With trade uncertainties mounting, benchmark grain futures have lost ground this month: August soybeans down nearly 15 percent, September wheat down more than 6 percent, and September corn down just shy of 10 percent. Unsurprisingly, soft commodities overall have trended lower. Crude oil, however, [...]
South Africa is increasing plantings of many citrus varieties, including oranges, lemons, and soft citrus (clementines, mandarins, satsumas)—lemons and soft citrus tree plantings are growing especially quickly. Lemon bearing trees and production are up 12 percent and 49 percent, respectively, over two years, while [...]
Total U.S. sugar imports from October through May are up just 0.8 percent year on year. This small change is deceptive, however, as there are more radical variations within individual import categories. Though USDA forecasts imports from Mexico will rise by 5.6 percent in [...]
Nearly 839 million broiler-type chicks hatched in May, up 4.5 percent from April and up over 2 percent from May 2017. A strong hatch should be expected for June as well, as broiler-type eggs in incubators totaled almost 700 million eggs as of June [...]
As of Mar. 20, about 48 percent of California was under moderate, severe, or extreme drought conditions, but this area has fallen to 37 percent as of June 19. While this is obviously an improvement for crops—and the almost 23 million Californians living in [...]
The U.S. exported just 9,200 MT of corn oil in April, down 80 percent from April 2017. Both crude and refined oils were down sharply, with crude export volume at just under 7,000 MT and refined volume just over 2,200 MT, down 81 percent [...]
As chocolate users know, one key fact makes the cocoa market particularly volatile: Over 70 percent of the world’s cocoa is grown in a single region of the world, West Africa. And with the decline of production in Indonesia, some 60 percent of all [...]
The second week of June saw the start of blueberry harvesting in the Willamette Valley of southern Oregon. Due to a rather mild winter, those in the know expect strong volumes for the upcoming crop year. Harvest will continue through September. Washington and Oregon [...]
