corn
Drought in Plains a concern for U.S. corn and soy crops
Record corn and soybean crops possible as farmers chase high prices
Responding to strong exports and expectations of a U.S. economic recovery, farmers will plant 92 million acres of corn and 90 million acres of soybeans this spring, pointing to a record soybean crop and possibly the largest corn harvest ever, said the USDA on Thursday. Chief economist Seth Meyer also said farm exports would be a record $157 billion this year, including the largest-ever exports to China of $31.5 billion.
Largest corn sale to China since July
Private exporters reported the largest sale of U.S.-grown corn to Chinese buyers in nearly six months, with 1.36 million tonnes for delivery this marketing year, said the USDA on Tuesday. It was only the fifth time since 1994 that corn sales to China exceeded 1 million tonnes in a single day.
Highest corn and soybean prices since commodity boom, says USDA
U.S. farmers, who harvested some of their largest corn and soybean crops ever last fall, will reap the highest season-average prices for the crops since the heady days of the commodity boom that ended in worldwide surpluses seven years ago, said the government on Tuesday. Commodity prices are on the rise due to tightening global supplies and large purchases by China, the first country to rebound economically from the pandemic.
Corn export boom to China likely to soften by fall 2021
China is buying huge amounts of U.S. corn as it rebuilds its hog herd and recovers from the pandemic but its appetite for imports could weaken by next fall, when U.S. farmers are expected to harvest their second-largest crop ever, said University of Illinois economists on Tuesday. Chinese imports of 13 million tonnes this year could taper to a still-large 10.5 million tonnes during the sales year that begins on Sept 1.
China sets monthly record for purchases of U.S. food and ag
U.S. corn and soy crops: Not quite as big now
August takes the sheen off of U.S. corn and soybean crops
The USDA assessment of the condition of the corn and soybean crops nationwide took a beating from derecho damage in Iowa and droughty weather in the Midwest during August, said the USDA on Monday. The Crop Progress report listed 62 percent of corn and 66 percent of soybeans in good or excellent condition, compared to 72 percent of corn and 73 percent of soybeans in those categories at the start of month.
Trump visits derecho-hit Iowa, talks about China
China buys more U.S. soybeans despite tensions
China makes its largest ever purchase of U.S. corn
Farmers fall short of corn planting forecast
Record-high world grain production for second year in a row
With production surging by 4.4 percent, corn will drive world cereal grain production to record levels in 2020/21, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in its first forecast of the new crops. It was the second forecast in a week of record global output as the planting season ends in the northern hemisphere.
Soybean sprint underway as planting season rolls along
Farmers’ shift to soybeans won’t avert grain glut
Low market prices will deter farmers from planting as much corn as they planned a month ago, but a record corn crop is still on the horizon, said two Purdue University economists on Monday. The mammoth crop would create the largest corn stockpile since the late 1980s while the already-large soybean stockpile grow bigger still.
Crop outlook tainted with uncertainty
Corn and soybean plantings by U.S. farmers are sure to surge this spring, according to USDA and private analysts, but the coronavirus pandemic is creating uncertainty about whether there will be enough buyers for a bumper crops this fall. The economic slowdown is likely to reduce demand for corn ethanol, hitting corn growers in the wallet, but the alternative crop for many farmers, soybeans, faces a glut of its own.
Ethanol market is ‘disturbing as hell’ to American farmers. And now there’s Covid-19.
Some 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop is refined into ethanol, but over the last two weeks, Covid-19 has joined a host of other disrupting factors to create what Geoff Cooper, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, calls “not just a perfect storm for ethanol, but a perfect tsunami.” Since the outbreak, ethanol prices have plunged to an all-time low of 88 cents a gallon and manufacturers are warning of more plant closures and reduced run rates.<strong>(No paywall)</strong>