Markets

By Theopolis Waters Prices for slaughter-ready or cash cattle in the U.S. Plains hit an all-time high on Friday, fueled by an early winter storm at a time of the smallest herd since the early 1950s. Some beef packers paid record cattle prices of $171 to $172 per hundredweight...

USDA: Lower corn, soybean prices likely to blame for profit plunge; livestock revenues could set record.

MELBOURNE, Australia — The wheat harvest in Australia, the fourth-largest shipper, will be bigger than predicted by the government after rains in eastern growing areas boosted yields. Production may total 24.9 million metric tons in 2014-2015, according to the median of seven...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly survey of bankers suggests the economy is slowing down in rural areas of 10 states in the Plains and the West. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says falling crop prices have farmers spending less, and crop prices are expected to continue...

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO — U.S. wheat futures advanced on Tuesday on concerns about reduced supplies from Ukraine, a major exporter, while new-crop soybeans slipped as a widely watched crop tour projected bumper U.S. harvests. Traders focused on Ukraine, expected to be the...

By Jared Hofer Mitchell Technical Institute In the fall of 2013, a corn producer could have received approximately $3.85 cash price for harvest delivery. Many farmers were not excited to sell at this price, so a lot of grain went into the bin, unpriced. Throughout the winter,...

Among 24 raw materials tracked by the Standard & Poor's GSCI Spot Index, coffee gained the most.

CHICAGO — Wheat futures, off to the best start to a year since 2008, entered a bull market Wednesday as shipping delays in Canada and Argentina and turmoil in Ukraine boost prospects for U.S. exports

By Christine Stebbins (Reuters) — The Farm Credit System, the government-backed lender that handles almost half of all loans to U.S. farmers, expects 2014 to be a solid year for agriculture despite industry concerns about declining grain prices and softening farmland values. “People...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — U.S. corn stocks were below expectations in December and 2013/14 carryout will be smaller than expected, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday, causing corn futures prices to jump as much as 5 percent. The USDA forecast 1.631 billion bushels...

CHICAGO (Reuters) — Prices for select-grade U.S. wholesale beef hit a record-high on Wednesday for the fourth straight day, as shipments slowed after a historic winter storm in the United States prompted a surge in live cattle prices, analysts said. Higher-quality “choice”...