Chicago corn rises on mixed yield prospects across US Midwest

Business Recorder reported that Chicago corn prices moved up on Thursday after an industry field tour pointed to uneven crop yield outlooks in the US Midwest. Corn on the Chicago Board of Trade climbed 0.4% to $5.00 a bushel by 0221 GMT, whereas soybeans lost 0.2% to $12.35 a bushel and wheat dipped 0.1% to $6.96-3/4 a bushel.

Traders are following reports from the Pro Farmer tour, which follows the USDA's recent trimming of its corn and soybean yield projections. In western Iowa, corn yield prospects and soybean pod numbers have slipped from a year earlier, yet remain close to or above the three-year norm, scouts said. Pro Farmer projected Illinois corn at 184.19 bushels per acre, against 199.57 bpa in the 2025 tour and a three-year tour average of 199.15.

In Nebraska, scouts saw some non-irrigated fields looking stunted and thin, while irrigated acreage, which covers most of the state's corn, was in better shape. Indiana's projected corn yield of 183.54 bpa sat below the 2025 tour figure of 193.82 bpa and the 187.42 bpa three-year mean. Shipping in the Black Sea has been hit by continued attacks from both Russia and Ukraine, including near Novorossiysk. ASAP Agri consultancy said Ukraine's wheat exports could fall to a range of 5 million to 10 million metric tons in 2026/27 if its Black Sea ports remain blocked.