Colombian coffee production in the calendar year 2009 will not be able to reach the most recent forecast for a harvest of 9.3 million 60-kilogram bags, the head of Colombia's National Federation of Coffee Growers, or Fedecafe, said Friday. Fedecafe General Manager Luis Genaro told Dow Jones Newswires that hopes for a... »

Brazil's main coffee-growing regions are seeing irregular flowering, but the impact on the upcoming 2010-11 coffee crop remains unclear. Farmers are watching the size of the early flowering, which will help to determine the size of the cyclically larger 2010-11 coffee crop. »

Cocoa grading has ground to a halt in Nigeria's southwest Ekiti state after cocoa officials went on strike over pay, traders and a cocoa official said Friday. The two-day warning strike was declared Thursday by the Nigeria Labor Congress and other labor unions over late »

CBOT soybean futures are lower, starting Friday's day session on the defensive. The market is encountering weakness from harvest pressure, spillover from sliding crude oil futures and technical selling, analysts say. Outlooks for a higher USDA production estimate next week is casting negative sentime »

U.S. wheat futures are lower on spillover pressure from neighboring markets and an absence of supportive fundamental news, traders say. Warm, dry weather in the central U.S. is seen as favorable for the corn and soy harvests and for SRW wheat planting, they say. "U.S. weather is now allowing »

CBOT corn futures have slipped in early trade amid weaker crude oil and good harvest weather. Outside markets, inititally expected to be bearish following this morning's unemployment report, have instead been a mixed influence, as the dollar has slipped. Good harvest progress over the next few days should limit the upside »

NEW YORK -- Crude futures sank Friday as U.S. unemployment hit a 26-year high, raising the prospect that oil demand would take longer to recover than many had expected. Light, sweet crude for December delivery recently traded $2.12, or 2.7%, lower at $77.50 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent »

The euro strengthened in morning Friday trading, shaking off disappointing U.S. payrolls data, with unemployment soaring to a 26-year-high, as stocks moved into positive territory. As is common after major data releases, the euro dipped and then spiked higher on the data, which showed unemployment ticking above 10%. »

Colombia's 2009-10 main harvest in the country's most important coffee-growing province of north-central Antioquia is seen coming in 30% lower on the year-ago crop, a leading grower said Friday. "The harvest is practically already over and it's been very slow and very small. We are seeing production down 30% on the volume... »

Generally dry Midwest weekend conditions, a more favorable trend in the Delta, continued mild conditions for winter wheat, weekend rain in Brazil, drier and cooler weather in Argentina, scattered showers for South Africa, additional rain chances in central China, and a mixed effect from wet conditions in Europe are the main weather items for... »

Canola contracts on the ICE Futures Canada platform were trading at steady to slightly higher levels at 9:37 EST. The pullback in the value of the Canadian dollar early Friday was seen as supportive price influence as was the buying back of previously sold positions by a variety of market participants, industry watchers said.... »

Spot soybean prices had fallen to 1-month lows on the US cash grain market Friday, as producers took advantage of nearly ideal weather to accelerate picking of their long-delayed 2009 harvest. Although January soybean futures--the contract now almost exclusively utilized by terminals and elevators to set local spot bids--has »

Crude futures extend losses after worse-than-expected US unemployment rate for October. US unemployment rate for October reached 10.2%, higher than the expected 9.9%. Analysts expect US oil demand to fall further if unemployment rates stay high in coming months. ICE December Brent -$1.24 at »

U.S. wheat futures are expected to start mixed Friday after rising slightly overnight amid an absence of fresh news. In overnight electronic trading, Chicago Board of Trade December wheat gained 1 1/4 cents to $5.13 1/2 per bushel. The fundamental storyline remains unfriendly for U.S. wheat, as world supplies »

Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures are expected drift lower in early day session trading Friday, as macro markets weigh on futures amid the release of bearish economic data. CBOT soybean futures are seen starting 2 to 3 cents lower. In overnight trading, November soybeans were 1/2 cent higher at $9.67 1/2,... »

Chicago Board of Trade corn futures are expected to open weaker Friday following overnight losses and a morning unemployment report that has outside markets on the defensive. Corn is called 1 to 3 cents lower. In overnight trade, December corn was down 1 cent to $3.75 1/2 per bushel and March corn... »

Indian edible oil prices rose during the week ended Friday tracking firm global prices and higher soymeal demand. The fall in rapeseed area also supported prices, said a trader based in Indore, a major trading hub in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Rapeseed area fell to 3.1 million hectares »

While noting CBOT corn has been among the worst performing commodities in terms of spot price performance this year, Deutsche Bank sees improving fundamentals. It expects the USDA to downgrade its corn crop projection in Tuesday's report, tightening supply side fundamentals. At the same time, »

As an annual harvest gathers pace, a forecast of national wheat production was held unchanged Friday at 22.8 million metric tons, even while Western Australia's output forecast was downgraded and South Australia's was upgraded. »

CBOT grain and soybean futures were mixed in overnight trade. The market lacked clear direction overnight, with bearish weather and a firm U.S. dollar weighing on corn futures, traders say. Soybean futures managed to edge higher, stabilizing after recent declines. Wheat posted modest gains, »