V.D.B. Grains Ltd

U.S. corn harvested area came in BELOW both trade expectations and last month's estimate, a turn from the surprisingly high areas printed both last month and during the 2025 cycle. For soybeans, harvested area edged upward from last month.

🇺🇸U.S. corn and soybean yields land below analyst expectations, but harvested area for both crops lands above all pre-report trade estimates.

🇺🇸 The trade sees U.S. corn and soybean yield coming in slightly below USDA's trendlines in Wednesday's report. They would also be lower than 2025's yields. Analysts are NOT predicting acreage drama, which headlined the August 2025 report. Is that a safe bet?

🇺🇸 U.S. corn conditions declined 2 pts despite weekend rains, while soybeans were unchanged. Spring wheat ratings jumped above expectations for a second straight week. Corn is now starting to dent, which is the final grain-filling stage before maturity.

🇺🇸 Some surprises in Monday afternoon's Crop Progress, including a 4-point drop in corn conditions, the largest decline for any week since June 2023. Soybean conditions dropped 3 points, the largest July decline since 2020.

Reuters confirming Monday afternoon that China has bought at least 5 U.S. soybean cargoes for Sept-Nov shipment.

U.S. corn acres land above expectations and nearly equal with the March figure. Soybean plantings rise as expected from March, but wheat acres fall well below expectations.

Very little changes to U.S. balance sheets from USDA on Thursday. Old-crop corn exports went up a little, corn for ethanol down. Old-crop soybean exports were cut, crush was up.

🇺🇸U.S. corn conditions were unchanged from last week (but lower than expected). Soybean conditions declined 1 pt despite an expected improvement, but spring wheat conditions surged 5 pts, above analyst predictions. Winter wheat conditions fell below all expectations.

🌾U.S. winter wheat conditions fell to 26% good/excellent as of Sunday, the date's worst rating in records back to 1986. Corn planting remains ahead of average despite landing at the low end of estimates this week. Soybean planting is no longer the date's fastest (83% in 2012).

🇺🇸U.S. winter wheat conditions slipped to 27% good/excellent, the date's lowest rating since 1989. Wheat rated poor/very poor rose 3 pts to 43%, the date's highest share in over a decade. Spring planting (corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton) continues at an above-average pace.