1. Grains, Soybeans Little Changed in Overnight Trading
Grain and soybean futures were again little changed overnight, as the ongoing government shutdown and concerns about the lack of purchases from China keep investors on the sidelines.
The government shutdown is now in its seventh day, leaving market watchers without weekly reports such as crop progress, export sales, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s commitment of traders.
The World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report from the USDA is scheduled for release tomorrow but likely will be postponed or canceled.
Also keeping traders sidelined is uncertainty on whether China will resume purchases of U.S. soybeans. The world’s largest importer of the oilseeds hasn’t purchased any new-crop beans from the U.S. this year amid the ongoing trade war between the countries.
Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are expected to meet at the end of this month on the sidelines of an economic forum to discuss trade, Trump said.
Corn futures fell ¼¢ to $4.19½ a bushel overnight on the Chicago Board of Trade.
Wheat futures for December delivery declined a penny to $5.05¾ a bushel, and Kansas City futures were down 1½¢ to $4.90 a bushel.
Soybean futures for November delivery gained 1½¢ to $10.23½ a bushel. Soy meal fell 90¢ to $276 a short ton, and soybean oil futures gained 0.38¢ to 51.42¢ a pound.
2. Kansas Wheat Planting Slowed by Rain
Winter wheat planting in Kansas is moving along, though rain is slowing progress in some parts of the state, said Aaron Harries, vice president of research and operations for the industry group Kansas Wheat.
“Rains in the central part of the state have things moving slow, with farmers out of the field,” he said in an email.
Progress was steady from northwest to southwest, though central and eastern counties are behind their average pace for the year, Harries said.
Thirty-four percent of the U.S. winter wheat crop was planted as of Sept. 28, the last update before the government shut down. That compares with the 20% planted a week earlier and the 36% five-year average for that date, USDA data show.
In Kansas, the biggest grower of winter wheat, 17% was planted as of Sept. 28 versus 9% a week earlier and the average of 30% for this time of year.
Year-over-year comparisons are difficult, as a dry fall in 2024 helped accelerate planting, Harries said.
“After this last round of rains, overall soil moisture profile looks decent for much of HRW areas,” he said. HRW refers to hard red winter wheat, the most widely grown wheat class in the U.S., according to U.S. Wheat Associates, an industry trade organization. “The forecast for the upcoming week looks favorable for fieldwork, so we’d expect to see progress on fall harvest and wheat planting.”
3. Storms Forecast for Parts of the Southern Plains
Thunderstorms are forecast for parts of the southern Plains throughout the morning, though the potential for severe weather is low, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in a report early this morning.
Showers and storms are anticipated to rumble across parts of the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles this morning, bringing moderate to heavy rainfall to the area, the agency said.
In northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, meanwhile, freeze warnings remain in effect, as overnight temperatures dropped to around 24°F.
Dozens of counties are in the freeze warning.
“Widespread below-freezing temperatures are expected to bring an end to the growing season, with many locations forecast to see low temperatures dip into the 20s,” the NWS said.
