Grain > Commentary > 8-12-2024

8/12/2024

Aug 12, 2024

The USDA's August WASDE report gave the market more than just a snack to chew on. We are finally seeing some official numbers get hashed up after a planting season that had many wondering about acres. The report was brutal for soybeans which got hit with a double whammy in the acres and yield departments. Most notable changes: one million acres were switched from corn to soybeans and the Illinois corn crop was pegged at 225 bu/ac (203 bu/ac in 2023). Today's report balloons the forecasted U.S. soybean 2024/25 carryout by over 28% to 560 million bushels.

A fair amount of number shuffling on the U.S. corn balance sheet this month. Old crop numbers: netted a 10 million bushel decrease to the carryout. New crop side: 700k acres cut and a 75 million bushel increase to exports lower the forecasted ending stocks by 24 million bushels even after the USDA shocked with a big 183.1 avg yield for the U.S.

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2/10/2026
Feb 10, 2026
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1/12/2026
Jan 12, 2026
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11/14/2025
Nov 14, 2025
It was USDA report day today and overall, it was bearish for both corn and beans.  Corn Yield was only reduced by .7 bpa down to 186 bpa.  The market was expecting closer to 184 bpa.  Corn production is estimated at 16.752 billion vs 16.814 billion in September.  They raised exports 100 million, which is debatable, but possible.  Ending stocks on corn were estimated at 2.154 billion bushels, which is up 44 million from September and about 29 million more than the market expected.