Latest News From World Markets

Pay attention to the national corn yield, the number of planted corn acres and Brazil's corn and soybean crops.

Most of Brazil’s jump in production is due to a 40% increase in planted acres for soybeans and 33% for corn. Demand for food will incentivize Brazil to plant even more acres, but there are logistical challenges at play.

The agency says exports picked up steam this year in countries such as Canada, India and Japan and that the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program will keep the wheels of progress turning in 2024.

China bought around 3 MMT of soybeans or 110 million bushels from the U.S. last week, a volume that reportedly surprised the market.  They added another 7.5 million bushels on Monday. 

Let this sink in: One state in Brazil — Mato Grosso — produces the equivalent of Illinois and Iowa’s soybean production combined. Here's a look at South America's growing regions, crop calendar and production capacity.

Chinese importers bought around 10 cargoes of soybeans, or about 600,000 metric tons, for shipment from Gulf Coast and Pacific Northwest export terminals between December and March.

The shift to an El Niño weather pattern is creating dynamic market conditions. In particular, the U.S. soybean market will be extremely sensitive to threats to the Brazilian crop.

The projects are focused on strengthening supply chain reliability, creating workforce development opportunities, speeding up the movement of goods, and improving the safety, reliability and resilience of ports. 

A delegation from 11 ag industry groups gathered in Beijing on Thursday to meet Chinese counterparts amid growing U.S. efforts to bolster farm trade even as political ties between their two countries remain strained.

China’s economic woes continue to mount with continued data pointing toward a recession. What does this mean for U.S. ag exports?

This slump, deeper than May's 7.5% drop, represents the largest decline since February 2020.

A historic drought has severely cut the size of this year's crop in Argentina, especially soybeans. Processors will be forced to import soybeans just to stay in business.

China's recent business is welcome with U.S. corn exports running behind last year’s pace by nearly 40%. So why is China back in the market and how much more will they buy?  

What is the state of the U.S. economy? How will these macro factors impact the agricultural economy? John Deere's Kanlaya Barr provides a guide to a few risks you should monitor in the next year.

It didn’t start with the swing of an ax in the Amazon or by an explosion in Kiev. Both contributed, but the shifts in global grain flows is a multifaceted prism through which the future is continuing to evolve.

China, the top food importer on the planet and biggest buyer in history, is entangled in a potentially devastating population crash and the effect could be massive for U.S. agriculture.

The 2022/23 crop season could post two records in Brazil: a record 313 million tons of soybeans, corn, cotton, rice and wheat and a record storage deficit of more than 100 million tons.

From the docks of Southern California and Europe to the parcel hubs in the Midwest and the store shelves in New York, signs are growing that the global supply chain crisis is over.

China’s economy has been slowing the past several months due to continued COVID lockdowns. Since the Chinese election, however, stories have been flip flopping on a possible change in policy.  

Brazil is a top-five producer of 34 agricultural commodities. As Brazilian farmers start to plant this fall, forecasts show the 2022/23 crop harvest could be the largest ever.

"There are 20 or 25 countries that want shelf space in Japan, but what differentiates U.S. meat from meat around the world is that it's safe, reliable and tasty," says Dean Meyer, USMEF chair-elect and Iowa farmer.

Ukrainian farmers had been watching the talks to allow resumption of grain exports the last few weeks with great hope, because it’s their only lifeline to be able to plant a new crop this fall.  

Fertilizer prices have cooled from record highs. So is it time to lock in prices?

With worldwide recession fears climbing, there is further evidence that China’s economy is slowing down.  ThenNational Bureau of Statistics reported second quarter GDP was only up .4% from a year ago. 

The Russia-Ukraine conflict threatens to upend world trade.

What are the most popular crops and livestock produced across the globe? Let’s take a journey around the world of agriculture.

"Right now, Ukraine’s grain silos are full,” says David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme. “At the same time, 44 million people around the world are marching towards starvation."

China contains the largest population of any country in the world. All those mouths drive demand for your farm’s products.

The end of the South American monsoon has come earlier than average this year due to La Niña. The drier finish on the Safrinha crops will limit their yield potential.

Ukrainian farmers in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia are determined to get their fields planted this spring.

While China grapples with choosing which production lines to reopen, the food shortage conversation looks to ramp up.

Before Putin’s forces even breached the Ukraine border, fear and speculation drove commodity prices skyward. Concerns are warranted.

China is strengthening ties with countries beyond the U.S. and making incredible investments in its Belt and Road Initiative. How will these factors intersect with the country’s changing population structure?

China contains the largest population of any country in the world. All those mouths drive demand across the globe and for your farm’s products.

Russia may suspend exports of wheat, barley, corn and rye starting Tuesday and lasting until June 30, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing the agriculture ministry.

In the March World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, USDA made a deeper cut than expected to global soybean production.

We could be headed for a volatile year – or more – in both ag commodities and energy. Here are just a few reasons for strong prices.

The global soybean crop keeps shrinking, led by a massive decrease in South America.

An oil price of $120 a ton could send the global economy into a major recession and fan inflation in the U.S., which Jim Wiesemeyer says is already in double digits for rural Americans.

DEVELOPING: There's a new issue getting inputs after the only potash mine in Belarus declared a force majeure.

Hopes for docile agriculture markets in 2022 have already been blown out of the water. Instead, we could be headed for a volatile year – or more.

Ukraine is a key player in global agriculture, and how these conflicts play out will have international impacts.

Home to 21% of the world’s population, China possesses only 7% of productive farmland. As such, shifts in the composition have effects that ripple across the globe. 

Market dynamics and consumer shifts support U.S. beef.

For fiscal year 2021, USDA estimates total U.S. agricultural exports to be $173.5 billion. For next year, exports are projected to hit $177.5 billion.

The South American country is poised for a top spot on the crop leaderboard.

The global economy’s slow-and-steady rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic is good news for U.S. agriculture. 

The dollar slipped on Monday towards a three-week low as Treasury yields traded near recent lows and traders awaited crucial U.S. inflation and retail sales data in coming days.

The container ship blocking the Suez Canal could cost global trade $6 billion to $10 billion a week, a study by German insurer Allianz showed on Friday.

A container ship blocking the Suez Canal like a "beached whale" may take weeks to free, the salvage company said, as officials stopped all ships entering the channel on Thursday in a new setback for global trade.