Consumption of beef and pork in Russia should decline this year "given the difficult economic situation." USDA's attache to Russia said this week.

Global Hotspots, March 12, 2015: Argentina farmers launch three-day sales strike

As a result it expects a large decline in beef and pork imports, while domestic production may be unchanged for beef and up slightly for pork.

Global hotspots: Australia wants to reclaim Asia wheat market; Japan shifts feed buying to corn

Russian cattle inventory should continue to decline in 2015 despite ongoing Government support. Cattle imports are anticipated to be lower after import volumes fell 25% in 2014. Swine inventories are anticipated to increase nominally in 2015, while live swine imports are forecast to nearly cease then due to ongoing restrictions on foreign suppliers.

Australia aims to reclaim share of Southeast Asia wheat market - Reuters

Australia is looking to boost its wheat exports to Southeast Asia, after losing some of its market share there as flour millers from the region shifted to high-protein Canadian and U.S. grain, a senior industry official said in a Reuters report.

The world's No.4 wheat exporter has watched as buyers in Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia – typically its stronghold – opt for other suppliers as its overseas sales shrank on lower prime hard wheat output and on more local demand.

U.S. wheat values, already down around 15% this year on bulging supplies, could come under further pressure if Australia succeeds in winning back its Southeast Asian buyers.

"Canadians are beginning to capture some of the market share in Indonesia. Our aim will be to work more closely with the industry as an Australian representative," said David Fienberg, chief executive of Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre that was started in 2012.

"It is not aggressive defense mechanism … it is about trying to find a way to strengthen the relationship between Australia and the Southeast Asian market."

Japan shifts feed buying to corn - Bloomberg

Japan, Asia's second-biggest wheat importer, reduced planned purchases of the grain for animal feed to the lowest level in four years as demand shifts to cheaper corn, according to a Bloomberg report.

The government plans to buy maximum 680,000 metric tons of feed wheat for the year beginning April 1, a 24% drop from this fiscal year, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Global Hotspots, March 5, 2015: Brazil soy at 93 million metric tons, strike slowed shipments

"Demand for wheat from Japanese feed producers is likely to weaken as corn is more affordable for them," said Yoshiharu Toeda, a deputy director at the ministry's feed division.

Corn futures in Chicago have lost 21% in the past year and currently are about $3.73 a bushel. . Wheat futures are down 24% in the past 12 months and currently are at $5.12 a bushel.