Pork belly futures a thing of the past Monday, October 3, 2011 The mid-July notice from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange was simple and terse."Because of a prolonged lack of trading volume and after significant discussion with industry participants, CME will be delisting Frozen Pork Bellies Futures and Options effective Monday July 18, 2011."According to Minyanville Media, which reports on commodity trading, pork belly trading, which celebrated its 50th birthday this year, was the most recognized and glamorous of the commodity trading contracts. Pork bellies, frozen in the winter when demand was low, were thawed in the summer to meet the high demand when bacon and tomato sandwiches were peaking. The seasonal demand produced a need to hedge against higher prices. A single contract consisted of 40,000 pounds of frozen trimmed bellies from which bacon was made.Minyanville said trading in hog bellies declined for a number of reasons. The packing industry has switched to fixed price contracting. A few huge companies producing both pigs and bacon dominate. On top of that, demand is no longer seasonal, with hamburger chains adding bacon to make their sandwiches more palatable. BP 'This program is no ASRA' It's the pork, stupid!
Biofuel Mandate Sparks Grain Rally Thursday, June 19, 2025 On the weekly Ag Commodity Corner+ podcast by Farms.com Risk Management Chief Commodity Strategist Moe Agostino and Commodity Strategist Abhinesh Gopal, the team agreed and discussed how the markets moved positively last week (June 9 to 13), led by gains in oilseeds, pork, and crude... Read this article online
Helping producers make smarter, data-based beef breeding decisions Thursday, June 19, 2025 A new project, called IntegrOmes (Integrated Genomics for Sustainable Animal Agriculture and Environmental Stewardship) -- focusing on improving beef genetics using advanced genomic tools – has been announced which will receive $3.4 million. Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and... Read this article online
Bill C-202 divides Canadian ag Thursday, June 19, 2025 A fast-tracked piece of legislation related to Canadian agriculture has industry groups voicing different opinions. Bill C-202, which prohibits supply-managed products from being included in future trade negotiations, is poised to receive royal assent after the Senate completed its third... Read this article online
Alta. dairy farmer part of local food campaign Thursday, June 19, 2025 An Alberta dairy farmer is one of the faces behind a new local food campaign. Jason Crozier, a fifth-generation farmer at Cheslen Dairies in Sturgeon County, a 1,500-acre operation including crops and about 190 cows, is part of Alberta Milk’s Farm to Table campaign. “I think it’s... Read this article online
Did you know your summer picnic watermelon might be from Ontario? Thursday, June 19, 2025 Watermelon, a fruit often linked to warmer U.S. states, is grown in southern Ontario during the summer months. In 2023, Ontario farmers produced 35,084 tonnes of watermelon, accounting for 96.7% of the total Canadian watermelon production. Sweet potatoes are another example. In... Read this article online