September 20, 2021 

Corn futures closed the day lower as the market continued to suffer from a “risk off” attitude. Equity and energy markets were also weaker today sparked by concerns over China’s economy. In addition, building harvest pressure weighed on prices as new crop inventory becomes more readily available. The U.S. harvest is off to a good start and is expected to advance considerably over the next few weeks. NASS will release updated condition and progress numbers this afternoon. Traders expect corn conditions to be steady to slightly lower. A week ago, the U.S. corn crop was rated 58% GTE. In regard to harvest progress, market participants expect to see approximately 10% of the U.S. corn harvest complete. Weekly corn export inspections exceeded expectations this morning, totaling 15.9 ln. bu. vs. 6.3 mln. bu. last week. YTD inspections stand at 23.7 mln. bu. Market participants continue to monitor how many Gulf terminals are coming back online and what their capacity is. Several terminals are again operational, and unloads are increasing but still lag what is considered normal. Estimates have unloads about 50% of normal. In S. America, the planting season is starting to gain momentum in Brazil for corn. Recent rain has been favorable, easing concerns over another dry start to the production season. Although, some regions have even received excessive rains, stalling corn seeding. This has early corn planting slower than a year ago.

Soybean futures finished the day double digits lower. Spillover weakness from the outside markets coupled with growing concerns over the potential loss of export business, despite Friday’s sales announcement of 132,000 metric tons to China, weighed on prices. SX21 dropped below 200-day moving average support near $12.68 for the first time in 13 months. Weekly U.S. soybean export inspections totaled 10.1 mln. bu. on this morning’s report. This was an uptick from last week’s 7.1 mln. bu. That said, YTD inspections are currently 87% behind last year’s pace. For the month of August, customs data shows China imported 9.04 MMT of soybeans from Brazil while U.S. imports fell 89.4% to just 17,575 MT’s. NASS will release updated condition and progress numbers this afternoon. Traders expect soybean conditions to be steady to slightly lower. A week ago, the U.S. bean crop was rated 57% GTE. In addition, bean harvest progress will be reported for the 1st time this season this afternoon. Market participants expect to see approximately 5% of the U.S. soybean harvest complete. Widespread showers are expected to move through the eastern belt over the next several days. Following this system, much of the region is expected to turn drier which should be favorable for harvest progress