imports in the 2020/21 marketing year at 22 million tonnes, well above the USDA's official forecast of 7 million tonnes. The attache's report, dated Nov. 4 and released on Thursday, attributed the higher corn import figure to "depleted stocks and high domestic prices."

Nov 06 - U.S. soy sales to China slow, import intentions remain uncertain -Braun
U.S. soy sales to China this month have cooled from their previously hot pace, raising the question of whether China is simply taking a breather from the U.S. market, or if most of the intended volume has already been purchased and buyers are awaiting Brazil’s new supply. China’s appetite for U.S. soybeans has surged in recent months, helping overall U.S. farm trade to the Asian country set new records for the time of year. It has also moved Beijing closer to fulfilling the heavy purchase targets outlined in the Phase 1 trade deal.

 Nov 06 - India's cotton exports could jump 40% to 7-yr high as prices rally 
India's cotton exports could jump 40% in 2020/21 from a year ago to 7 million bales, the highest in seven years, as depreciation of the rupee and a rally in global prices allow exporters to clinch export contracts, the head of a leading trade body told Reuters. Higher exports by the world's biggest cotton producer in 2020/21 season, started on Oct. 1, could weigh on global prices and limit shipments from rivals such as the United States and Brazil to key Asian buyers such as China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

 Nov 06 - Dutch to cull 200,000 chickens after second case of bird flu detected
The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture on Thursday ordered the culling of 200,000 chickens after highly pathogenic bird flu was found at a farm in the eastern town of Puiflijk. The cull, which includes birds at a second farm within a 1km radius, is the second in the country within a month after the H5N8 disease was first found in wild fowl.

Nov 06 - Recent rains give boost to start of Argentina soybean planting - grains exchange
Recent rains in Argentina gave a boost to the start of soybean planting for the 2020/21 cycle, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said on Thursday, with a forecast of 17.2 million hectares of planting area for the season. The planting area is expected to exceed last season by 100,000 hectares. The exchange, however, expects a smaller harvest of 46.5 million tonnes compared to 49 million in the 2019/20 season due to previous drier conditions caused by a weak La Niña weather system.

Nov 06 - World food price index rises in Oct for fifth month running - FAO
World food prices rose for a fifth month running in October, fully recovering from the shock caused by the global coronavirus pandemic and with gains seen in most sectors, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. The Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 100.9 points last month, the highest since January, versus a slightly revised 97.8 in September.

Nov 06 - Trump administration asks court for extension to respond to refiners' biofuel petition
The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court this week for an extension to respond to a petition from oil refiners requesting that the court review a decision that cast doubt on a program exempting refiners from biofuel blending obligations. The government's request would push their response deadline to Dec. 14 from Nov. 12, according to a letter to the court dated Wednesday. The request comes as the Trump administration has delayed a slew of decisions related to U.S. biofuel laws, choosing to wait until after the U.S. presidential election to decide on politically sensitive matters.

Nov 06 - Bird flu confirmed on farm in northern German state - ministry
Bird flu of the type H5N8 has been found on a poultry farm in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, the state's agriculture ministry said on Thursday, after it has already spread among the wild bird population in the region. Eight chickens died within a short time on a farm in the state, the ministry said, adding that the rest of the poultry on the farm had been culled and disposed of professionally.

Nov 06 - Ukraine 2020 corn crop seen falling sharply - traders, analysts
Ukraine, the world's fourth-largest corn exporter, is likely to harvest between 26 and 33 million tonnes this year compared with 35.9 million tonnes in 2029, several Ukrainian trading houses and analysts said on Thursday. Severe drought in summer has reduced the harvested area and corn yield sharply, they said.

Nov 05 - U.S. House agriculture leader loses election, unsettling Midwest farm sector
Democratic U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, House Agriculture Committee chair, failed to win re-election in Minnesota on Tuesday, a loss some agriculture leaders said could hurt the Midwest grain belt. Though Democrats retained control of the House and therefore will again chair the committee, Peterson's exit could shift U.S. spending away from a region hammered by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war with China, they said.

Nov 05 - Soybeans lead U.S. farm exports to China to another monthly record - Braun
China’s strong return to the U.S. soybean market in recent months has single-handedly lifted U.S. farm exports to the Asian country to new records, and the heavy forward shipping schedule bodes well for the promises outlined in the Phase 1 trade agreement between the two countries. That agreement suggests China in 2020 will buy and import at least $36.5 billion worth of American agricultural products, an all-time high. Progress was relatively dismal through mid-year, but the narrative has since changed.

Nov 05 - Malaysia's palm oil stockpile seen hitting three-year lows in Oct as output falls
Malaysia's palm oil inventories likely slumped to a three-year low in October, with rainy weather and coronavirus restrictions seen hitting production while exports are expected to rise due to higher demand from India during a festival season. The palm oil stockpile in the world's second-largest producer is expected to have fallen 9.8% month-on-month in October to 1.56 million tonnes - its lowest since June 2017 - after a marginal rise in the past two months, according to a median estimate of eight planters, traders and analysts polled by Reuters.

 Nov 05 - Trade estimates for USDA November world crop end-stocks - poll
The following are analysts' estimates ahead of the November crop supply/demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which will estimate 2020-21 global ending stocks for wheat, corn and soybeans. The USDA is scheduled to release the report on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT). Reuters surveys analysts for their expectations of what the USDA will report, and for the analysts' own estimates. Reuters publishes these sets of numbers separately.

 Nov 05 - Most of Ukraine's winter grain crops are in good, satisfactory state
Most of Ukraine's winter grain crops sown for the 2021 harvest are in good and satisfactory condition, analyst APK-Inform said on Wednesday, citing weather forecasters. The economy ministry said on Tuesday farmers had sown 5.65 million hectares of winter wheat, or 92% of the expected area as of Nov. 2.

Nov 05 - Flooded out, hungry South Sudan farmers race to plant fresh crops 
After the worst rains in living memory inundated her fields, South Sudan farmer Alexandra Karama is, like hundreds of thousands of her compatriots, staring hunger in the face. Her smallholding is located outside the western town of Mundri, one of the worst affected areas where swathes of crops have failed.

Nov 05 - Japan's Kagawa prefecture to cull 330,000 chickens after bird flu outbreak
Japan's Kagawa prefecture will cull 330,000 chickens at a farm after the country's first bird flu outbreak in poultry in more than two years, government officials said on Thursday. Chickens at a farm in Mitoyo, a city in western Kagawa prefecture, tested positive in a preliminary examination for avian influenza on Thursday, officials from the agriculture ministry and the prefecture said.

Nov 05 - Corteva posts smaller-than-expected loss, accelerates buyback timeline
Corteva Inc on Wednesday reported a smaller-than-expected loss, primarily on the back of cost cuts, and accelerated the timeline for its share buyback program. The pesticide and seed maker has been streamlining its manufacturing operations by shutting down some facilities and more recently said it would look to cut some more costs in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic that has hurt commodities markets.

Nov 04 - French soft wheat shipments hit season high on record China flow
French soft wheat shipments outside the European Union in October reached their highest monthly level for the season, buoyed by a record volume of exports to China, an initial estimate based on Refinitiv data showed. Soft wheat exports to destinations outside the EU totalled 703,000 tonnes in October, the fourth month of the 2020/21 season, the Refinitiv loading data showed.

Nov 04 - IHS Markit lowers average U.S. corn yield to 175.7 bushel/acre, document shows
Private analytics firm IHS Markit Agribusiness, formerly known as IEG Vantage, on Tuesday cut its forecast of the average U.S. 2020 corn yield to 175.7 bushels per acre (bpa), from 177.8 a month ago, according to traders and an IHS client note seen by Reuters. The firm estimated U.S. corn production at 14.502 billion bushels, compared with its Oct. 2 figure of 14.812 billion. For soybeans, IHS Markit forecast the average U.S. 2020 yield at 50.8 bpa, down from its Oct. 2 figure of 51.9. The firm put soybean production at 4.183 billion bushels, down from 4.294 billion bushels last month.

Nov 04 - U.S. winter wheat crop still in need of moisture despite recent rains - Braun
It has been a historically dry fall for the newly sown wheat crop in the Southern U.S. Plains, and risks for the spring harvest continue even after last week’s rain event since the relief was less than expected. As of Nov. 1, some 43% of U.S. winter wheat was in good or excellent condition, up 2 points on the week but 2 points below analyst predictions. That is the second-lowest score for the week since records began in 1986, behind 2012, corresponding to the 2013 harvest.

Nov 04 - Brexit talks fail to agree on fisheries, two other issues, say sources
EU-UK trade negotiations have so far failed to make a breakthrough on their three most persistent disagreements - the so-called level playing field, fisheries and settling disputes - sources from both sides told Reuters on Tuesday. That comes after nearly two weeks of intensified talks to salvage free trade between the 27-nation European Union and Britain from 2021. The negotiations now are in a final stretch aimed at sealing a new trade agreement by Nov. 15.

 Nov 04 - Meat producers ask Ukraine to limit corn exports in 2020/21
The Ukrainian pig and poultry growers associations have asked the government to set a maximum volume of corn available for export in the 2020/21 season due to a sharp jump in fodder costs that could push up meat prices. Ukraine is among the world's largest corn producers and exporters but poor weather this year could reduce the harvest to 33 million tonnes from 35.9 million tonnes in 2019, according to economy ministry estimates.

 Nov 04 - China's Greenland, Brazil's Minerva sign meat distribution deal
China's Greenland Group has agreed to expand the presence of Brazilian meat-packer Minerva in China through a joint venture with registered capital of 500 million yuan ($74.83 million), according to a statement from Greenland on Nov. 2. Minerva, which will release financial results in Brazil after the markets close on Tuesday, declined to comment.

Nov 03 - Bayer takes more than $10 bln writedown, flags higher Roundup settlement bill
Bayer took impairment charges of 9.25 billion euros ($10.79 billion) and said the costs of its settlement over claims its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer would be higher as the burden from its takeover of Monsanto mounts. The write-downs, driven by weaker demand from farmers due to low biofuel prices, and an increase of about $750 million in the costs of coming to terms with U.S. plaintiffs over Roundup, resulted in a loss before interest and tax of 9.4 billion euros in the third quarter, it said on Monday.

Nov 03 - Brazil-bound U.S. soybean vessel loading at Gulf Coast terminal - Southport shipping lineup
A U.S. grain export terminal near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is loading about 38,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans on a bulk cargo vessel for shipment to Brazil, according to a Southport Agencies shipping lineup seen by Reuters. The unusual shipment from the United States, the world's second-largest soybean exporter, to the top supplier of the oilseed comes as Brazil is grappling with rising prices of domestic food staples.

Nov 03 - U.S. winter wheat ratings improve; corn harvest 82% complete - USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture in a weekly crop progress report on Monday rated 43% of the U.S. winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, up from 41% a week earlier but below the average estimate of 45% in a Reuters analyst survey. By state, ratings declined in Kansas, the top winter wheat producer, where 28% of the crop was rated good to excellent, down from 29% a week earlier. But ratings improved sharply in Oklahoma, with 34% of the crop in good to excellent condition, up from 11% a week ago.

 Nov 03 - StoneX trims U.S. 2020 corn and soybean yield forecasts 
Commodity brokerage StoneX, formerly known as INTL FCStone, on Monday trimmed its estimate of the average U.S. 2020 corn yield to 178.9 bushels per acre (bpa), from 179.0 in its previous monthly report released Oct. 1. The firm lowered its corn production forecast to 14.762 billion bushels from 14.942 billion previously.

 Nov 03 - Crop Watch: Slow progress in Ohio; mixed results after Kansas rains - Braun
Corn harvesting remained slow last week in Ohio, and much-needed rains in Kansas were helpful for parched wheat, though they were not as widespread as hoped. The U.S. Crop Watch growers are either finished or nearing completion on their personal harvests, mostly on schedule or ahead, and the unusually warm and dry weather expected this week will allow for increased fieldwork. Midweek rains and very wet corn curbed activity in Ohio, but the favorable forecast for the next several days should make for a strong week of harvest. The Ohio producer expects to finish the subject corn field this week.

Nov 03 - Wheat sales from China's state reserves shoot up amid high corn prices
China sold 2.699 million tonnes of wheat from state reserves last week, continuing strong sales from the previous week, the National Grain Trade Center said on Monday, as users scrambled to stock up on the grain amid soaring corn prices. China, the world's largest wheat producer and user, sold 67.74% of the wheat put up for auction during a weekly sale, according to a statement on the trade center's website, as feed makers bought the grain to substitute corn, which is getting increasingly expensive on tightening supplies.

Nov 03 - Mexico targets financing for 8 mln tons of grains output
Mexico's government aims to provide financing to cover at least 8 million tons of grains production in the 2020-21 autumn-winter cycle with a targeted lending program, the agriculture ministry said on Monday. With development bank support, Mexico aims to unlock financing for price hedges worth some 1.5 billion pesos ($70.5 million), the ministry said in a statement.

Nov 03 - Ukraine's grain exports down 15.8% so far in 2020/21 season
Ukraine's grain exports have fallen 15.8% to 16.5 million tonnes so far in the season that runs from July 2020 to June 2021 because of a lower corn shipments, the economy ministry said on Monday. Traders sold 2.5 million tonnes of corn compared with 4.4 million tonnes on the same date last year. Wheat exports fell to 10.6 million tonnes from around 11 million.

Nov 03 - India buys more paddy rice after farmers protest new laws
India's new season paddy rice purchases from local farmers rose 21% by the end of October as New Delhi tried to allay farmers' concerns that new agricultural laws mean the federal government will stop buying food grains at guaranteed prices. India recently approved reforms of its agriculture sector that will allow farmers to sell to institutional buyers and big retailers such as Walmart, but farmers have protested, saying the new legislation could pave the way for the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, leaving farmers at the mercy of private buyers.

Nov 03 - Nutrien narrows 2020 profit forecast, posts third-quarter loss
Canadian fertilizer maker Nutrien Ltd on Monday narrowed its full-year profit forecast and said it has seen an improvement in market conditions globally, helped by higher crop and fertilizer prices. The Saskatchewan-based company, the world's biggest fertilizer maker by capacity, also posted a net loss for the third quarter, hurt by an impairment charge of $823 million.

Nov 03 - UK says bird flu reported at chicken farm in Cheshire
Britain on Monday said it confirmed bird flu at a chicken farm near Frodsham in Cheshire, England, but said the risk to public safety from the virus was "very low." "All 13,000 birds at the farm, which produces hatching eggs, will be humanely culled to limit the spread of the disease," the government said in a statement. "Properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat."

Nov 02 - China rejects Australia's appeal to remove barley import tariff, say sources
China has rejected Australia's appeal to scrap a tariff on its barley exports, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, all but closing the door on a trade worth about A$1.5 billion ($1.05 billion) in 2018. The rejection comes after Australia sought a formal review over duties totalling 80.5% that China imposed this year, citing as grounds subsidies and dumping, activities that Australia has denied.

Nov 02 - Just when Australia needs it, wheat farmers start bumper harvest
For the past few years, crop machinery has sat idle in many Australian farm sheds as a devastating drought left almost nothing to harvest across the country's pancake-flat eastern wheatbelt. As the southern summer approaches, however, Ben Ledingham now watches combine harvesters race up and down wheat fields on his family's property just outside Moree, an inland town in New South Wales.

Nov 02 - Biden farms for crucial votes in Trump Country
By planting a sign in early October supporting Joe Biden on a country road near her Minnesota dairy farm, Meg Stuedemann initially stood out from her neighbors. The 54-year-old, who runs Derrydale Farm in Belle Plaine with her husband, supports the former vice president, a Democrat, for president because of his pledges to combat climate change and promote renewable energy.

Nov 02 - COVID19 raises governments' food security concerns, demand for U.S. crops - ADM CEO
COVID-19 outbreaks are increasing governments' food-security concerns, and importers need U.S. corn and soybeans for the first time in a long time to meet demand, Archer Daniels Midland Chief Executive Officer Juan Luciano said on Friday. The pandemic has upended supply chains globally, as some consumers hoard food and the virus threatens food-processing operations if workers fall ill.

Nov 02 - Funds boost CBOT corn optimism but face virus-fueled setback - Braun
Speculators’ overall optimism about Chicago-traded grains and oilseeds rose last week to within striking distance of record bullishness for any time of the year, and that largely owed to strong buying in corn. But increasing pandemic fears and improving crop weather went against bulls late in the week. Combined across Chicago corn, wheat, soybeans and products, and Minneapolis and Kansas City wheat, investors through Oct. 27 bought nearly a million futures and options contracts since the rally began in mid-August, the most ever for such a period.

Nov 02 - Argentina oilseed strike cut short after government steps in; new talks planned
Argentina's main oilseed crushers union cut short a 24-hour strike late on Friday after government intervention ordering workers and companies back to the negotiating table to reach a deal over coronavirus pandemic bonus payments. Daniel Succi, an official from the Union of Oilseed Workers and Employees of the San Lorenzo department, told Reuters that the strike that began at noon had been lifted after the government issued a mandatory conciliation order.

Nov 02 - Argentina says China's Sinograin to hike soybean purchases next year
Argentina's government said on Friday that Chinese state grain stockpiler Sinograin would increase purchases of its soybeans and soy oil by around 1 million tonnes in 2021, an important boost as Argentina looks to ramp up exports. The South American country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Sinograin intended to increase purchases of soy beans to 4 million tonnes next year from 3 million expected this year.

Nov 02 - China local authority warns of coronavirus on packaging of imported Brazilian pork
Packaging on a batch of frozen pork imported from Brazil which had entered a district in Eastern China's Shandong province has tested positive for the coronavirus, the local government said. Residents of the Wendeng district in Weihai city who may have come into contact with the pork should report to authorities, the local government said in a notice.

Nov 02 - USDA September soybean crush seen at 171.3 million bushels
U.S. soybean crushers likely processed 5.140 million short tons of soybeans in September, or 171.3 million bushels, according to the average forecast of eight analysts surveyed by Reuters ahead of a monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report. Estimates ranged from 170.9 million bushels to 172.0 million bushels, with a median of 171.1 million bushels.

Nov 02 - Ukraine wheat export prices fell $6 a tonne over the last week
Lower global grain prices and improved prospects for the 2021 harvest have cut Ukrainian wheat export prices by $6 per tonne over the last week, APK-Inform agriculture consultancy said on Monday. In October, high demand from importers and worries over delay in winter wheat sowing pushed Ukraine's milling wheat export prices to the highest in two seasons.

Nov 02 - Funds' bullish bet in raw sugar rises past 210,000 contracts
Speculators raised their net long position in raw sugar on ICE Futures U.S. in the week to Oct. 27 by 10,774 contracts for a total net long bet of 211,334 contracts, data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) showed on Friday. They cut their long position in arabica coffee futures by 5,841 contracts to a total long bet of 9,648 contracts, the CFTC said.

Nov 02 - Meatpacker JBS to seek damages from founders after Brazil shareholder vote
Shareholders in JBS SA on Friday cleared the way for the Brazilian food processor to sue its own controlling stakeholders and certain former managers, a rare victory for shareholder activism in Latin America's largest economy. The vote was a win for JBS's top minority shareholder, national development bank BNDES, which has been trying to hold Wesley and Joesley Batista, the heirs of the company's founder, accountable for a plunge in JBS' stock in 2017 after they confessed to bribing multiple government officials.

Oct 30 - Brazil importing soy, food staples as prices soar, President Bolsonaro says
Brazil, one of the world's largest agricultural producers, is importing food staples including soybeans due to a rise in domestic prices, President Jair Bolsonaro said in a video posted on social media. Brazil's turn to imports is the latest disruption to the global food supply chain as soybean prices hover around four-year highs, China prepares to buy millions of tonnes of corn and countries around the world stock up on wheat and other staples to ensure supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Oct 30 - Grain trader ADM beats profit estimates but revenue disappoints
Global grains trader Archer Daniels Midland Co beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profits on Thursday, helped by strength in its grain milling and nutrition businesses. Still, revenue missed analysts' expectations and net earnings attributable to the company were 44% lower than a year earlier. Shares were down nearly 3% in extended trade, after setting a two-year high last Friday.

Oct 30 - Mexico inks record U.S. corn purchase after Mexican farmers warn of crop shortfall
Mexican grains buyers booked deals to buy their largest volume of corn from the United States since last December, the U.S. Agriculture Department said Thursday, a development that could point to growing import demand from its southern neighbor. The sale for 1.433 million tonnes of U.S. corn occurred after Mexico's most productive farmers warned they may not be able to meet demand with domestic supplies after deep government spending cuts. 

 Oct 30 - IGC trims forecast for 2020/21 global corn crop
The International Grains Council (IGC) on Thursday trimmed its forecast for global corn (maize) production in the 2020/21 season, reflecting diminished outlooks for crops in the United States, Ukraine and European Union. In its monthly update, the inter-governmental body reduced its global corn crop forecast by 4 million tonnes to 1.156 billion tonnes.

 Oct 30 - Argentine oilseed crushers, union set to meet again amid strike threat - chamber
Argentina's oilseed crushers and exporting firms are set to meet again with a key worker union in a bid to reach a deal over coronavirus pandemic bonus payments and head off the threat of strike action in the world's top supplier of processed soy. Gustavo Idígoras, the head of the CIARA-CEC chambers representing grains processors and exporters, told Reuters that there would be a new meeting "next week" with representatives of the labor group, known by its Spanish acronym SOEA.

Oct 30 - Argentina's 'late-arriving' rains help temper wheat harvest decline, exchange says
Argentine rainfall in recent days helped temper losses to the country's expected 2020/21 wheat harvest, which has been hit hard this year by dry weather, the Buenos Aires grains exchange said in a report on Thursday. The exchange maintained its forecast for the wheat harvest at 16.8 million tonnes, far below the 21 million-tonne estimate at the start of the season, after months of dry weather hit the central farming region and continue to affect the north.

Oct 30 - Russian wheat offered lowest in Ethiopia’s 400,000 tonne wheat tender
The lowest price offered in the tender from an Ethiopian government agency to buy 400,000 tonnes of milling wheat was believed to be $243.90 a tonne c&f including transport to inland destinations for Russian wheat, European traders said on Thursday. The offer was made by a local trading house. The tender had closed earlier in October with the technical aspects of offers submitted before prices.

Oct 29 - USDA defends estimate of China corn imports, despite hot sales pace
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday defended its latest monthly forecast of China's corn imports, a figure that surprised analysts given that corn sales to China have already outpaced the USDA's estimate. "Keep in mind that export sales ... do get canceled at times," said Mark Jekanowski, chairman of the USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board, speaking at an online meeting for users of USDA data.

Oct 29 - Bunge raises 2020 outlook as quarterly profit nearly doubles, shares jump
Agricultural commodities trader Bunge Ltd raised its 2020 outlook after reporting a 91% jump in adjusted third-quarter profit on Wednesday as strong soy processing margins and robust demand for soy products boosted its core agribusiness segment. Bunge shares rose almost 7% to their highest level in more than a year.

Oct 29 - U.S. corn stocks and China corn imports headline virtual USDA meeting - Braun
Some market participants have been at odds with several numbers recently published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and had 2020 been a normal year, it could have been prime for a fairly heated discussion at Wednesday’s data user’s meeting. Officials representing numerous agencies within the USDA are available for public questioning during this biannual, usually in-person meeting. Both 2020 meetings were held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 Oct 29 - Argentine oilseed union says offer from crushers "insufficient", more strike action likely
The main union for Argentina's oilseed crushing workers on Wednesday flagged further strike action after a proposed COVID-19 bonus payment fell short of expectations. The labor group, known by its Spanish acronym SOEA, said companies had offered workers a single bonus of about 11,000 pesos ($140.72), far short of the 70,000 pesos demanded by the union.

 Oct 29 - Brazil's SLC expects good grain crop despite planting delays
Brazil's SLC Agrícola is poised to harvest a good grain crop despite planting delays in the 2020/2021 cycle driven by a drought earlier in the season, a company executive said. SLC believes it will begin harvesting soybeans, Brazil's most prized export commodity, between Jan. 10 and Jan. 15, representing a delay of around 10 days in relation to the previous year.

Oct 29 - Ukrainian corn up $18-$25 a tonne over recent days on strong demand
High demand from importers and limited supply from growers have pushed up prices for Ukrainian corn by $18-$25 a tonne over the past several days, the APK-Inform agriculture consultancy said on Wednesday. The consultancy said corn bid prices had risen to $236-$275 a tonne by Oct. 28 on a carriage-paid-to (CPT) basis.

Oct 29 - Russia's VTB to stay in grain business for next 3-5 years - CEO
Russia's VTB bank, which has transformed itself into a major grain trader within a year, plans to remain in the grain business for the next three to five years, Andrey Kostin, the chief executive of the state-controlled lender, told Reuters. VTB, Russia's second biggest bank, has become the largest operator of domestic grain infrastructure after it snapped up a number of assets last year. In April, it sold nearly a half of its grain unit, the Demetra Holding, to two other Russian firms. 

Oct 29 - German pig prices unchanged despite import bans after swine fever
German pig prices remain unchanged this week at 1.27 euros per kg despite a series of import bans after African swine fever (ASF) was found in the country, the VEZG association of German animal farmers said on Wednesday. Prices had been around 1.47 per kg slaughter weight before the ASF case was confirmed on Sept. 10 and had fallen to 1.27 euros on Sept. 11. They remain at this level, the association said.

Oct 29 - Trade body urges India not to reduce import tax on edible oils
A leading trade body has urged the Indian government not to reduce import taxes on edible oils as lower prices could hurt local farmers who are trying to boost production. Edible oil prices in India, the world's biggest importer of vegetable oils, have jumped recently, tracking a rally on foreign markets and after the local soybean crop was damaged by excessive rainfall.

Oct 28 - U.S. approves use of Bayer weed killer for five years 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday it will allow farmers to spray crops with weed killers based on the chemical dicamba that are sold by Bayer AG and other companies, after a U.S. appeals court blocked sales in June. The decision is a boost for Bayer, which has been hammered by lawsuits over various chemicals in the United States since acquiring seed company Monsanto in 2018. Critics said it was another example of the Trump administration favoring business interests over regulations, just a week before the presidential election. 

Oct 28 - Tyson Foods workers to replace some federal inspectors at U.S. beef plant 
Tyson Foods said on Tuesday it plans in January to have company employees take on duties from more than a dozen federal inspectors at a large Kansas beef plant, after getting a U.S. government waiver. Tyson said the change would improve food safety and efficiency as part of a process to modernize inspections, although activists worried it could result in less oversight.

 Oct 28 - Brazil corn prices break record, at 81.48 reais per sack - Cepea 
Brazilian corn prices on Tuesday surpassed a 2007 record, reaching 81.48 reais ($14.49) per sack, according to the benchmark index of the Brazilian agricultural think tank Cepea. Through October, the price of corn has jumped 28.05% according to Cepea. 

 Oct 28 - EU + UK soft wheat exports 6.44 mln T by Oct. 25, down 30% 
Soft wheat exports from the European Union and Britain in the 2020/21 season that started on July 1 had reached 6.44 million tonnes by Oct. 25, official EU data showed on Tuesday. That was 30% below the volume cleared by Oct. 27 last year.

Oct 28 - Ukraine 2020 grain harvest 84% complete, winter sowing continues 
Ukraine has harvested 50.5 million tonnes of grain from 12.9 million hectares, or 84% of the sown area, as of Oct. 26, the economy ministry said on Tuesday. It said farmers had completed the wheat and barley harvest and collected 14.5 million tonnes of corn from 3.07 million hectares, or 56% of the sown area.

Oct 27 - USDA's U.S. winter wheat ratings fall below trade expectations
The U.S. Department of Agriculture in a weekly crop progress report on Monday rated 41% of the U.S. winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, below the lowest in a range of estimates in a Reuters analyst survey and down from 56% a year ago. The condition ratings were the USDA's first for the newly seeded winter wheat crop, most of which will be harvested in mid-2021. Analysts in the poll had estimated that the USDA would rate 42% to 65% of the wheat as good to excellent.

 Oct 27 - EU crop monitor cuts summer crop yield forecasts again
Weather that was too dry then too wet has hampered field work in large parts of Europe in recent weeks, causing delays to the harvesting of summer crops and sowing of winter crops, the European Union's crop monitoring service MARS on Monday. The adverse conditions and a re-appraisal of data since the start of the season caused the crop monitor to cut its yield outlook again for all summer crops in the 27-member bloc.

 Oct 27 - Brazil soy planting advances amid rain, 5.6 mln ha sown in a week, AgRural says
Brazilian soybean farmers have planted 23% of the estimated 2020/2021 crop through Thursday of last week, as rains permitted sowing to progress after a drought that delayed work earlier in the season, agribusiness consultancy AgRural said on Monday. According to calculations by AgRural, about 5.6 million hectares (13.8 million acres) were planted with Brazil's most prized agricultural export in the space of seven days.

Oct 27 - Crop Watch: Wet weather slows harvest but results unaffected thus far - Braun
After two weeks of rapid harvest activity, wet and cold weather last week slowed progress across many areas of the U.S. Corn Belt, according to the Crop Watch producers. The Nebraska corn was harvested over the weekend, leaving the Ohio corn as the last field standing. Cooler weather is expected to dominate for at least the next week, and many areas will likely have to contend with more precipitation, especially in the Eastern Belt. But that moisture, if realized, would be very welcome in the parched Southern Plains.

Oct 27 - Ukraine keeps 2020/21 wheat export quota unchanged
Ukraine is now not planning to review the current wheat export quota for the 2020/21 July-June season, senior economy ministry officials told traders and producers on Monday. Grain traders and the government have agreed the volume of wheat available for export this season must not exceed 17.5 million tonnes in a bid to ensure local needs and prevent export restrictions.

Oct 27 - Rains improve weather conditions for Russia's 2021 grain crop - analyst
Weather conditions have improved for Russia's 2021 grain crop after it rained in several regions last week, Sovecon, a leading agriculture consultancy in Moscow, said in a note on Monday. Farmers in Russia, one of the world's largest wheat exporters, have been sowing winter wheat in dry soil this year, increasing risks for the 2021 crop.

Oct 27 - U.S. EPA considering E15 labeling changes at gas pumps - sources
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering changes to labels for gasoline containing higher blends of ethanol, or E15, in an effort to appease the biofuel industry's concerns that current labels discourage use of the fuel, according to four sources familiar with the matter. Expanding the market for E15 has long been a policy goal for farmers and producers of ethanol, a corn-based product, but concerns that some older vehicles don't run well on the product have been a headwind. Current federal E15 labels warn of possible engine damage.

Oct 27 - Pacific Ethanol to change name to reflect pivot away from fuel ethanol
Pacific Ethanol Inc will change its name to reflect its focus on specialty alcohols used in alcoholic beverages and sanitizers rather than on fuel ethanol, the company said on Monday. Pacific has increased production of specialty alcohol for consumer products over the past nine months, it said, as the coronavirus pandemic has boosted demand for hand sanitizer and other products that promote hand hygiene.

Oct 26 - China eyes more corn imports as shipments surge, set to become top buyer
China's government is discussing permits for millions of tonnes of additional corn imports over the next year, three industry sources told Reuters, amid a surge in animal feed demand and after storms and drought damage tightened domestic supplies. A round of new import orders from China would make it the world's top importer of corn for the first time and likely drive up global prices of corn and other grains. That would amplify food inflation caused by disruptions to global supply chains due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 Oct 26 - China's Sept soybean imports from Brazil soar 51% y/y
China's imports of soybeans from Brazil jumped 51.4% in September from a year ago, data showed on Sunday, as cargoes purchased earlier in the year cleared customs. China, the world's top buyer of soybeans, brought in 7.25 million tonnes of the oilseed from Brazil in September, up from 4.79 million tonnes last year, data from the General Administration of customs showed. 

 Oct 26 - Funds pump up bullish CBOT bets amid robust global demand -Braun
Strong global demand and ideas China may significantly increase grain and oilseed imports beyond already elevated levels kept speculators buying Chicago-traded grains and oilseeds last week. Open interest also rose along with futures prices and fund optimism. In the week ended Oct. 20, money managers increased their net long position in CBOT corn futures and options to 218,825 contracts from 170,869 a week earlier, according to data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. 

Oct 26 - French cereal sowing gathers pace after drier spell
French farmers made rapid progress in cereal sowing last week, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed on Friday, suggesting a drier spell helped field work after a wet start to autumn. For soft wheat, France's main cereal crop, farmers had sown 45% of the expected soft wheat area for next year's harvest as of Oct. 19, up from 12% a week earlier, FranceAgriMer said in a crop report.

Oct 26 - Funds' bullish bet in raw sugar grows past 200,000 contracts
Hedge funds and money managers increased their bullish bets on ICE raw sugar futures in the week to Oct. 20 to above the 200,000-contract mark, the highest speculators' net long position in the sweetener since 2016, data showed on Friday. The funds added 6,737 contracts to their net long bet that now totals 200,560 contracts, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said, in a week when sugar prices touched an eight-month peak.

Oct 26 - Meat plants operated by Brazil's BRF and Marfrig cleared to resume sales to China 
Beijing has authorized two Brazilian meat processing facilities to resume sales to China, Brazil's Agriculture Ministry said on Friday, a decision announced after they were banned over coronavirus concerns earlier this year. The announcement came as Brazil's BRF issued a statement saying it had been allowed to resume exports to China from a chicken plant in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul state, a decision that will be acted on over the next few days.
 
Oct 26 - Ukraine faces speedy wheat exports, export quota used by 57%
Ukraine is likely to ship abroad most of its 2020/21 wheat export quota by March-April 2021, traders said on Friday. Traders and the government have agreed that the volume of wheat available for export this July-June season must not exceed 17.5 million tonnes.

Oct 26 - EU lawmakers vote for 'veggie burgers', take hard line on dairy labels
Restaurants and shops in the European Union should be allowed to label products as "veggie burgers" or "vegan sausages", the European Parliament said on Friday, while calling for tighter curbs on labelling of plant-based dairy substitutes. EU lawmakers voted to reject proposals, backed by farmers, to ban plant-based products from using terms such as steak, sausage or burger.

Oct 23 - Argentine rains arrive too late to avoid another wheat crop estimate cut
Months of drought pounded Argentina's wheat crop forecast down again on Thursday with the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange estimating the upcoming harvest at 16.8 million tonnes versus its previous forecast of 17.5 million tonnes. Strong rains hit key parts of the Pampas grains belt over the last two weeks. But the much-needed moisture came too late to help northern Argentine wheat fields battered by bad weather. 

Oct 23 - Algeria seeks lower Russian wheat prices to start imports
Algeria has yet to benefit from its decision to relax its wheat tender specifications and allow imports from Russia as prices for Russian wheat rose shortly afterwards, Algeria's state grains agency OAIC said on Thursday. Russia, one of the world's largest wheat exporters, has been lobbying for access to Algeria's market, one of the few major importers to which until recently it had no access. France is the main wheat supplier to Algeria, and it is the top export market for French wheat.

Oct 23 - Record U.S. soy sales become record shipments, but corn hangs back - Braun
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has projected a banner performance over the next year for domestic corn and soybean exports, and so far, sales have been living up to the hype. Those bookings have translated to a record shipment pace for soybeans, but corn has yet to turn out the drastically larger export volumes.

 Oct 23 - Asia Rice-Floods hamper harvest in major hubs, hit supply
Flooding slowed rice harvest in most Asian hubs this week, pushing up export prices for the Vietnamese variety and domestic rates in Bangladesh, while Thai traders warned of a risk to fresh supply. Vietnam's 5% broken rice prices edged up to $485-$495 per tonne on Thursday from $485-$490 last week.

 Oct 23 - French food firms need more exports beyond UK even with deal - minister
France's agri-food sector should focus more on expanding exports to destinations other than Britain, as French suppliers risk losing market share there even if the EU agrees a trade deal with Britain, the French agriculture minister said on Thursday. Fractious discussions between the 27-country EU and former member Britain were due to resume on Thursday, as the two sides try to meet a year-end deadline to establish a new relationship governing billions of dollars worth of trade. 

Oct 23 - Europe needs laws to stop import of deforestation-linked products, lawmakers say 
The European Parliament on Thursday called for the European Union to introduce laws to prevent the import of commodities and products linked to deforestation and human rights abuses. The move comes as EU politicians face increased pressure from voters to combat climate change, and follows years of failed voluntary efforts by companies to combat deforestation through measures like third-party certification schemes.

Oct 23 - Malaysia says allegations of forced labour in palm plantations is "old issue"
Malaysia said on Thursday it viewed U.S. allegations of forced labour in palm oil plantations as an "old issue" but it was willing to take appropriate action if needed. Last month, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) banned the imports of palm products from FGV Holdings on suspicion of forced labour in its manufacturing process, and Malaysia said it anticipated another plantation firm could be banned as well.

Oct 22 - Germany takes extra slice of EU pork sales after Asian ban
Germany's meat processors are sending pork chops and bacon previously earmarked for Asia to supermarkets across the European Union after China, South Korea and Japan banned German imports due to an outbreak of African Swine Fever in wild boars. Pig prices in European Union’s top producer slid by around 14% immediately after the outbreak was confirmed on Sept. 10 but have since stabilised, albeit at a lower level, as the disease devastates pig herds across the globe. 

Oct 22 - Has Brazil become a new customer for U.S. corn and soy exporters? - Braun
It is no surprise that Brazil is nearly out of soybeans given its extraordinary export pace earlier this year, but consistent with the bizarre nature of 2020, it is possible that Brazil could purchase beans from its export rival, the United States. That has never happened in modern times, especially since Brazil emerged last decade as the world’s top exporter of the oilseed. But neither U.S. nor Brazilian agencies seem to think Brazil will start importing U.S. soybeans, at least in the short term.

Oct 22 - Bunge says 'incident' at Argentina soy crush plant halts operations
Global commodities trader and oilseed processor Bunge Ltd said on Wednesday that operations were halted at its San Lorenzo, Terminal 6, soy crushing facility in Argentina, after an "incident" late Tuesday. "No employees were injured and the situation is under control. We will be conducting a detailed investigation of the incident to determine the cause and when we can expect to safely resume operations," the company said in an emailed statement.

 Oct 22 - Monsanto loses final appeal over French farmer's weedkiller accident
Bayer's Monsanto division on Wednesday lost a final appeal in a long-running French legal battle in which the crop chemical maker has been held liable for the accidental inhalation of a weedkiller by a crop farmer. Monsanto had been trying to overturn a decision by an appeals court in 2019 that had found the company's product safety information to have been inadequate in relation to the accident involving farmer Paul Francois in 2004.

 Oct 22 - Nearly a third of Indonesia forest fires are in pulp, palm areas - Greenpeace
Forested areas greater than the size of the Netherlands have been burned in Indonesia in the past five years, with 30% of the fires occurring on pulpwood and palm oil concessions, environmental group Greenpeace said on Thursday. Greenpeace said analysis of official data showed 4.4 million hectares (10.8 million acres) of land burned over 2015 to 2019, with 1.3 million hectares of that lying in the concession areas. 

Oct 22 - EU countries back binding green farming schemes
European Union agriculture ministers agreed on Wednesday to set aside part of the bloc's massive farming policy budget for programmes that protect the environment. The EU is nearing the end of a two-year struggle to overhaul its agriculture policy, to attempt to align it with the bloc's climate change commitments, while supporting farmers' livelihoods.

Oct 22 - Republican senators ask EPA not to boost refinery biofuel obligations in 2021
A group of U.S. Republican senators asked the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday to consider a general waiver that would prevent an increase in biofuel blending obligations next year for oil refiners hit by a collapse in fuel demand because of the coronavirus pandemic. Senators including Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Ted Cruz from Texas said the waiver for 2021 would help refiners cope with the pandemic, which has pushed gasoline demand down more than 10% from year-ago levels. 

Oct 22 - Taps and reservoirs run dry as Moroccan drought hits farmers
Two years of drought have drained reservoirs in southern Morocco, threatening crops the region relies on and leading to nightly cuts in tap water for an area that is home to a million people. In a country that relies on farming for two jobs in five and 14% of its gross domestic product (GDP), the problems caused by increasingly erratic rainfall and the depletion of groundwater are growing every year.

Oct 22 - Brazil's BRF to halt Halal chicken plant for modernization work
Brazilian food processor BRF SA will stop production at a Halal chicken plant in the south of the country starting Nov. 16 for modernization work, the company said on Wednesday. The halt was reported in the local press and later confirmed by BRF, which said the work will be complete by Dec. 5.

Oct 21 - Argentine soy workers/exporters remain far apart in contract talks after strike
Argentine soymeal exports were subject to a 24-hour strike by the main oilseed workers union, but local operations at Chinese export company COFCO were spared thanks to a special COVID-19 bonus it paid to employees, the union said on Tuesday. The labor group, known by its Spanish acronym SOEA, staged the walk-out to press for higher compensation ahead of a meeting with export company executives and Labor Ministry officials scheduled for Thursday. The government, desperate for export dollars to help the country recover from recession, is keen to keep the key soymeal and soyoil industry on its feet.

Oct 21 - China forecasts Lunar New Year pork supplies to be 30% higher than year ago
Pork supplies during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday in China, the world's top consumer, will be 30% higher than a year ago, an agriculture official said on Wednesday, after significant efforts to rebuild a depleted hog herd. The recovery of pig production, in addition to large pork imports and changes in consumer demand, would boost pork supplies by about 30% year-on-year, reducing prices compared with last year, said Chen Guanghua, the deputy director of the veterinary bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, during a media briefing.

Oct 21 - Wheat market looks beyond record stocks to U.S., Russian crop woes - Braun
Chicago-traded wheat futures have rallied to near six-year highs on strong global demand and unfavorable planting conditions in some major exporters, despite the expectation for record-large stockpiles by mid-2021. Most-active CBOT wheat hit $6.38-1/4 per bushel on Tuesday, the contract’s highest since Dec. 24, 2014. That is consistent with rising international prices, particularly in top supplier Russia, where wheat prices hit record levels last week amid the weak currency and high export costs. 

 Oct 21 - Ukraine 2020 grain harvest 80% complete, winter sowing underway
Ukraine has harvested 47.4 million tonnes of grain from 12.3 million hectares, or 80% of the sown area, as of Oct. 19, Ukraine's economy ministry said. It said farmers had completed wheat and barley harvest and collected 11.1 million tonnes of corn from 2.4 million hectares, or 44% of the sown area.

 Oct 21 - Nigeria's battered farmers to get $20 million to aid crop output
Mary Daniel, a slight woman in her 40s, weeds by hand a field dotted with trees and scraggly sesame plants. A widow with seven children, she is among the 70% of all Nigerians employed in agriculture. She has grown sesame, maize and cassava her whole life, but coronavirus lockdowns forced her to abandon her three hectares. 

 Oct 21 - Swelled by rain and COVID curbs, locust swarms ravage Ethiopia
Mother-of-ten Marima Wadisha screamed, threw rocks and in her desperation even fired bullets at the locusts that descended on her sorghum fields in northeast Ethiopia. But the insect swarms were so relentless that her entire crop - her family's only source of income - was destroyed.

Oct 21 - Trump's payments to farmers hit all-time high ahead of election
U.S. President Donald Trump is assuring a bumper year for farmers as the Nov. 3 election approaches, with record government subsidies projected to make up more than a third of farm income in 2020. The aid programs could be key to Trump's chances of success in swing states such as Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa and Minnesota. Such states are hotly contested because their population can swing either to Republicans or Democrats and play a decisive role in presidential elections. Farmers favored the Republican president by a wide margin in the 2016 election.

Oct 21 - U.S. corn harvest 60% complete, soy 75% harvested - USDA
The U.S. corn harvest was 60% complete as of Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a weekly crop progress report on Monday, ahead of the five-year average of 43% and the average estimate in a Reuters analyst poll of 57%. The U.S. soybean crop was 75% harvested, the USDA said, ahead of the five-year average of 58% but behind the average analyst estimate of 79%. 

Oct 21 - Argentina's main soy export hub braces for 24-hour oilseed workers' strike
Argentina's oilseed workers union will hold a 24-hour strike to start late Monday afternoon, affecting the country's main export hub of Rosario, to press for higher wages after several days of what the labor group called fruitless contract talks. The oilseed workers walked off the job over what they called low wages earlier this month before being ordered back by the Labor Ministry. But subsequent contract talks between the workers and export companies have not yielded a deal.

 Oct 20 - Brazil cautious about importing soy even after tariff cut, analysts say
Brazil's suspension of soy tariffs has yet to significantly boost imports of the oilseed despite a lack of inventories, analysts told Reuters, as the market reacted cautiously due to the high cost of imports. The Economy Ministry said on Saturday that it would suspend tariffs on corn and soy imports from countries outside the Mercosur trade bloc until early next year to help reduce food prices, which are contributing to inflation. 

 Oct 20 - Crop Watch: Quick harvest progress amid unusually dry conditions - Braun
Harvest continued last week at a solid clip for most of the U.S. Crop Watch producers. Three more of the 16 subject fields – the corn in North Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois – were completed, and just two fields remain. Using projected harvest dates for the corn in Nebraska and Ohio, the average harvest date for the Crop Watch 2020 fields is Oct. 6, a week earlier than in 2018 but nearly three weeks earlier than last year. The farmers largely attribute this year’s brisk pace to the dry finish, but fields are now exceptionally dry, elevating the need for moisture replenishment during the winter.

 Oct 20 - Egypt's GASC removes fees for dead insects found in imported wheat
Egypt, the world's largest wheat buyer, will not charge sellers of imported wheat fees for sieving and fumigation if dead insects are detected in their cargoes during the sieving process, according to a memo seen by Reuters. Egypt's state grains buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) issued the memo dated Sunday. 

Oct 20 - Rains arrive in parts of Russia's wheat-sowing regions, more still needed - IKAR
Long-awaited rains arrived in some parts of Russia's winter wheat-sowing regions over the weekend after a spate of dry weather, but more were still needed, Dmitry Rylko, the head of the IKAR agriculture consultancy, said on Monday. Wheat prices in Chicago, a global benchmark, rose more than 1% on Monday to their highest in almost six years as dry weather in several leading exporters, including Russia, raised worries about supplies. 

Oct 20 - Facing wave of closures, oil refiners turn to biofuels
European and U.S. oil refineries face a wave of closures due to plateauing fuel demand, tightening environmental rules and overseas competition, prompting some owners to opt for an easier alternative - converting plants to produce biofuels. The shock of the coronavirus epidemic crushed global oil demand and as some producers, including BP, say it might never recover to pre-crisis levels, the need to close refineries has accelerated. 

Oct 20 - Algeria tenders for nominal 50,000 tonnes milling wheat
Algeria's state grains agency OAIC has issued another international tender to buy milling wheat with new specifications permitting grain from Russia and other producers in the Black Sea region to be offered, European traders said on Monday. The tender sought a nominal 50,000, tonnes but Algeria often buys considerably more in its tenders than the nominal volume sought.

Oct 20 - Bayer's Orbia plans Latam expansion after Bunge deal in Brazil
Orbia, an online farm products trade platform majority owned by Germany's Bayer AG, is betting that a deal with U.S. grain merchant Bunge Ltd will pave the way for a planned international foray, Chief Executive Ivan Moreno said on Monday. Under the partnership with Bunge announced in September, Orbia's 170,000 registered farm users in Brazil can sell produce online to the U.S. firm, which secured exclusive origination rights to the platform.

Oct 19 - China third quarter pork output jumps 18% y/y but supplies still tight
China's third-quarter pork production rose 18% from a year earlier to 8.4 million tonnes, according to Reuters calculations based on official data, pointing to the first signs of recovery in the world's top producer. It was the first quarter since July-September of 2018 to show a year-on-year increase in pork output, after an epidemic of African swine fever swept through the country's hog herd, causing production to plunge.

Oct 19 - Syria needs up to 200,000 T of wheat per month to meet shortfall - minister
Syria needs to import between 180,000 tonnes and 200,000 tonnes of wheat a month, the economy minister was cited as saying on Sunday, blaming a shortfall on "militias" preventing farmers from selling their wheat to the state. Mohamed Samer al-Khalil was quoted in al-Watan newspaper as saying the imports would cost about $400 million but did not clarify a timeframe for spending that figure. 

Oct 19 - Brazil suspending tariffs on corn and soy until 2021
Brazil will suspend tariffs on corn and soy imports from countries outside the Mercosur trade bloc until early next year to help reduce food prices that are pushing up inflation, the economy ministry said on Saturday. The decision to remove the tariffs temporarily was taken late on Friday at a meeting of Gecex, a technical body within the economy ministry, as reported by Reuters. 

Oct 19 - China's robust commodity imports lend credibility to economic growth story: Russell
China's gross domestic product numbers tend to spark debate as to whether they are an accurate reflection of the true state of growth in the world's second-biggest economy. The robust trend in commodity imports suggests they are. China's GDP expanded 4.9% in the third quarter, after rising 3.2% in the second, according to official data released on Monday. 

Oct 19 - Funds ease CBOT soy bullishness but load up on corn, wheat - Braun
Speculators have been flirting with record optimism in Chicago-traded soybeans for a couple of weeks, though they finally broke their bean-buying streak last week as futures hit 2-1/2-year highs. However, investors’ bullish corn run is still alive. Ongoing EU wheat sowings to rebound despite adverse weather. The area sown with soft wheat should increase in the European Union this year despite adverse weather in some major producing countries that raised concern of a repeat of last year's rain-disrupted sowing season, analysts said.

 Oct 19 - Germany in talks with Asia to lift pork import bans, says minister
Germany has received some "cautious, positive signals" during talks with Asian nations about easing a ban on German pork imposed after African swine fever (ASF) was found in the European country, the agriculture minister said on Friday. China and other Asian buyers imposed the ban in September after Germany confirmed its first ASF case, driving down German pork prices. Prices have recently steadied. 

 Oct 19 - Ukraine 2020 grain harvest 78% complete at 45.7 mln T
Ukraine has harvested 45.7 million tonnes of grain from 12.06 million hectares, or 78% of the sown area, Ukraine's economy ministry said on Friday. It said farmers had collected 10.0 million tonnes of corn from 2.2 million hectares, or 40% of fields planted with this crop.

Oct 19 - Brazil producing more meat using less land, JBS CEO says
Livestock suppliers in Brazil are producing more while using less land, as concerns mount about straining natural resources to produce food to feed a growing world population, Gilberto Tomazoni, global chief executive of the world's largest meatpacker JBS SA, said on Friday. In remarks made during a panel discussion to mark World Food day, Tomazoni said meat production in Brazil tripled on a per hectare basis between 1990 and 2019.

Oct 16 - Imported tortillas? Big Mexican farmers fear cuts will hit harvests
Mexico's most productive farmers fear they may not be able to meet growing demand after state funding cuts, warning of a rising reliance on imports of the white corn used for staples such as tortillas and tamales. Under President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the agricultural budget has been cropped by a third, with subsidies aimed at larger farmers, who account for two-thirds of corn production, almost entirely eliminated.

Oct 16 - Argentine wheat crop estimate cut due to dryness - Rosario exchange
Argentina's 2020/21 wheat crop is estimated at 17 million tonnes, the Rosario grains exchange said in its monthly crop report on Thursday, citing dryness and frosts as reasons for cutting its previous 18 million tonne estimate. Parts of Argentina's Pampas grains belt have been unusually dry over the last eight months. The country's farmers harvest wheat in December and January.

Oct 16 - Cargill plans to further diversify as food market becomes more complex
Global commodities trader and food processor Cargill plans to diversify further, investing in more elaborate, higher-valued products that can meet consumer demands in an increasingly complex market, an official in its South American business said. Laerte Moraes, Cargill's South America head for starches and sweeteners, said the company will continue to invest in new products as it seeks to balance large-volume businesses that have small margins and its presence in market segments with reduced volumes and higher product prices.

Oct 16 - Chinese cotton mills told to stop buying Australian cotton - source 
Chinese cotton mills have been ordered to stop buying Australian cotton, an Australian government source briefed on the matter said on Friday, the latest sign of worsening trade relations between the two countries. China is the biggest buyer of Australian cotton and the trade worth was worth about A$900 million ($637.4 million) during the 2018/19 crop year.

Oct 16 - NOPA September soy crush slips to 161.491 million bushels, lowest in a year
The U.S. soybean crush declined in September to the lowest monthly level in a year, but was slightly above trade expectations, according to data released by the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) on Thursday. NOPA said its members, which handle about 95 percent of all soybeans processed in the United States, crushed 161.491 million bushels of soybeans last month, down from 165.055 million bushels in August but up from 152.566 million bushels in September 2019.

 Oct 16 - Brazil to discuss eliminating tariffs on corn and soy, source says
The Brazilian government is set to discuss on Friday a proposal that would temporarily eliminate tariffs on corn and soy imports from countries outside the Mercosur trade block, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The matter will be decided during a meeting of Gecex, a technical body within the Economy Ministry, said the source, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential matters.

Oct 16 - Strategie Grains lifts 2020/21 EU wheat exports, cuts maize crop
Strategie Grains has raised its outlook for soft wheat exports from the European Union and Britain, the consultancy said on Thursday, citing better competitiveness on world markets after a rise in Black Sea wheat prices. In a monthly report, it forecast 2020/2121 exports outside the EU and Britain at 25.0 million tonnes, up from 23.0 million seen in September.

Oct 16 - Brazil breeders retain female cows, herd grows for first time in 3 years - IBGE
The size of the cattle herd in Brazil, the world's largest beef exporter, grew for the first time in three years in 2019, according to data released on Thursday by the government's bureau of statistics IBGE. The country's herd totaled 214.7 million head in 2019, a 0.4% rise from 2018, driven by a retention of female cows for breeding and a 5.1% growth of the herd in Mato Grosso state, IBGE said. In 2018 and 2017, herd size had declined.

Oct 16 - China says corn output to grow, after fears of shortfall drive prices
China's agriculture ministry said on Thursday that the country's corn planting acreage had remained "basically stable" this year and annual output was set to increase despite the northeastern cornbelt being hit by three typhoons in recent weeks. The ministry's comments, attributed to an unnamed official, came after Chinese corn futures hit a record high of 2,595 yuan ($385.75) a tonne on Wednesday as investors bet that crop damage and a recent selldown of state reserves could leave the market short.

Oct 16 - Mexico's consumer protection office resolves first cases in dairy product dispute
Mexico's government has begun resolving a string of disputes with major food suppliers over dairy products pulled from market shelves this week for breaches of standards, and aims to settle pending issues quickly, a senior official said on Thursday. Mexico late on Tuesday halted the sale of over 20 dairy goods, including cheese products from U.S.-based Mondelez International Inc and Mexican firms Grupo Lala and Sigma, plus yogurt from France's Danone.

Oct 15 - Argentine authorities step in to end soy workers strike
Argentine authorities on Wednesday ended a less-than-24-hour wage strike by the Federation of Oilseeds Workers that had temporarily halted local soy processing at plants owned by major shippers Cargill, Bunge, Glencore and Dreyfus. The Labor Ministry ordered the union back to work, with the government set to sit down with company and workers' representatives next week, the federation said in a statement.

Oct 15 - Brazil millers oppose sale of GMO wheat as importing costs would rise, Abitrigo says
Brazilian wheat millers association Abitrigo opposes the approval of genetically modified wheat products for sale in Brazil, saying it will make imports of the cereal more costly and impact prices on the domestic market. The statement comes after Argentine authorities approved a new genetically modified wheat that can resist drought and tolerates the herbicide glufosinate sodium. 

Oct 15 - Slimmer stocks, stronger prices to shape 2021 U.S. corn, soy acreage plans - Braun
Not long ago it seemed that the United States had semi-permanently buried itself in soybeans, the main catalyst being damaged export demand to top customer China. And more recently, it was almost certain U.S. corn inventories were quickly running away to multi-decade highs. But now, soybean supplies over the next year are seen dwindling to five-year lows, while corn stocks are slated to be on par with the last few years instead of surging more than 50% higher.

Oct 15 - China corn futures hit record high amid worries over crop damage, supplies
China's corn futures hit a record high on Wednesday as investors bet on higher prices for the grain because of crop damage from typhoons this year and due to Beijing's efforts in years past to whittle down its once-mammoth state reserves. The milestone came as China bought another 420,000 tonnes of U.S. corn, adding to record purchases topping more than 12 million tonnes this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Oct 15 - FranceAgriMer raises 2020/21 non-EU soft wheat export outlook
Farm office FranceAgriMer on Wednesday raised its forecast for French soft wheat exports outside the European Union in the 2020/21 season, encouraged by a pick-up in recent shipments and the grain becoming more competitive on world markets. In monthly supply and demand estimates, FranceAgriMer pegged French soft wheat exports outside the bloc at 6.7 million tonnes, up 100,000 tonnes from last month, but down 50% on the record volume of 13.46 million tonnes exported last season.

Oct 15 - German pig prices stable despite disruption to exports, abattoirs
German pig prices remain stable this week despite widespread import bans on German pork after African swine fever (ASF) was found in the country and reduced slaughterhouse capacity after coronavirus outbreaks, the association of German animal farmers VEZG said on Wednesday. Prices were unchanged on the week at 1.27 euros a kg slaughter weight. Prices had been around 1.47 a kg before the ASF case was confirmed on Sept. 10 and had fallen to 1.27 euros a kg on Sept. 11.

Oct 15 - Pilgrim's Pride strikes plea deal over U.S. chicken price-fixing charges
U.S. poultry company Pilgrim's Pride Corp said on Wednesday it will pay a $110.5 million fine after striking a plea deal with the Justice Department over price-fixing charges on chicken products. The guilty plea makes Pilgrim's Pride, mostly owned by Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA, the first U.S. chicken company to reach an agreement with the government over allegations that industry executives conspired to increase chicken prices from 2012 through 2019.

Oct 15 - Brazil's BTG Pactual in talks to take over ethanol producer Atvos.
Brazilian lender Banco BTG Pactual SA is in talks to take over bankrupt ethanol producer Atvos through a capital injection, one source familiar with the matter said. BTG's special situations unit has proposed to Atvos' creditors a capital injection of 500 million reais ($90.09 million) into the company for a minority stake in Atvos Bioenergia, a new company created after creditors approved the ethanol producer's restructuring plan in May.  

 Oct 15 - Fonterra raises its farmgate milk price as demand from China picks up
Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd on Thursday raised the price range it pays farmers for milk, as demand increases in China, its top market. The world's biggest dairy exporter lifted its farmgate milk price range to between NZ$6.3 and NZ$7.3 per kilogram of milk solids (kgMS), from NZ$5.9-NZ$6.9 per kgMS, implying a midpoint around 6% higher than before.

Oct 15 - Mexico bans global brands' dairy products for breaching standards
Mexico's economy ministry has suspended the sale of over 20 dairy products for breaching standards, including items sold under Mondelez International Inc's Philadelphia brand and natural yogurt made by France's Danone. Of the 19 cheese brands affected, the violations included erroneously claiming to be "100% milk," using vegetable fat to replace milk, and providing a lower net content in grams than advertised on the packaging, the ministry said late on Tuesday.

  Oct 15 - Mali 2020 cotton harvest expected to tumbles 75% to 176 200 T
Mali's cotton harvest is expected to drop 75% this year, to 176,200 tonnes from 700,000 tonnes last year, because of a pandemic-induced price slump that forced farmers to plant less crop, the cotton producers' association said on Wednesday. "It's a very bad campaign, the expected production is only 176,200 T. You have to go back to the 1980s to see such production" said Raymond Dansokho, coordinator of the producers association.

Oct 14 - U.S. corn harvest 41% complete, soybeans 61% harvested - USDA
The U.S. corn harvest was 41% complete as of Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a weekly crop progress report on Tuesday, ahead of the five-year average of 32% and the average estimate in a Reuters analyst poll of 39%. The U.S. soybean crop was 61% harvested, the USDA said, well ahead of the five-year average of 42% and slightly ahead of the average analyst estimate of 59%. 

Oct 14 - Argentine oilseed workers start open-ended wage strike at some ports
Argentina's Federation of Oilseeds Workers started an open-ended wage strike at 2 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, the labor group said, with no sign yet of government intervention that would force members back to work while new contract talks are held. The labor ministry often orders obligatory negotiations, during which strikes in vital national industries are suspended.

Oct 14 - NOPA September U.S. soy crush seen at 160.795 million bushels, survey says
U.S. soybean crushings likely dropped in September to the lowest monthly level in a year, while soyoil stocks fell to a 13-month low, according to analysts polled ahead of a National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) report due on Thursday. NOPA members, which handle about 95% of all soybeans crushed in the United States, likely crushed 160.795 million bushels of soybeans last month, according to the average of estimates from nine analysts.

 Oct 14 - Brazil charges JBS unit over coronavirus worker protection, 18th suit against JBS
Federal labor prosecutors in Brazil have filed a civil suit against food processor Seara Alimentos, a division of meatpacking giant JBS SA, accusing it of failing to protect workers from the coronavirus at two plants in the southern state of Santa Catarina, they said in a statement on Tuesday. Prosecutors allege that the company did not adequately test employees at the two facilities in the town of Itapiranga. 

 Oct 14 - France cuts nearly all 2020 crop estimates
France's farm ministry on Tuesday lowered virtually all its estimates for cereal, oilseed and sugar beet crops this year after adverse weather throughout the season. In a monthly crop report, the ministry cut its estimate for the 2020 grain maize crop, harvesting of which is in progress, to 13.5 million tonnes from 14.1 million last month, after a large reduction in its yield forecast.

 Oct 14 - Rains fail to bring needed relief to Brazil's soy farmers
Rains that were forecast to blanket a wide portion of Brazil starting on Oct. 10 have arrived in a patchy fashion and will not be sufficient for the nation's 2020/21 soy planting cycle to advance considerably, meteorologists and industry experts told Reuters. A dry year has seriously affected soy growers in Brazil, and farmers are keenly awaiting significant rain to kick the planting season into gear.

 Oct 14 - Algeria bought estimated 510,000 tonnes milling wheat in tender
Algeria’s state grains agency OAIC purchased an estimated 510,000 tonnes of optional-origin milling wheat in an international tender late on Tuesday, European traders said in initial assessments on Wednesday. It was all purchased at around $263.50 a tonne c&f, traders said. 

 Oct 14 - APK-Inform cuts Ukraine 2020/21 grain harvest, export forecast
Ukrainian agriculture consultancy APK-Inform on Tuesday cut its forecast for Ukraine's 2020/21 grain harvest and exports due to poor weather. The consultancy said it had cut the 2020 grain harvest outlook to 70 million tonnes, down 2% from its September forecast. Exports are seen down 0.5% at 50.9 million tonnes.

Oct 14 - India allocates import quotas for pigeon peas, black matpe
India announced import quotas on Tuesday of 400,000 tonnes of pigeon peas and 150,000 tonnes of black matpe. The government sets quotas each year for the two pulses, which have surged in price in India in recent weeks after excessive rainfall hit summer-sown crops.

 Oct 14 - World Food Programme says needs $6.8 bln over next 6 months to avert famine
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will need to raise$6.8 billion over the next six months to avert famine amid the COVID-19 crisis, the agency said on Tuesday. The WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week for its efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, said it had so far raised $1.6 billion.

Oct 13 - China Sept soy imports rise to 9.8 mln T, seen staying robust 
China's soybean imports rose in September as previously delayed cargoes at customs started rolling in, and are forecast to remain robust in the months ahead due to higher arrivals from the United States as part of the Sino-U.S. trade deal. Demand for the oilseed is expected to stay strong in the world's top soybean importer due to a pig herd that is recovering rapidly from the African swine fever.

Oct 13 - China Sept meat imports slightly up on month at 834,000 T - customs 
China imported 834,000 tonnes of meat in September, customs data showed on Tuesday, slightly higher than last month, as the world's biggest meat consumer continues to stock up on proteins after a plunge in its pork output. The large volume compares to August's imports of 832,000 tonnes and suggests there has been little impact from the suspension of exports by some overseas plants facing coronavirus outbreaks among workers.

Oct 13 - Crop Watch: Huge harvest week for soybeans with favorable results - Braun 
Five of the eight U.S. Crop Watch soybean fields were harvested between Tuesday and Wednesday, and the final yield score was better than predicted in four of those cases – the fifth field already had the maximum expectation. That contrasts with the earlier three bean fields in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska, where final yields fell short of the prediction. Three of the eight corn fields have been harvested, though none in the latest week, and the remaining five should be completed within the next two weeks.

 Oct 13 - Traders union cuts Ukraine 2020 wheat, corn crop, export forecast 
Ukraine's grain traders union UGA on Monday lowered its forecast for the 2020 wheat, corn and barley harvest due to poor weather. The union cut the 2020 wheat crop outlook to 25.3 million tonnes from 26.6 million tonnes a month earlier. It revised down the 2020 corn crop forecast to 32.5 million tonnes from 35.3 million and barley to 8 million tonnes from 8.3 million tonnes.

 Oct 13 - EU + UK soft wheat exports 5.73 mln T by Oct. 11, down 29% 
Soft wheat exports from the European Union and Britain in the 2020/21 season that started on July 1 had reached 5.73 million tonnes by Oct. 11, official EU data showed on Monday. That was 29% below the volume cleared by Oct. 13 last year.

Oct 13 - Excessive rains, pest attack trims Indian soybean crop - trade body 
India is likely to produce 10.46 million tonnes of soybean in 2020, nearly 15% lower than the previous estimate, as excessive rainfall during harvesting and pest diseases hit the oilseed, a leading trade body said in a statement. Lower-than-expected production of main summer-sown oilseed could prompt the world's biggest vegetable oil importer increase costly purchases of palm oil, soyoil and sunflower oil from Indonesia, Malaysia, Argentina and Ukraine.

Oct 13 - Brazil Potash eyes fundraising round after U.S. elections 
Canada-based Brazil Potash Corp has filed initial documents with U.S. regulators ahead of a $50 million fund-raising round around November that would value the fertilizer venture at about $520 million, Chief Executive Matt Simpson said on Monday. Simpson said the company, part of a push to launch large-scale production that could make Brazil a major source of the fertilizer commodity, was also in talks with several large global producers on a potential takeover or investment. 

Oct 12 - Brazil president to meet soy farmers amid oilseeds price inflation
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that he plans to meet with local soy farmers next week to discuss a rise in prices of the nation's most prized export commodity. Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures soared to their highest prices since March 2018 on Friday, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected tighter domestic supplies. 

Oct 12 - Funds' soy, corn buying underwhelms as historic rally continues - Braun
It was a forgone conclusion that speculators easily held a record bullish position in Chicago-traded soybeans ahead of the U.S. government’s latest supply and demand report, but funds’ actual buying in the latest week was extremely underwhelming given the surge in futures. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday projected much tighter domestic and international soybean supplies than analysts predicted, sending futures close to four-year highs and again setting the expectation that funds closed the week on a record long note.

Oct 12 - U.S. government cuts corn, soy supply view on falling harvest forecast
U.S. corn and soybean supplies will be smaller than previously forecast, as adverse weather reduced the acreage that farmers will harvest, the U.S. government said on Friday. Soybean stocks were pegged at a five-year low, with rising exports eating into the stockpile, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department's monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates Report.

 Oct 12 - Argentina first nation to OK drought-resistant GMO wheat
Argentina on Friday formally became the first country in the world to approve the use of drought-resistant genetically modified (GMO) wheat, prompting fierce criticism by the country's massive export agriculture industry. Bioceres' HB4 wheat is resistant to drought and tolerates the herbicide glufosinate sodium, a combination the company says can help boost yields on dry years. 

 Oct 12 - UK ministers to deny lawmakers vote on blocking chlorinated chicken imports – newspaper
The British government will use an "obscure" rule to deny lawmakers a vote aimed at blocking imports of chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef, The Independent newspaper reported late on Saturday. The move will see the ministers defeat an attempt to give powers to a new watchdog, amid suspicions that Britain's post-Brexit trade deals, particularly with the United States, will water down food and animal welfare standards, the report added. 

Oct 12 - International banks sue Argentine soy giant Vicentin over debts
A group of international banks have filed a criminal complaint against Argentine soy crusher Vicentin, the company said on Friday, vowing to fight what it called the "baseless" claims being made against it. The complaint filed by banks including Rabobank, Natixis and Credit Agricole, was filed with a prosecutor's office in Santa Fe province, where Vicentin is headquartered, the company said.

Oct 12 - Algeria issues wheat tender, opens to Black Sea grain - trade
Algeria's state grains agency OAIC has issued an international tender to buy milling wheat with new specifications permitting wheat from Russia and other producers in Black Sea region to be offered for higher protein wheat grades, European traders said on Saturday. Traders said they had received a tender and changed specifications from OAIC which increases its tolerance level for 12.5% protein wheat to 0.5% bug (insect) damage, which effectively permits Black Sea supplies to be offered. 

Oct 12 - Funds raise bullish bet in raw sugar to over 170,000 contracts
Hedge funds and money managers increased their bullish bet on ICE raw sugar futures in the week to Oct. 6 to above 170,000 contracts, the highest speculators' net long position in the sweetener in five years, data released on Friday showed. The funds added 14,288 contracts to their net long bet that now totals 173,226 contracts, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said, in a week when sugar prices touched the highest since March 2. 

Oct 09 - Palm oil prices to rally in first half of 2021, say top analysts 
Palm oil prices are likely to jump in the first half of 2021, three leading industry analysts said in a webinar on Thursday, as La Nina weather pattern is set to hit edible oil supplies amid lower soybean crushing in Argentina and rising sunflower oil prices. Heavy rainfall brought on by La Nina has started to disrupt output in Southeast Asian palm producing countries and will bring down global supply this year, said analyst James Fry. 

Oct 09 - China, Mexico buy U.S. soybeans as prices rally to 2-1/2 year highs 
U.S. soybean export sales remain robust despite prices climbing to the highest in more than 2-1/2 years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as Mexico and top importer China booked large purchases. The USDA, in a daily export sales announcement, said private importers sold 374,000 tonnes of the oilseed to China, 152,404 tonnes to Mexico and 132,000 tonnes to undisclosed destinations. The combined deals made for USDA's largest daily soybean export sales announcement since Sept. 8, agency data showed.

Oct 09 - Argentina's Bioceres expects key Brazil green-light on GMO wheat in early 
Argentina's biotechnology firm Bioceres SA is targeting Brazilian approval for its HB4 drought-resistant GMO wheat before the start of the crop's next season around March, the company's chief executive told Reuters on Thursday. Argentina approved HB4 on Wednesday, making it the first country to approve a strain of GMO wheat, though Bioceres will not be able to market the crop without approval for import by Brazil, the biggest destination for Argentine wheat.

Oct 09 - USDA data looms as next hurdle for investors' strong corn, soy optimism - Braun 
Chicago corn and soybean futures have responded positively the last three times that the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a major report, something that the very plentiful bulls would enjoy should this happen again on Friday. Soybean futures hit 2-1/2-year highs on Thursday and corn a nearly one-year high before ending lower, though investors have built enormous long positions ahead of Friday’s supply and demand report from the USDA, where U.S. corn and soybean production will be in focus.

Oct 09 - Brazil soybean farmers sell over 65 mln T of soybeans in advance - Datagro 
Brazilian soybean farmers, who are starting to plant the new crop this month amid dry weather, have sold 50% of the estimated 2020/2021 production through Oct. 2, totaling 65.65 million tonnes, according to agribusiness consultancy Datagro on Thursday. This is a record for this time in the season and represents almost twice the historical average for sales of soybeans, which is 26.7% of the estimated harvest for early October, Datagro said.

 Oct 09 - UK rapeseed crop seen at 1.07 mln T, down 39% - ministry 
The United Kingdom's rapeseed harvest this year is provisionally forecast at 1.07 million tonnes, down 39% from the previous season, Britain's farming ministry said on Thursday. The decline was driven partly by a 27% decrease in planted area as wet weather during the autumn of 2019 prompted many farmers to switch to spring planted crops.

 Oct 09 - World food price index rise 5% year-on-year in Sept - FAO 
World food prices rose for a fourth month running in September, led by strong increases for cereals and vegetable oils, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. The Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 97.9 points last month versus a downwardly revised 95.9 in August.

Oct 09 - German meatpacking plant told to shut after coronavirus outbreak 
A German abattoir hit by a coronavirus outbreak has been ordered to close, authorities said, continuing COVID-19 difficulties in Germany's meatpacking industry. The Weidemark plant in Soegel in north Germany, owned by the giant Toennies group, must end slaughtering on Friday, complete packing on Sunday and then close, initially for 22 days, the Emsland regional authority said. Some 112 of its 2,000 or so workers have tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Oct 08 - Argentina first country to approve GMO wheat 
Argentina has approved HB4 drought-resistant GMO wheat by biotechnology firm Bioceres SA, the company and the government said on Wednesday, making it the first country in the world to approve a strain of GMO wheat. No countries have yet given the green light to imports of GMO products and Bioceres said it will only begin marketing HB4 once it is approved for importation by Brazil, the biggest destination for Argentine wheat.

 Oct 08 - Russia ups grain export forecast, Jan-June export quota looms 
Russia has upgraded its forecast for the 2020/21 grain exportable surplus by 5 million tonnes to 50 million, as it prepares to announce an export quota for January-June, officials said on Wednesday. Russia, one of the world's biggest wheat exporters, is harvesting a large crop this year. But rising domestic prices and a weak rouble have brought the grain export quota mechanism, used in spring at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, back onto the government agenda recently.

 Oct 08 - India's rice exports could jump to record on Thai drought effects 
India's rice exports in 2020 may rise by nearly 42% from a year ago to record highs because of reduced shipments from rival exporters and a depreciating rupee, industry officials said this week. Higher shipments from India, the world's biggest rice exporter, could cap global prices, reduce the country's bulging inventories and limit Indian state stockpiler purchases from farmers.

Oct 08 - ProAgro consultancy cuts Ukraine 2020 grain harvest forecast to 69.44 mln T 
Kyiv-based consultancy ProAgro on Wednesday cut its Ukraine 2020 grain harvest forecast to 69.44 million tonnes from the previous forecast of 71.34 million tonnes due to a smaller corn output. The consultancy revised down its 2020 corn harvest outlook to 31.74 million tonnes from 34.02 million tonnes a month earlier.

Oct 08 - Keeping it clean: U.S. ethanol producers invest in sanitizer for long haul 
Red River Biorefinery in Grand Forks, North Dakota, came online in April, arguably the worst time for an ethanol facility to begin operating as the coronavirus pandemic sank fuel demand. Instead of shutting like many ethanol facilities, the company switched focus from producing fuel ethanol to making high-grade alcohol for hand sanitizer, where demand surged during the pandemic as Americans scrambled to protect themselves against the coronavirus.

Oct 08 - German pig prices unchanged despite disruption to exports 
German pig prices remain unchanged this week at 1.27 euros ($1.49) a kg despite a series of import bans after African swine fever (ASF) was found in the country, the association of German animal farmers VEZG said on Wednesday. Prices had been around 1.47 a kg slaughter weight before the ASF case was confirmed on Sept. 10 and had fallen to 1.27 euros a kg on Sept. 11.

Oct 08 - U.S. indicts six more chicken-industry executives over alleged price fixing 
The U.S. government has indicted six more chicken-industry executives over alleged price-fixing, broadening antitrust prosecutions in its probe of the $65 billion poultry sector. In June, the Justice Department indicted Pilgrim's Pride Chief Executive Jayson Penn and three others in its first charges in the criminal probe involving broiler birds, which account for most U.S. chicken.

Oct 08 - Brazil's BRF faces tough salary talks in pandemic-stricken site - union 
A BRF SA meat plant workers' union in southern Brazil hopes to reach a deal over pay with management after fruitless talks that culminated in the partial halting of production last Friday, a union representative told Reuters on Wednesday. Jenir de Paula, president of the Sitracarnes union, said BRF proposed a 1% pay raise that was unacceptable for the roughly 5,700 workers at the plant in Chapecó, where BRF processes turkey and chicken. They are seeking a 10% annual salary rise. 

Oct 07 - How a Chilean raspberry scam dodged food safety controls from China to Canada 
In January 2017, Chilean Customs inspectors acted on a tip from a whistleblower: The country’s prized crop of raspberries was under threat. Inspectors raided the offices of Frutti di Bosco, a little-known fruit trading company on the second floor of a tower block in downtown Santiago. The files, company data and sales records they seized revealed a food trading racket that spanned three continents.

 Oct 07 - U.S. farm exports to China hit new August record thanks to soybeans - Braun 
U.S. agricultural exports to China had a sluggish start to 2020 relative to the lofty expectations set forth by the Phase 1 trade agreement, but the August value soared substantially over that of the prior months owing to strong soybean shipments. U.S. cotton exports to China hit a seven-and-a-half-year high in August, while corn shipments to the Asian country reached an all-time record. But the combined export value of cotton and corn, the No. 2 and 3 items in August, was less than half that of soybeans, emphasizing the importance of the oilseed in the trade relationship.

 Oct 07 - Argentine farmers say tax cuts favor crushers, won't spur selling 
Argentina's new export tax regime that leaves a higher levy on soybeans than processed soyoil and soymeal has some farmers complaining that they are subsidizing the country's vast oilseed crushing industry and say it won't spur growers to sell more. The South American grains powerhouse is a major exporter of soybeans and the world's top supplier of soyoil and soymeal livestock feed, which is used to fatten hogs, cattle and poultry from Europe to Southeast Asia.

Oct 07 - Rains improve conditions for Ukraine winter grain sowing 
Rains across much of Ukraine have improved conditions for the winter grain sowing, reducing concerns about the 2021 harvest after a severe drought, APK-Inform consultancy said on Tuesday. "Sufficiently heavy rains in the last days of September and early October ended the long-term air-soil drought in most regions of Ukraine and improved conditions for sowing and the development of winter crops," the consultancy said in a report.

Oct 07 - Philippines seeks two-month halt on rice imports to support prices 
The Philippines' Department of Agriculture on Tuesday asked local importers to stop importing rice between October and November to support domestic prices during the country's main wet-season harvest. The world's biggest rice importer, which buys mainly from neighbouring Vietnam, is now expected to purchase around 2.3 million tonnes of its staple food this year, Agriculture Secretary William Dar told reporters.

Oct 06 - EU, UK rapeseed crop area seen down slightly - Strategie Grains 
Consultancy Strategie Grains expects sowing for the 2021 rapeseed crop in the European Union and Britain to be slightly lower compared with this year's harvest, marking another potential erosion of the oilseed's position in Europe. In its first assessment of rapeseed sowing for next year, Strategie Grains estimated the area drilled at 5.45 million hectares compared with 5.47 million harvested this year, it said in a summary of an oilseed report.

Oct 06 - French soft wheat shipments plunge to record low in September 
French soft wheat shipments outside the European Union in September fell to their lowest monthly level in at least 11 years as activity continued to ease after a poor harvest, an initial estimate based on Refinitiv data showed. Soft wheat exports to destinations outside the EU totalled 166,000 tonnes in September, the third month of the 2020/21 season, the Refinitiv loading data showed.

Oct 06 - U.S. soybean harvest 38% complete, corn 25% harvested - USDA 
The U.S. soybean harvest was 38% complete as of Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a weekly crop progress report on Monday, ahead of the five-year average of 28% and the average estimate in a Reuters analyst poll of 36%. The U.S. corn crop was 25% harvested, the USDA said, just ahead of the five-year average of 24% but behind the average analyst estimate of 26%.

Oct 06 - Brazil soybean planting delay to affect supply in January - AgRural 
Rainfall scarcity expected in the coming days should further delay Brazil's soybean planting, affecting supply of the country's most prized agricultural export commodity in January, consulting firm AgRural said on Monday. This bodes well for U.S. soybean farmers, who compete directly with Brazil in exports and may continue to sell to top importer China throughout January, when a good portion of Brazil's crop is normally ready to be shipped. 

Oct 06 - EU maize imports could hit 20 mln T after drought setback - Commission 
European Union imports of maize could rise to 20 million tonnes this season after drought is expected to leave the bloc with a smaller than average crop at a time of ample international supply, the EU's executive said on Monday. For the EU's 27 member countries, the European Commission's official forecast is for 2020/21 maize (corn) imports of 19 million tonnes against 18.4 million last season.

Oct 06 - Russian wheat prices rise with global benchmarks - IKAR 
Russian wheat export prices rose last week in response to higher Chicago prices, the IKAR consultancy said on Monday. Russian wheat with 12.5% protein loading from Black Sea ports and for supply in October was at $237 a tonne free on board (FOB) at the end of last week, up $4 from the previous week, agriculture consultancy IKAR said in a note. 

Oct 06 - EU pork export growth set to slow after German disease outbreak 
Growth in pork exports from the European Union will slow significantly as Germany faces trade restrictions following a swine fever outbreak and Chinese demand contracts, the EU's executive forecast on Monday. Germany, the EU's largest pork producer, has been barred from trade with major importing countries, including China and South Korea, after African swine fever (ASF) was detected in wild boar last month.

Oct 06 - Ukraine's grain exports down 14.9% so far in 2020/21 season 
Ukraine's grain exports have fallen 14.9% so far in the season that runs from July 2020 to June 2021, to 12.3 million tonnes, the economy ministry said on Monday. That included 8.7 million tonnes of wheat - around 50% of the volume permitted for exports this season - 2.9 million tonnes of barley, and 678,000 tonnes of corn.

Oct 06 - Argentina grains inspectors say reach deal to keep negotiating wages 
Argentine labor group Urgara, which represents grains inspectors at export hubs, has reached a preliminary agreement averting a threatened wage strike against private agro-export companies, the union said on Monday. Urgara held a 24-hour work stoppage early last week to press its case for higher wages. The short-lived strike temporarily halted some grains cargo ships from being loaded.

Oct 06 - Crop Watch: Iowa corn, Nebraska soybeans notably worse than expected - Braun  
Pre-harvest yield expectations for the Iowa corn and Nebraska soybeans were below average, but the final results on these Crop Watch fields came in well below what the producers had hoped for. Unfavorable weather, such as drought and the derecho, were mostly to blame. Many of the U.S. Crop Watch growers reported relatively slow harvest progress in their areas over the past week as scattered showers, equipment breakdowns, and high moisture levels were prohibitive. But they believe the expected dry and warm week ahead will accelerate activity over the next several days, especially for soybeans.

Oct 05 - Rain to help EU rapeseed but too late to avert French area drop 
Early autumn showers in Europe should boost growth of rapeseed crops but have come too late to prevent an area decline in France where drought disrupted late-summer sowing, analysts and traders said. The European Union and Britain have seen production of rapeseed, their most common oilseed crop, wane in the past two years due to adverse weather and insect problems. 

Oct 05 - US agriculture secretary says unsure if China will meet Phase 1 farm commitment 
China may fall short of annual agricultural product purchasing commitments made in its Phase 1 trade deal with the United States due to "non-agricultural trade issues," U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Friday. "I'm not sure they're going to make it, but they're trying," Perdue said during a town hall meeting with farmers at Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative. "Non-agricultural trade issues get in the way."

Oct 05 - Funds pack more corn and soy into their historically bullish views - Braun 
Chicago-traded grain and oilseed futures had eased in the days leading up to Wednesday's wildly bullish stocks report from the U.S. government, but that did not stop speculators from stuffing their portfolios even fuller with corn and soybeans. In the week ended Sept. 29, money managers extended their net long position in CBOT soybean futures and options to 229,043 contracts from 211,143 a week earlier, according to data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. 

   Oct 05 - IHS Markit trims average U.S. corn yield to 177.8 bu/acre, document shows 
Private analytics firm IHS Markit Agribusiness, formerly known as IEG Vantage, on Friday cut its forecast of the average U.S. 2020 corn yield to 177.8 bushels per acre, from 178.1 a month ago, according to traders and an IHS client note seen by Reuters. The firm estimated U.S. corn production at 14.812 billion bushels, compared with its Sept. 4 figure of 14.961 billion.

 Oct 05 - Russia may announce details on possible grain export quota this month - Sovecon 
Russia could provide details in the middle of this month on a possible grain export quota for the first half of next year, agriculture consultancy Sovecon said in a note on Friday. Russia, one of the world's top wheat exporters, applied a grain export quota mechanism in April-June to ensure domestic supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agriculture ministry said on Monday that the system remains relevant despite a large crop, but did not say if it would be reintroduced. 

 Oct 05 - Lack of rain hits soy crop in Brazil's Mato Grosso state 
Only 1.7% of the projected 2020/21 soy area in Mato Grosso, Brazil's largest soy producing state, has been planted, according to data released by industry body Imea on Friday, indicating that dry weather is significantly affecting the area's soy crop. Last year, 6.65% of the area had been planted by Oct. 4. Over the last five years, an average of 9.59% of the state's soy area had been planted by that time.

Oct 05 - German farmers say meatpackers must work longer after coronavirus curbs 
German meatpackers and slaughterhouses need to work longer hours to compensate for reduced processing capacity after the coronavirus crisis, a farming association said on Friday. A series of German meat packing plants became COVID-19 hotspots this summer including the massive Toennies slaughterhouse and meatpacking plant in central Germany.

Oct 05 - Malaysia's September palm oil stocks seen rising on higher output 
Malaysian palm oil inventories in September likely rose to their highest in three months, a Reuters poll showed, as production during the month hit a near two-year high, but a climb in exports may have capped the extent of increase in stockpiles. September inventories were seen rising 1.27% from the previous month to 1.72 million tonnes, their highest since July, a median estimate of 10 planters, traders and analysts polled by Reuters showed. 

Oct 05 - New Zealand's Fonterra to sell China dairy farms for $368 mln to focus on home markets 
New Zealand's Fonterra said on Monday it has agreed to sell its farms in China for a total of NZ$555 million ($367.97 million) as the dairy producer continues to focus on the domestic market and reduce debt. The company unveiled plans last year to halt overseas expansion after being criticised by the more than 10,000 farmers who make up its cooperative for its foray into countries like China and value added consumer products that were weighing on its profits.

Oct 02 - Meatpackers in the Americas accelerate automation after outbreaks, lagging Europe 
As coronavirus outbreaks among workers closed several Canadian meat plants, Henry Mizrahi saw a different future for Lesters Foods, the hot dog factory he runs in Montreal. Mizrahi made plans to install a robotic arm capable of moving packages into larger containers for shipping, allowing workers greater distance from each other. Lesters, a small private company, is investing several million dollars in a five-year plan to increase automation. 

Oct 02 - Argentina temporarily cuts soy export taxes in bid to boost foreign reserves 
Argentina has temporarily cut soybean, soymeal and soyoil export taxes by 3 percentage points to 30% to help stimulate export revenue, the government announced on Thursday, as the country struggles with recession and dwindling foreign reserves. The tax cut will last until the end of the year before being restored to 33% in January. "We seek to strengthen the country's international reserves," Economy Minister Martin Guzman said in a televised address.

Oct 02 - Asian buyers step up Australian wheat purchases as output rebounds 
Asian demand for Australian wheat is expected to bounce back in the months ahead as the country is estimated to produce its biggest crop in four years, offering stiff competition to suppliers in the Black Sea region. Around 1.5 million tonnes of wheat is scheduled to be shipped out of Australia in December with more than one million tonnes heading to Asian destinations led by China, the Philippines and Vietnam, two trade sources said.

 Oct 02 - Malaysia's Sime Darby Plantation concerned over possible U.S. import ban 
Malaysia's Sime Darby Plantation Bhd flagged concern on Friday about a possible ban by customs authorities in the United States, a key market for the firm in the world's second largest producer and exporter of palm oil. After reports this week identified Sime Darby as the next target of an import ban by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the company said it had not been given an opportunity to explain a petition filed against it by anti-trafficking group Liberty Shared (LS) in April this year.

 Oct 02 - Bleaker profit outlook at Bayer turns into reckoning over Monsanto 
Bayer shares plunged after it flagged lower profit next year and warned it may have to write down the value of agriculture assets by close to 10 billion euros ($11.7 billion), rekindling a debate over the merits of the takeover of Monsanto. Bayer, which acquired the U.S. seed maker for $63 billion in 2018, said late on Wednesday the coronavirus pandemic was a bigger drag on the agriculture business than feared, causing lower biofuel demand and negative currency effects, and competition in soy seeds was also intensifying.

Oct 02 - Record U.S. corn, soy sales already cover big chunk of projected exports - Braun 
The new U.S. corn and soybean marketing year is just a month old, and the progress toward meeting big annual export targets is more advanced than normal in terms of sales, largely due to strong Chinese demand. U.S. corn and soybean export bookings stand at record levels for this early stage, and that bodes well for the expectation that 2020-21 shipments will rebound sharply from the dismal year-ago levels.

Oct 02 - USDA August soybean crush seen at 175.7 million bushels 
U.S. soybean crushings in August likely dropped to the lowest point in six months to 5.272 million short tons, or 175.7 million bushels, according to the average forecast of nine analysts surveyed by Reuters ahead of a monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report. Estimates ranged from 175.0 million bushels to 176.8 million bushels, with a median of 175.5 million bushels.

Oct 02 - Germany finds two more African swine fever cases in wild boar 
Two more cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been confirmed in wild boars in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, the federal agriculture ministry said on Thursday. The new discoveries bring the total number of confirmed cases to 40 since the first one on Sept. 10. All were in wild animals, with no farm pigs affected, the ministry said.

Oct 01 - U.S. corn, soy stocks fall as exports rise, government report shows 
American soybean and corn stockpiles were smaller than expected as China stepped up its purchases of U.S. supplies during the summer, the U.S. government said on Wednesday. Corn supplies dropped by 3.024 billion bushels and soybean supplies fell by 858 million bushels during the three months ended Sept. 1, the second-biggest summer drawdowns ever for both commodities, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department's quarterly stocks report.

Oct 01 - China's pig herd rebounds after swine fever, but pork supply will take time to recover 
China's huge pig herd is rebounding rapidly after being decimated by disease but pork output will take much longer to restore given the low quality of the new herd, say experts and analysts. China's pork output fell to its lowest level in 16 years last year after African swine fever swept through farms nationwide from 2018 onwards. 

Oct 01 - Corn market blindsided by unusually large U.S. supply revision: Braun 
Quarterly grain stock reports from the U.S. government have the tendency to jolt the Chicago futures market due to their unpredictable nature. That held true on Wednesday, but the main reason for the surprise was something that virtually nobody saw coming. Sept. 1 supplies of U.S. corn, soybeans and wheat all came in below trade expectations when the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the data, but the corn number stood out the most since it included a large, unprecedented adjustment to prior stocks. 

  Oct 01 - China temporarily suspends beef imports from Minerva Brazil plant 
China on Wednesday said it would temporarily suspend imports from a beef plant owned by Brazilian meatpacker Minerva SA for a week, in the latest suspension amid concerns over coronavirus contamination in Brazilian meat plants. The Chinese customs authority said in a statement on its website dated Wednesday that the suspension would take effect on Thursday and last for one week, after which imports could resume.

 Oct 01 - Russia's agriculture ministry raises its grain crop forecast 
Russia's 2020 grain crop is expected at more than 125 million tonnes, including no less than 82 million tonnes of wheat, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on Wednesday. Russia, one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, competes with France, Ukraine and other major producers for supplies to Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere.

Oct 01 - Malaysia's FGV disappointed with U.S. ban on its palm oil products 
Malaysian palm oil producer FGV Holdings Bhd has taken steps to fix allegations that it uses forced labour and is disappointed with the United States' ban on imports of its products over the claims, the company said on Thursday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued the ban on FGV's products on Wednesday after a year-long investigation that the agency alleges showed abuse, deception, physical and sexual violence, intimidation and the keeping of identity documents.

Oct 01 - Argentina's beef exports to China this year seen at pre-pandemic pace 
Argentina is expected to export about 870,000 tonnes of beef to China this year, the main destination for the South American country's renowned red meat, matching last year's exports despite the global pandemic, a local meat chamber said on Wednesday. Argentina is a major global food suppliers and China is an avid consumer of its beef. About 75% of Argentine beef exports were destined for the Chinese market last year, according to government data.

Oct 01 - Ukraine faces slowest winter wheat sowing in 10 years 
The pace of Ukraine's 2020/21 winter wheat sowing is the slowest for at least last 10 years because of a severe drought and farmers could extend planting even into December, analyst APK-Inform said on Wednesday. Ukraine's economy ministry issued its first official information on winter sowing late on Tuesday, saying that only 1.5 million hectares, or 25%, of the expected winter wheat area had been sown as of Sept. 28.

Oct 01 - Indian monsoon rains above average for second year in a row 
India's monsoon rains in 2020 were above average for the second year in a row, the first time that has happened in more than six decades, weather department officials said on Wednesday. The 9% above-average rainfall replenished reservoirs and built up ground water, helping assuage water shortages in pockets of the country of 1.3 billion people. 

Oct 01 - Germany finds 2 more swine fever cases, one in new area 
Two more cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been confirmed in wild boars in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, with one found outside the area of the first discoveries, the federal agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. One new discovery was confirmed in the Maerkisch-Oderland district in Brandenburg outside of the area further south where the first cases were found, the ministry said. The sites are about 60 kilometres apart.

Oct 01 - Amid COVID-19 pandemic, EU warns about outbreaks of bird flu 
European Union nations should step up surveillance against possible outbreaks of avian flu among wild and domestic birds, the EU said on Wednesday. The disease is highly contagious for birds, but risks of transmission to humans are considered low, EU health and food agencies said in a report published as the continent battles a new spike of coronavirus infections.

Sep 30 - Algeria's wheat suppliers to feel impact of Black Sea shift next season 
Russia's imminent entry into Algeria's massive wheat import market may not mean much extra competition for now, but France and other European Union suppliers face a major threat from next season, traders and analysts said. The Algerian state grains agency OAIC has circulated modified tender terms showing a relaxed bug damage limit for high-protein milling wheat, removing a bar to cheaper Black Sea origins like Russian wheat, traders have said.

Sep 30 - Analysts could be headed for a U.S. corn, soy stocks miss: Braun 
Industry analysts are predicting a highly unlikely scenario when it comes to Sept. 1 supplies of U.S. corn and soybeans, which could set up a surprise when the U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes those numbers on Wednesday. The trade expects both Sept. 1 corn and soybean inventories, effectively ending stocks for the 2019-20 marketing year, to land within 0.2% of what USDA projected earlier this month. In the last 20 years, that has happened once for corn and never for soybeans.

Sep 30 - Meatpackers deny workers benefits for COVID-19 deaths, illnesses 
Saul Sanchez died in April, one of six workers with fatal COVID-19 infections at meatpacker JBS USA's slaughterhouse in Greeley, Colorado, the site of one of the earliest and deadliest coronavirus outbreaks at a U.S. meatpacking plant. JBS, the world's largest meatpacker, denied the family's application for workers' compensation benefits, along with those filed by the families of two other Greeley workers who died of COVID-19, said lawyers handling the three claims. 

 Sep 30 - Ukraine cuts 2021 winter wheat sowing area by 9% - ministry 
Ukraine, hit by the severe drought, plans to cut its area under winter wheat to 6.1 million hectares from around 6.7 million a year earlier, the economy ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry's data showed farms had sown around 25% of the expected area as of Sept. 28 or 1.5 million hectares.

 Sep 30 - More biofuel blending waiver decisions not likely ahead of election, Iowa senator says 
Senator Chuck Grassley from corn producer Iowa said on Tuesday he does not believe the Trump administration will make any further announcements on biofuel blending waivers for small refiners before November's presidential election. Grassley added that President Donald Trump has already proven he supports ethanol after a move this month to deny scores of retroactive waiver requests that would have exempted refiners from blending laws for previous years.

Sep 30 - S.Africa's 2020 maize output dips from previous month on wet weather 
South Africa will likely harvest 15.422 million tonnes of maize in 2020, slightly lower than previous months estimate after late rains delayed deliveries, the government's Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) said on Tuesday. Giving its eighth production forecast for the 2020 crop, the CEC estimated that harvest would be 37% higher compared with 11.275 million tonnes harvested in the 2018/2019 season when yields were hurt by dry weather conditions.

Sep 30 - USTR requests 'safeguard' probe into blueberry imports 
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Tuesday requested an investigation into whether increased blueberry imports are hurting U.S. growers, a process that could lead to new global "safeguard" tariffs on blueberries. In a statement, USTR said the petition under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 was made to the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Sep 29 - Louis Dreyfus gets profit boost in pandemic but equity shrinks 
Agricultural commodity merchant Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) said its first-half profits rose as it adjusted to price volatility and shifts in food demand during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the 169-year-old group, which is considering bringing in an outside investor for the first time, reported a decline in its equity as it paid out a dividend to shareholders led by chairwoman Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.

Sep 29 - Argentine grains ship loadings affected by 24-hour strike by grains inspectors 
The loading of grains ships in Argentina was affected on Monday by a 24-hour strike by cargo inspectors demanding higher wages and shorter working hours, said Martin Brindici, general manager of the country's private ports chamber. The work stoppage, by the URGARA union, began at midnight.

Sep 29 - U.S. soybean harvest 20% complete, corn 15% harvested - USDA 
The U.S. soybean harvest was 20% complete as of Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a weekly crop progress report on Monday, ahead of the five-year average of 15% and the average estimate in a Reuters analyst poll of 18%. The corn harvest lagged slightly as producers focused on soybeans. The U.S. corn crop was 15% harvested, the USDA said, behind the five-year average of 16% and the average analyst estimate of 17%.

 Sep 29 - Russia's agri ministry: grain export quota mechanism relevant despite large crop 
Russia's agriculture ministry said on Monday that the country's grain export quota mechanism, used in April-June amid the coronavirus outbreak, remains relevant despite the large crop its farmers are harvesting this year. Russia, one of the world's biggest wheat exporters, has said it could set the grain export quota for January-June 2021 if there is a need to secure domestic supplies.

 Sep 29 - China targets pork self-sufficiency rate of 95% - cabinet document 
China is aiming to produce 95% of its pork at home, according to a cabinet document outlining plans for its livestock sector, underscoring a goal to quickly rebuild its huge pig herd after a major disease epidemic. The document, released on Sunday, comes amid a heightened focus on food security by Beijing, with coronavirus outbreaks overseas impacting food exporters, and ongoing tensions with top trade partners raising concerns about supplies.

 Sep 29 - EU + UK 2020/21 soybean imports 3.36 mln T, rapeseed 1.45 mln T 
Soybean imports into the European Union and Britain in the 2020/21 season that started on July 1 totalled 3.36 million tonnes by Sept. 27, official EU data showed on Monday. That was 1% above the volume imported in the previous 2019/20 season, the data showed.

 Sep 29 - Crop Watch: Home run for Indiana corn but huge letdown for Illinois soy: Braun 
The Illinois soybeans were the third of 16 U.S. Crop Watch fields to be harvested last week, and the results were extremely disappointing. But the fourth field, the Indiana corn, finished on a very strong note. The North Dakota producer was the only one of the eight who reported rampant harvest activity last week in the area, estimating completion on up to half of the soybean fields due to the super-dry status of the beans. Elsewhere, growers reported normal or even slow harvest progress within the last week.

Sep 29 - Soaring Amazon deforestation splits Brazil's agriculture lobby 
Brazil's biggest lobby group for soy farmers Aprosoja has broken ties with the Brazil Agribusiness Association (Abag) over its support for an initiative calling on the Brazilian government to rein in soaring deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Abag was among roughly 230 nongovernment organizations, companies and associations that called on the government of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro earlier this month to take measures to combat rising deforestation. 

Sep 29 - Virus hits operations in district of Malaysia's key palm producer Sabah 
Malaysia's largest palm producing state of Sabah has ordered plantations, mills and refineries in one district to shut amid two weeks of curbs on movement to rein in the coronavirus. Operations in the district of Kunak were suspended from Tuesday until Oct. 12, the district council said in a notice.

Sep 28 - Beijing asks frozen food importers to shun countries with severe coronavirus 
China's capital called on importers on Monday to shun frozen food from countries suffering from severe novel coronavirus outbreaks after several cases of imported seafood products testing positive for the virus. "Customs and local governments have repeatedly detected the coronavirus in imported cold chain food, proving it risks contamination," the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau said in a statement issued to import companies. 

Sep 28 - Argentine grains port workers to strike after talks collapse 
A labor union representing Argentine grains port workers said on Sunday it would stage a 24-hour walk-off from midnight after failing to strike a deal on a collective work agreement with the business chamber that represents private port owners. The URGARA union, which represents inspectors who check the quality of grains before they are loaded onto ships, called on its workers to "cease all ... activity in ports throughout the country," in a statement released late Sunday. 

Sep 28 - Funds' bullish soybean stance hits an eight-year high: Braun 
Investors last week marked their sixth consecutive buying week across Chicago-traded grains and oilseeds despite a downward price correction late in the period, further boosting their historically bullish corn and soybean views. In the week ended Sept. 22, money managers increased their net long position in CBOT soybean futures and options to 211,143 contracts from 191,774 a week earlier, according to data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. 

Sep 28 - Coceral cuts EU maize forecast on hot, dry spell 
Coceral has cut its forecast of this year's maize harvest in the European Union plus Britain to 62.8 million tonnes from 64.6 million projected a month ago, the grain trade lobby said on Friday, citing the impact of hot, dry weather. It also lowered its estimate of 2020 barley production in the EU plus Britain, to 61.3 million tonnes from 62.5 million, but left almost unchanged its estimate of soft wheat production at 129.2 million tonnes.

Sep 28 - Germany confirms one more African swine fever case in wild boar 
One more case of African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in a wild boar in the eastern German state of Brandenburg over the weekend, Germany’s agriculture ministry said. The new discovery brings total confirmed cases to 35 since the first one on Sept. 10. All were in wild animals with no farm pigs affected, the ministry said on its website.

Sep 28 - USDA funds $1 mln research project studying COVID-19 in U.S. beef supply chain 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding a $1 million research project to identify how the virus that causes COVID-19 might be transmitted in the nation's beef supply chain, from cattle on the farm to the packages of meat inside a person's refrigerator. One goal of the two-year project, set to begin in October, is to help reduce the risk of exposure for consumers and people who work in the meat industry, according to a USDA document describing the research effort led by Texas A&M University.

Sep 28 - India’s controversial farm bills become law despite protests 
India's president on Sunday approved three controversial agricultural bills amid nationwide protests by farmers who say the new laws will stunt their bargaining power and instead allow large retailers to have control over pricing. Farmers' organisations say one of the three laws could lead to the government stopping buying grain at guaranteed prices, a move that would disrupt wholesale markets which have so far ensured fair and timely payments to farmers. 

Sep 25 - China's August soybean imports from Brazil rise 22% from year earlier
China's August imports of soybeans from Brazil rose 22% from a year ago, customs data showed on Friday, as buyers increased their purchases to take advantage of higher margins earlier this year. China, the world's top buyer of soybeans, brought in 8.15 million tonnes of the oilseed from Brazil in August, up from 6.68 million tonnes last year, data from the General Administration of customs showed. 

Sep 25 - IGC cuts forecast for 2020/21 global corn crop
The International Grains Council (IGC) on Thursday trimmed its forecast for global corn (maize) production in the 2020/21 season, partly reflecting a reduced outlook for the U.S. crop. In its monthly update, the inter-governmental body reduced its global corn crop forecast by 6 million tonnes to a still record high of 1.16 billion tonnes.

Sep 25 - Indian farmers block roads, railways as protests mount over farm bills
Farmers in India blocked roads and railway tracks on Friday in a protest against new legislation that they say could pave the way for the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has defended the bills - recently approved by parliament - as reform measures that will help rid India's vast agriculture sector of antiquated laws and allow farmers to sell to institutional buyers and big retailers like Walmart.

 Sep 25 - China's Qingdao finds coronavirus on seafood importer's goods
Health authorities in China's eastern city of Qingdao have found coronavirus contamination on some packages stored by a seafood importer after two of its handlers tested positive for the virus but displayed no symptoms. China has stepped up checks on frozen food imports and banned those from some foreign meat processing plants amid the global pandemic.

 Sep 25 - Trump, eyeing Farm Country, starts working on ethanol industry's year-old wishlist
President Donald Trump, looking to shore up support in the U.S. Farm Belt during a tight race for re-election, is taking steps to help producers of corn-based ethanol using a list of policy goals that a group of Midwest senators discussed with him a year ago, according to two sources familiar with the matter. On Sept. 12, 2019, Trump met with the senators, who were frustrated by the administration's management of U.S. biofuels policy. They argued that Trump's Environmental Protection Agency had been helping the oil industry at the expense of farmers dependent on ethanol sales, and presented him with a list of ways he could fix the problem, according to five sources familiar with the matter.

Sep 25 - Brazil ethanol sales in September recover to 2019 levels, says industry group
Sales of ethanol by plants in the main center-south region in Brazil reached 1.33 billion liters in the first half of September, similar to the amount sold a year earlier, industry group Unica reported on Thursday, signaling a recovering market. Unica's biweekly production report said exports of ethanol - up 187% early in September - helped offset lower local sales, which remained down from last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sep 25 - Drought-hit Argentine wheat may get relief from weekend rains - exchange
Drought-hit Argentine wheat fields might get some relief over the weekend if rain forecasts prove correct, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said in its weekly crop report on Thursday. Some 60% of planted area was in average to very dry condition, the report said, up from 50% a week earlier. 

Sep 25 - Bayer resolves more Roundup cases, judge keeps pause on litigation
Attorneys for Bayer AG and consumers suing the company over allegations its Roundup weedkiller caused cancer told a judge on Thursday they are continuing to resolve thousands more cases, improving prospects for its $11 billion deal to end the litigation. The hearing was a contrast to the contentious tone among the parties last month that raised concerns the framework deal might unravel.

Sep 25 - Germany confirms 3 more swine fever cases in wild boar
A further three cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been confirmed in wild boar in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, Germany's federal agriculture ministry said on Thursday. The discoveries bring the total confirmed cases to 32 since the first one on Sept. 10, all in wild animals, with no farm pigs affected.

Sep 24 - China's pork rib prices jump after ban on German imports
The cost of China's much-loved pork rib dishes is soaring after Beijing suspended imports of pigmeat from major supplier Germany, hurting restaurants still recovering from the coronavirus hit earlier this year. Pork ribs are one of China's best-selling menu items but many restaurants specialising in the cut rely on imports, which can be up to 10 times cheaper than local supplies.

Sep 24 - Argentine corn, soy output to fall due to dryness and capital controls - exchange
Argentina's upcoming soy and corn crops will be smaller than last season's due to dry weather and capital controls that are hurting farmers' profits, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said in a teleconference with agricultural analysts on Wednesday. Total grains production is set to fall 6.1% this year versus the previous season, the exchange said. Growers worry that a dry spell that started in June might get worse due to a mild episode of La Nina weather phenomenon while currency controls taken by the central bank to preserve its reserves take a toll on output from the world's No. 3 corn and soybean exporter.

Sep 24 - U.S. ethanol output closing gap on prior years but remains lackluster - Braun
U.S. ethanol production last week sank to a 12-week low, but the running deficit versus previous years has been shrinking over the last month, bringing output slightly closer to normal levels. Implied ethanol consumption is off from recent highs, but its year-on-year deficit has also contracted. U.S. gasoline demand is declining in line with seasonal trends, though there has been no recent improvement in its departure from normal levels.

 Sep 24 - How COVID-19 stimulus money will end up in U.S. tobacco farmers' pockets
U.S. government aid payments to tobacco farmers will be channeled through a new account within the office of the agriculture secretary, an unusual move that bypasses the normal mechanism for distributing farm aid and stokes concerns about how the government is using COVID-19 stimulus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday said it will pay up to $100 million to tobacco farmers from Congress' coronavirus economic stimulus package, as part of a $14 billion assistance program for farmers hurt by the pandemic. 

 Sep 24 - Brazil's JBS vows to monitor deforestation through whole cattle supply chain
JBS SA, the world's top meatpacker, said on Wednesday it plans to combat destruction in the Amazon by monitoring its entire supply chain for deforestation by 2025, as pressure mounts from environmentalists and investors. Brazilian meatpackers are facing increasing criticism that beef production is fueling deforestation in the Amazon, where cleared land is often used for cattle pasture. 

Sep 24 - German pig prices unchanged despite export bans on ASF
German pig prices remain unchanged this week at 1.27 euros per kilogramme despite uncertainty about demand following a series of import bans after a case of African swine fever (ASF) was found, the VEZG association of German animal farmers said on Wednesday. Pig prices had been around 1.47 per kg slaughter weight before the ASF case was confirmed on Sept. 10 and had fallen to 1.27 euros a kg on Sept. 11.

Sep 24 - Ukraine 2020/21 grain exports down 11.6% so far
Ukraine has exported 10.77 million tonnes of grain so far in the July 2020-June 2021 season, compared with 12.19 million tonnes at the same point of the previous season, the economy ministry said on Wednesday. The volume is down largely because of a decline in corn sales, which stood at 619,000 tonnes, versus about 1.93 million tonnes a year earlier.

Sep 24 - Kenya harnesses fly larvae's appetite to process food waste
Rotten bananas? Mushy avocados? Pulped oranges? Talash Huijbers wants them all. The 25-year-old is the founder of Insectipro, a Kenyan farm rearing black soldier fly larvae for animal feed. In the 10 days it takes for them to grow, the larvae need to be fed too - and fruit waste from factories and food markets in the capital Nairobi is just the thing.

Sep 23 - Surge in U.S. pork exports to China led by Brazil's JBS, China's WH Group
U.S. pork exports to China have surged beyond pre-trade war levels, led by higher shipments from Brazil's JBS SA and China's WH Group Ltd, owner of Smithfield Foods, according to Panjiva, the research unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence. JBS may have shipped 370% more U.S. pork to China this year through Aug. 31 than at the same period in 2017, while exports linked to WH Group rose 90.1%, Panjiva said Tuesday. Meanwhile, Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods Inc shipped 7.3% less pork to China compared to the same period in 2017.

Sep 23 - Argentina soy crushing dented by FX woes and taxes, export chamber says
Argentina's soy crushing volume is set to drop around 9.5% this year, the head of the CIARA-CEC grains exporting chamber told Reuters on Tuesday, important for both the global soy market and the country's inflow of much-needed hard currency. The country, the world's top exporter of processed soy meal and soy oil, had been impacted by "a high tax burden, the lower flow of grains and the volatility in the foreign exchange market," Gustavo Idígoras said in a telephone interview.

Sep 23 - China to see bumper grain harvest on good growing conditions
China should see a bumper grain harvest in the coming weeks because of good growing conditions and an increase in planted acreage, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu said in a statement on Wednesday. The comments followed concerns that recent typhoons could reduce the output corn, which is already in tight supply.

 Sep 23 - India's summer-sown grains output seen at 144.52 million tonnes in 2020/21
Indian farmers are expected to harvest a record 144.52 million tonnes of grains from summer-sown crops in the crop year to June 2021, the government said on Tuesday, against 143.38 million tonnes gathered in the previous year. In 2020/21, the output of summer-sown rice is estimated at a record 102.36 million tonnes, up from 101.98 million tonnes in 2019/20, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare said in a statement.

 Sep 23 - Drought-inducing La Nina arrives as U.S. wheat, S. American corn planting begin - Braun
La Nina conditions have started up their projected multi-month residency in the Pacific Ocean, just as new crop cycles are kicking off in the Americas, including corn and soybean planting in South America and wheat planting in the United States. When La Nina last showed up in late 2017, it made for extremely dry growing seasons in some of these regions, particularly in Argentina and the southern U.S. Plains, and farmers harvested very poor crops in early 2018.

Sep 23 - Mexican sugar exports to U.S. seen down 40% next season, says industry leader
Mexican sugar exports to the United States are expected to dip sharply during the upcoming season due to a lower quota set out in a trade deal, as output of the natural sweetener in both countries in seen rising, a key industry leader said on Tuesday. Juan Cortina, head of Mexico's main sugar chamber, said Mexican sugar exports to its northern neighbor are likely to total just 800,000 tonnes next season, down nearly 40% from shipments of 1.3 million tonnes in the 2019/20.

Sep 22 - U.S. corn ratings improve, crop 8% harvested - USDA
Condition ratings for the U.S. corn crop improved during the last week and soybean ratings held steady while the harvest of both crops was under way, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Monday. The U.S. corn harvest was 8% complete by Sunday, the USDA said in a weekly progress report, behind the five-year average of 10% and the average estimate in a Reuters analyst poll of 11%. 

Sep 22 - White House drops plan to bail out oil refiners denied biofuel waivers – sources
The White House has dropped a plan to provide funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to oil refiners that are denied exemptions from the nation’s biofuel regulations, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The Trump administration was considering doling out at least $300 million in cash to the facilities, potentially from the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation, triggering an outcry from Midwest lawmakers who argued the money should be used for farmers, not the oil industry, Reuters previously reported.

Sep 22 - Crop Watch: Harvest begins with Iowa soybeans, Kansas corn - Braun
The first two of 16 U.S. Crop Watch fields were harvested last week, though for the most part, the producers report that harvest activity has been on the lighter side and will likely ramp up in the coming days. Warm and dry weather across most of the Corn Belt this week will aid in the effort.The Kansas corn was harvested last Monday and the results were as expected, but the Iowa soybeans, cut on Saturday, came in slightly worse than predicted.

Sep 22 - Kazakhstan to meet grain crop target as harvesting almost complete
Farmers in Kazakhstan have threshed 18.2 million tonnes of grains and pulses from 93.4% of the sown area, with marked improvements in quality compared with the previous harvest, agriculture minister Saparkhan Omarov said on Tuesday. The Central Asian nation has previously said it would harvest about 18 million tonnes of grains and pulses this year, making 7.5-8.0 million tonnes available for exports.

Sep 22 - German breeding piglet prices slump after swine fever found
Prices for breeding (weaner) piglets in Germany have fallen sharply in past weeks following the discovery of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar in the country, traders said on Monday. "The uncertainty about the impact on pork sales, especially exports, following the discovery is making farmers very cautious about buying more pigs for breeding," one trader said. "This will also hit farmers in countries which sell piglets to Germany for fattening, such as the Netherlands and Denmark."

Sep 22 - EU + UK 2020/21 soft wheat exports at 4.14 million tonnes, down 38%
Soft wheat exports from the European Union and Britain in the 2020/21 season that started on July 1 totalled 4.14 million tonnes by Sept. 20, official EU data showed on Monday. That was 38% below the volume exported in the previous 2019/20 season, the data showed.

Sep 21 - U.S. details up to $14 billion in new aid for farmers
The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday released details of a second round of COVID-19 aid for farmers, which will pay up to $14 billion to growers of major crops such as corn, soybeans and wheat, as well as livestock, dairy and tobacco. President Donald Trump announced the assistance on Thursday night at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, a crucial battleground state. 

Sep 21 - Burps to burgers: food companies wrangle climate-warming cattle emissions
Looking to improve milk production, California farmer John Verwey turned to a Swiss-made feed additive designed to make a cow more efficient while reducing methane emissions from cattle burps. The more a cow belches, the more it spends energy that could be used instead for milk production, Verwey reasoned. So two years ago, he started feeding his cattle Agolin, made of coriander, clove and carrot extracts, and replaced costlier additives that promoted weight gain. 

Sep 21 - Funds’ bullish view in CBOT soybeans approaching 2012 record - Braun
Speculators have likely placed record bullish bets for the time of year on Chicago-traded soybeans amid the historic rally in futures, and those bets may be within striking distance of the all-time high set more than eight years ago. In the week ended Sept. 15, money managers boosted their net long position in CBOT soybean futures and options to 191,774 contracts from 173,907 a week earlier, according to data published Friday by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. 

 Sep 21 - Indonesia halts exports from seafood producer after virus tests
Indonesia has suspended exports from an Indonesian seafood company PT Putri Indah into China after its frozen fish products tested positive for the coronavirus, the country's fisheries ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The ministry said that an investigation was underway and that the suspension would only apply to PT Putri Indah "whereas the others can still do export activities as usual."

 Sep 21 - India passes farm bills amid protest from opposition parties
India's parliament on Sunday passed new bills the government says will make it easier for farmers to sell their produce directly to big buyers, despite growing protest from opposition parties and a long-time ally of the ruling party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the new laws will reform antiquated laws and remove middlemen from agriculture trade, allowing farmers to sell to institutional buyers and large retailers like Walmart.

 Sep 21 - China outlines policy for new storage bases for energy, agri imports
China is directing authorities in East China's Zhejiang province to start planning to build stockpiling bases for energy and agricultural products, part of a push to develop regional free-trade zones (FTZs), a government document said on Monday. The directives call for looking at building above-ground and underground facilities to stockpile oil, gas and chemicals in FTZs that encompass 120 square km (46 square miles), including in parts of provincial cities Ningbo, Hangzhou and Jinyi. 

 Sep 21 - Algeria to open up grain tenders to some Black Sea wheat - trade
Algeria's state grains agency OAIC has told traders it will relax specifications for bug (insect) damage in wheat, effectively allowing Black Sea wheat to be offered in tenders for higher protein grades, European traders said on Friday. Black Sea wheat from Russia and Ukraine is not banned in Algeria, but the country's strict insect damage limit has effectively ruled it out from purchase tenders.

Sep 21 - Ukraine barley prices jump 20% amid Chinese demand - analyst
A sharp jump in Chinese demand has pushed up Ukrainian barley export prices in the 2020/21 season, analyst APK-Inform said on Friday. Ukraine is a long-standing barley grower and Saudi Arabia was its main export market for years.

Sep 18 - In Wisconsin, Trump announces $13 billion in farm aid
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new round of pandemic assistance to farmers of about $13 billion at a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Thursday night, delivering aid to an important sector in a crucial battleground state. "Starting next week my administration is committing an additional ... $13 billion in relief to help farmers recover from the China virus, including Wisconsin's incredible dairy, cranberry and ginseng farmers who got hurt badly," Trump said, referring to the novel coronavirus virus.

Sep 18 - Soy vs corn? Argentine farmers weigh high prices, dryness as planting season hits
High soy prices are expected to support planting in Argentina this season, but that will be balanced by dry weather, which is driving farmers across the Pampas grains belt to favor late-season corn, which also has attractive prices. Argentina is the world's top exporter of soymeal livestock feed, used to fatten hogs and cattle from Europe to Southeast Asia. The grain, which is the country's main cash crop, competes with corn for planting area in Argentina late in the year. Corn planting starts in September, soy in October.

Sep 18 - China to suspend imports from Indonesian seafood producer for one week
China will stop accepting import applications from Indonesian seafood producer PT Putri Indah for one week after a batch of frozen hairtail fish from the company tested positive for the coronavirus, the customs office said on Friday. The suspension will take effect immediately and last for one week, the General Administration of Customs said in a notice. 

 Sep 18 - Apparel group says broad ban on China's Xinjiang cotton impossible to enforce
The head of a major apparel industry group told lawmakers on Thursday that blanket U.S. import bans on cotton or other products from China's Xinjiang region over forced labor concerns would "wreak havoc" on legitimate supply chains. Stephen Lamar, president of the American Apparel and Footwear Association, said his industry is working hard to root out products made with forced labor from its supply chains, but Xinjiang, where China has detained over 1 million Muslim Uighurs, represents a unique challenge.

 Sep 18 - Trump plan to bail out refiners triggers outcry from lawmakers
U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle spoke out on Thursday against the potential use of Department of Agriculture funds to bail out refiners that are denied exemptions from the nation's biofuel blending laws. Reuters reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration is considering at least $300 million in financial relief to refiners denied waivers from the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, requiring them to blend biofuels like ethanol into their fuel or purchase credits, for the 2019 compliance year. The money could come from funds within the USDA, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. 

Sep 18 - China 2021 import quota for corn, wheat unchanged from previous years - planner
China on Thursday set its low tariff rate quota for wheat, corn and rice imports in 2021 at the same volumes as previous years. The setting of the volumes came as Chinese buyers have been ramping up large volumes of corn imports from the United States, and increased imports of wheat. 

Sep 18 - Strategie Grains cuts EU maize harvest outlook, revises wheat higher
Consultancy Strategie Grains on Thursday sharply reduced its forecast for the European Union's upcoming maize harvest following a hot, dry summer in some major growing areas. The French firm projected EU maize production at 64.9 million tonnes, down 2.5 million tonnes from its August forecast and now close to last year's crop estimated at 64.5 million.

Sep 18 - Germany confirms another swine fever case, may help farmers
One more case of African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in a wild boar in eastern Germany, Germany’s federal agriculture ministry said on Thursday, and the government is considering aid to farmers if pork markets decline further. The new confirmation brings the total number of cases in the eastern state of Brandenburg to seven in the past week following six others all confirmed in wild boars, not farm animals.

Sep 18 - Poland to ban ritual animal slaughter for export - lawmaker
Poland plans to ban religious slaughtering of animals for export and the state will offer compensation to businesses that suffer, a ruling party member of parliament said on Thursday. Poland is one of the biggest European exporters of halal and kosher meat, with 2017 shipments of more than 70,000 tonnes, mainly to Israel and Turkey, agriculture ministry data shows.

Sep 17 - Trump administration eyes at least $300 million aid to refiners denied biofuel waivers - sources
The Trump administration is considering at least $300 million in cash aid to U.S. oil refiners that are denied exemptions to U.S. biofuel blending laws for the 2019 compliance year, two sources familiar with the matter said. Although the administration has yet to rule on the 2019 waivers, it has made an estimate for the amount of money it would provide in aid based on the number of facilities that applied for the exemptions but may now be considered ineligible because of a recent court ruling.

 Sep 17 - In the weeds: How Bayer, U.S. govt teamed up against Thailand's glyphosate ban
Chemicals giant Bayer and the U.S. government cooperated closely last year to lobby Thailand to reverse its ban on glyphosate, used in the company's controversial weedkiller Roundup, documents obtained by an environmental group and reviewed by Reuters show. The lobbying, including U.S. trade officials asking Bayer for information on Thailand's deputy agriculture minister, is detailed in more than 200 pages of partially redacted documents and emails, some directly between U.S. officials and a Bayer representative.

Sep 17 - China's corn output to fall after typhoons flatten crops, damage quality
China's corn crop is expected to fall by up to 10 million tonnes, or nearly 4%, from the latest government estimates after heavy wind and rains toppled crops in major production areas in the northeastern cornbelt, analysts said. Expected production losses have pushed Chinese corn futures to a record high and stoked worries over supply shortages in the world's second-largest consumer of the grain after it ran down once-mammoth state stockpiles and boosted imports. 

 Sep 17 - Cargill acquires Chinese soybean processor in auction
U.S. agricultural commodities trader and processor Cargill Inc has acquired a soy processing facility in eastern China via a judicial auction, the company said late on Tuesday, expanding its crushing capacity in the world's top soy consuming nation. The company bought the facility in Rizhao, Shandong Province, previously owned by Shandong Xinliang Oils & Fats Co Ltd with a final bid of 421 million yuan, or about $62 million, the company said in an email to Reuters.

Sep 17 - Record-setting CBOT soy rally working on U.S. acreage surge for 2021 - Braun
Chicago-traded soybeans have been on an uncharacteristic run over the last several weeks, breaking through double-digit prices for the first time in the U.S.-China trade war era, possibly incentivizing U.S. producers to significantly boost bean plantings next year. The recent rally is unprecedented. On Wednesday, most-active November soybeans finished at $10.11-1/4 per bushel, up 15% since the Aug. 12 report from the U.S. government. Those August numbers provide the first in-depth view of the season on U.S. harvest prospects and generally remove a lot of supply uncertainty.

Sep 17 - Urban farming startup Infarm reaps $170 mln in funding
Urban farming startup Infarm said on Thursday that it had raised $170 million from investors that it will plough into expanding its network under cultivation in Europe, North America and Asia by 10 times over the next five years. Berlin-based Infarm is a proponent of indoor 'farming as a service', which uses cloud-computing to managed the cultivation of produce that is grown close to consumers, minimising its environmental impact.

Sep 17 - Germany confirms swine fever cases in five more wild boars
Five more cases of African swine fever (ASF) found in wild boars in the eastern German state of Brandenburg on Tuesday have been confirmed, the Brandenburg state government and federal agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. This brings to six the number of cases of swine fever confirmed in wild boars in Germany in the last week. 

Sep 17 - Brazil's soy frontier to grow at fastest pace in four years
Brazilian farmers in the north and northeast of the country, regions dominated by the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savanna, are expected to expand their soy fields by more than 6% in the 2020/21 crop season, the fastest rate in four years. Separate forecasts from consultancies Arc Mercosul and AgRural show that in percentage terms the regions will be the fastest growing in all of Brazil for soy. Both outfits forecast the regions to add more than 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) this crop season.

Sep 17 - FranceAgriMer cuts 2020/21 soft wheat export outlook
Farm office FranceAgriMer on Wednesday lowered its forecast of French soft wheat exports in the current 2020/21 season as it factored in downward revisions to a weather-hit harvest. In its latest supply and demand forecasts, FranceAgriMer pegged French soft wheat exports outside the European Union this season at 6.6 million tonnes, down from an initial projection of 7.75 million in July and now 51% below a record 13.46 million tonnes in 2019/20.

Sep 17 - Russia targets tobacco, mining, oil taxes in hunt to plug budget holes
Russia is considering raising taxes affecting some mining companies, tobacco sales and the oil industry, officials said on Wednesday, in Moscow's latest attempt to plug holes in its budget. The move, estimated to bring in around 340 billion roubles ($4.54 billion) a year, comes as Russia faces a prolonged budget deficit amid weak oil prices and after Moscow stepped up its support for Belarus which includes a $1.5 billion loan.

Sep 16 - China suspends poultry imports from second U.S. plant over COVID-19, industry group says
China has suspended imports from an OK Foods poultry plant in Fort Smith, Arkansas, because of coronavirus cases among workers, the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council said on Tuesday. China, the world's top meat importer, has blocked products from some plants in foreign countries as part of an all-out effort to control the spread of COVID-19. 

Sep 16 - China exchanges U.S. pork for soybeans after both lead 2020 exports - Braun
Soybeans usually account for about half the annual value of U.S. farm exports to China, but pork uncharacteristically joined the oilseed atop the list in the first half of 2020 as the world’s top consumer scrambled to fill its protein deficit following a pork output plunge. China has been rebuilding its hog herd, the world’s largest, since deadly African swine fever (ASF) was first reported in the country two years ago. In the meantime, the United States has helped pad China’s pork needs for over a year now, which also works out well considering the Phase 1 trade agreement.

Sep 16 - Britain has moved to break fisheries deadlock in Brexit trade talks - EU sources
Britain offered tentative concessions on fisheries in trade talks with the European Union last week, two diplomatic sources told Reuters, just as London was publicly threatening to breach the terms of its divorce deal with the bloc. The sources, who did not attend last week's talks between the sides' chief negotiators but were briefed on them by the EU negotiating team, described the offer as a possible bid by London to overcome a key obstacle to a new trade deal from 2021.

Sep 16 - U.S. presidential candidate Biden rips Trump's record on ethanol
U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden late on Tuesday attacked President Donald Trump's record on ethanol, saying his administration's recent moves to help the industry were too little, too late and transparently political. Biden said in an exclusive statement to Reuters that the Trump administration's announcement this week that it would reject requests from oil refiners for retroactive waivers exempting them from biofuel blending laws was not enough to outweigh several years of granting large numbers of such waivers - which biofuel producers say erode demand for their products. 

Sep 16 - Forecasts of heavy rains raise fear for summer crops in India
Forecasts of heavy rains across key central and western growing regions of India have stoked fears of potential crop losses in the second half of September, farm experts and industry officials said. Last week, the state-run weather office said the monsoon, which turned patchy in the first week of September, will pick up in most parts of India, with rains expected in some of the key farm belts. 

 Sep 16 - France cuts wheat crop estimate again, sugar beet seen down 15%
France's farm ministry on Tuesday lowered its estimate of this year's soft wheat harvest due to a further reduction in the crop area, pegging production at 25% below last year's level after a tough growing season marked by torrential rain and drought. In a monthly report the ministry pegged this year's soft wheat crop in the European Union's largest grain producing country at 29.5 million tonnes, down from the 29.7 million estimated last month and 39.6 million in 2019.

 Sep 16 - Bayer settles thousands of U.S. Roundup cases with trial attorneys
Bayer AG has settled thousands of U.S. Roundup weed killer lawsuits as part of an $11 billion settlement, reaching deals with the only lawyers who took cases to trial over allegations the herbicide caused cancer. In letters filed with U.S. District Court in San Francisco late on Monday, three lawyers said they had reached binding settlements. 

Sep 16 - Egypt’s GASC seeking wheat for Nov. 10-20 shipment
Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) set a tender on Tuesday to buy an unspecified amount of wheat from global suppliers for shipment Nov. 10-20. GASC Vice Chairman Ahmed Youssef said the authority was seeking to buy cargoes of soft and/or milling wheat from the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Poland, Argentina, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Paraguay and Serbia.

ISep 16 - ndonesia H1 processed cocoa export up 5.29% y/y
Indonesia's processed cocoa export volumes in the first half were up 5.29% from a year ago, an industry ministry official told an online conference on Wednesday. The exports from January to June stood at 153,390.56 tonnes this year, up from 145,682.76 tonnes in the corresponding 2019 period.

Sep 16 - NOPA August soy crush falls to 9-month low of 165.055 million bushels
U.S. soybean crushings dropped by more than expected in August to the lowest level in nine months, according to National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) data released on Tuesday. NOPA said its members, which handle about 95 percent of all soybeans crushed in the United States, processed 165.055 million bushels of soybeans last month, the smallest monthly crush since November. It was down from 172.794 million bushels in July and 168.085 million bushels processed in August 2019.

Sep 15 - U.S. pulls back from broad import bans for cotton, tomatoes from China's Xinjiang
The Trump administration on Monday shelved plans for a broad import ban on cotton and tomato products from China's Xinjiang region while announcing narrower bans on products from five specific entities. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acting Deputy Secretary Kenneth Cuccinelli said the new "Withhold Release Orders" (WROs) on cotton, textiles, apparel, hair products and computer parts are aimed at combating China's use of forced labor by detained Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. 

Sep 15 - Trump EPA sides with farmers over refiners in biofuel waiver decision
The Trump administration said on Monday it rejected scores of requests from U.S. oil refiners for waivers that would have retroactively spared them from their obligation to blend biofuels like ethanol into their fuel, delivering a win for farmers and a blow to the oil industry just ahead of the November presidential election. Reuters had reported last week that U.S. President Donald Trump, under the advice of his allies in the Midwest, ordered his Environmental Protection Agency to deny the waivers because they had become a lightning rod of controversy in the Farm Belt, an important political constituency. 

Sep 15 - Pig pandemic adds to German pork sector pain as exports banned
An outbreak of African Swine Fever threatens to keep German pork locked in the European Union with China, South Korea and Japan all banning shipments, a major setback in an already challenging year for meat producers following COVID-19 outbreaks at plants. German wholesale pig prices fell 14% on Friday after a case of ASF was found in a wild boar in the east of the country and major buyers on the international market quickly responded by banning shipments from the EU's top producer in what was due to be a big sales year. 

Sep 15 - Chinese firms bet on plant-based meat as coronavirus fuels healthy eating trend
A small but growing coterie of Chinese companies are betting on a bright future for plant-based meat products as consumers take their health more seriously in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though still a niche business compared to China’s giant meat supply chain, vegetarian alternatives to meat are gaining ground following health scares like the novel coronavirius and African swine fever, analysts and industry insiders said.

Sep 15 - China books biggest U.S. corn sale since Sept. 1
Chinese buyers booked their biggest deal for U.S. corn since Sept. 1, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Monday, after focusing their attention on U.S. soybeans since the start of the month. USDA said that private exporters reported the sale of 350,000 tonnes of corn to China for delivery in the 2020/21 marketing year, the biggest sale of corn to China since a deal for 596,000 tonnes on Sept. 1. The government also said that a corn sale of 140,000 tonnes announced on Aug. 27 that had been designated as headed to unknown destinations was corrected to destined for China.

 Sep 15 - Coronavirus prompts major pre-emptive Egyptian wheat buying spree
Leading global wheat buyer Egypt has raised purchases by almost 40 percent year on year in the first two months of its buying season, with its supply ministry still instructed to keep six months of strategic reserves in response to COVID-19. Between July and August, Egypt bought 2.4 million tonnes of wheat from international suppliers compared with 1.72 million tonnes purchased during the same period last year. 

 Sep 15 - EU monitor further reduces EU 2020 summer crop yield forecasts
The European Union's crop monitoring service MARS further cut its yield outlook for summer crops in the 27-member bloc on Monday, citing drought conditions in parts of Europe. MARS now sees the average EU grain maize yield at 7.83 tonnes per hectare (t/ha), down from its forecast last month of 8.01 t/ha, it said in a report. That is still 3.3% above the five-year average.

 Sep 15 - Scientists create gene-edited animals as 'surrogate sires' to boost food production
Scientists have created gene-edited pigs, goats and cattle to produce sperm with traits such as disease resistance and higher meat quality in what they say is a step towards genetically enhancing livestock to improve food production. The animals, created for the first time by researchers in the United States and Britain using a gene-editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9, could be used as "surrogate sires", essentially sterile blank slates that could then be transplanted with stem cells that produce the desired sperm, the scientists said.

 Sep 15 - Tear down your barriers, EU says after summit with China's Xi
European Union leaders told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday to open up markets, respect minorities and step back from a crackdown in Hong Kong, also asserting that Europe would no longer be taken advantage of in trade. Anxious to show that the EU will not take sides in a global standoff between China and the United States, German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined the bloc's chief executive and chairman to deliver a tough-talking message to Beijing.

Sep 14 - China bans German pork imports after African swine fever case
China banned pork imports from Germany on Saturday after it confirmed its first case of African swine fever last week, in a move set to hit German producers and push up global prices as China's meat supplies tighten. China's ban on imports from its third largest supplier comes as the world's top meat buyer deals with an unprecedented pork shortage after its own epidemic of the deadly hog disease.

Sep 14 - U.S. government cuts corn, soy harvest outlook after August weather scares
U.S. corn and soybean production will be smaller than previously expected after dry weather throughout August and a severe wind storm that damaged crops across the key production state of Iowa, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Friday. "August was a month of extreme weather and climate disasters," USDA said in its monthly Crop Production report. "There were also slow-motion events, such as worsening Western drought and a stripe across the Midwest and Northeast that experienced significant rainfall deficits."

Sep 14 - Funds boost bullish corn and soy bets on Chinese demand, smaller U.S. crops - Braun
Speculators continued covering short positions in Chicago-traded grains and oilseeds last week ahead of fresh U.S. government supply and demand estimates, as China continued its U.S. buying streak, particularly in soybeans. In the week ended Sept. 8, money managers boosted their net long in CBOT soybean futures and options to 173,907 contracts from 162,607 a week earlier, according to data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. 

Sep 14 - Trump administration considering aid for refiners denied biofuel waivers - sources
The Trump administration is considering financial aid for oil refiners denied waivers that exempt them from U.S. biofuel blending requirements, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. Sources told Reuters this week that President Donald Trump has instructed his Environmental Protection Agency to deny dozens of requests from oil refiners for retroactive waivers. The financial relief would be a way for the administration to assuage refiners that say requirements to blend billions of gallons of biofuels into their fuel are too pricey. 

Sep 14 - China maintains strong demand for U.S. corn, soy - USDA
Chinese demand for U.S. corn and soybeans remained robust in the latest week, U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) data showed, and traders expect the recent surge of deals will cause the U.S. government to boost its export forecast for both commodities. A USDA report released Friday showed that export sales of soybeans to China totaled 1.608 million tonnes in the week ended Sept. 3, the latest reporting period. Weekly corn export sales to China were 1.137 million tonnes. 

 Sep 14 - Brazil extends tariff-free ethanol imports, opens trade talks with U.S.
Brazil's government will extend a tariff-free ethanol import program with the United States for 90 days starting Sept. 14, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday. During that time, the United States and Brazil will discuss ways in which they can open up their respective ethanol, soy and corn markets, the statement said.

 Sep 14 - Britain's wheat imports climb, Canada top supplier
British wheat imports were sharply above year earlier levels in July with Canada and France the main suppliers, customs data showed on Friday. Wheat imports for the month totalled 149,337 tonnes, up from 91,965 tonnes in July 2019, the figures show.

 Sep 14 - Drought hampers rapeseed sowing again in France
Drought is disrupting rapeseed sowing in France for the third year in a row and could prevent a recovery in the crop area that has shrunk in recent years due to adverse weather, insect damage and declining interest from farmers. Rapeseed, the most produced oilseed crop in the European Union, is sown in late summer in France. One of France's warmest summers on record coupled with low rainfall have parched some of its farm belts.

 Sep 14 - Ukraine's 2020/21 grain exports down 11% so far
Ukraine has exported 9.2 million tonnes of grain so far in the July 2020-June 2021 season compared to 10.3 million tonnes at the same point during the previous season, the economy ministry said on Friday. The volume is down due to a decline in corn sales, to 608,000 tonnes from around 1.9 million tonnes by the same date last season.

Sep 11 - Analysts prepared to see historic moves in U.S. corn, soy yields Friday - Braun
Agriculture market participants are expecting on Friday to see much lower government yield projections for U.S. corn and soybeans than were published a month ago, and if trade estimates are correct, the numbers will reflect an uncommon course-reversal from earlier lofty outlooks. Corn yield is still seen hitting a new record, but it appears the elusive 180-bushel mark will be missed yet again this year after several weeks of unfavorable weather, mostly in August. The average trade guess ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Friday report is 178.3 bushels per acre, some 3.5 bpa lower than in August. 

 Sep 11 - Swine fever found in Germany putting pork exports at risk
Germany confirmed on Thursday that African swine fever (ASF) had been found in a dead wild boar near its border with Poland, threatening pork exports to China from Europe's biggest pork producer, which were worth $1.2 billion last year. Authorities in the German state of Brandenburg quarantined a 15-km (9-mile) area around where the boar was found to search for any more dead animals and also restricted the movement of farm animals. 

 Sep 11 - U.S. cites Smithfield Foods for failing to protect workers from coronavirus
The U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday it cited Smithfield Foods for failing to protect employees from the coronavirus, making it the first major meatpacker to face a fine after outbreaks at slaughterhouses infected thousands of workers. The citation did little to quiet complaints from labor unions and safety advocates, who say the Trump administration needs to do more to protect workers critical to the nation's food supply.

 Sep 11 - Driven by Chinese demand, Brazil's Q2 hog slaughtering highest on record
Brazil slaughtered 12.1 million hogs in the second quarter, the highest number since records began being kept in 1997, the government's statistics agency IBGE said on Thursday, citing strong demand from Chinese buyers. The result also marks a 6.2% rise from same period in 2019 and an 1.8% increase compared to the first quarter of 2020.

 Sep 11 - Argentine wheat helped by rains but more moisture needed - exchange
Argentine wheat was refreshed by rains on the Pampas grains belt last week but remained in need of more moisture if yields are to recover from a months-long dry spell, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said on Thursday. Large wheat-growing areas in the South American grains powerhouse have had unusually dry conditions, prompting a reduction in sowing area and yield expectations. The exchange estimates that 6.5 million hectares were finally planted with wheat this season, with harvesting expected in December-January.

Sep 11 - Brazil should consider eliminating import tariffs on corn, soy - Conab president
Brazil should consider temporarily eliminating import tariffs on food staples like soybeans and corn, Guilherme Bastos, president of the country's food supply and statistics agency Conab, told Reuters. Eliminating duties could be an option to lower internal grain prices, which are historically high in the local currency, Bastos said in an interview late on Wednesday. 

Sep 11 - New Zealand to review livestock exports by sea after capsizing of ship
New Zealand on Friday launched a review of its livestock exports by sea, after a ship that left its shores with nearly 6,000 cows and 43 crew members capsized off Japan last week. Gulf Livestock 1, which left Napier Port last month bound for China sank after Typhoon Maysak lashed the area with strong winds and heavy seas.

Sep 11 - Bayer CEO wins term extension, makes progress on Roundup settlement
Bayer's Chief Executive Werner Baumann won an extension of his contract until 2024, in a show of support from the drugmaker's new chairman just months after agreeing an $11 billion settlement of U.S. lawsuits over its Roundup weedkiller. In a statement on Thursday, the group also said it would only be a matter of weeks to finalise the fragile settlement of claims that Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides cause cancer, which Bayer inherited as part of a $63 billion takeover of Monsanto.

Sep 11 - Louis Dreyfus veteran Tancredi leaves commodity trader
Anthony Tancredi is leaving Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) after three decades at the global agricultural commodity merchant, notably at its cotton business. "We can confirm that Mr Tancredi decided to leave the Group to pursue other interests," LDC's media service said in an emailed response on Thursday.

Sep 10 - Brazil likely to extend zero-tariff ethanol imports past U.S. election, sources say
The Brazilian government is planning to extend a tariff-free ethanol import program for three months, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday, a measure likely to please U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Brazil allowed a non-tariff quota for imports of 750 million liters per year of ethanol to expire at the end of August, resulting in U.S. producers' having to pay a 20% tariff.

Sep 10 - Dry weather complicates winter grain sowing in Russia, Ukraine for 2nd year in a row
Dry weather in Ukraine has delayed the sowing of winter grains for the 2021 crop in one of the top Black Sea grain exporters, while neighbour Russia also needs rain, although sowing there is running ahead of the last year's pace, analysts said. The situation is reminiscent of last autumn, when farmers in Ukraine and Russia sowed winter grains in dry soil. Favourable winter weather then improved moisture reserves. 

Sep 10 - Trump administration to deny pending retroactive U.S. biofuel waivers - sources