Corn Futures Maintain Strength as Week Concludes

As Friday's trading session progresses, corn futures are holding firm above the $4.20 mark on the December contract, with nearby months showing gains of 2 to 3 ½ cents. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price has risen by 2 cents to $3.77.

A significant development occurred on Thursday afternoon with the finalization of the US/Japan trade agreement. The White House announced that Japan will boost its "acquisitions of United States agricultural commodities, including corn, soybeans, bioethanol (encompassing sustainable aviation fuel), as well as other American products, reaching a total of $8 billion annually." For context, Japan's yearly purchases of these three specific items have ranged from $2.5 to $4.8 billion over the past five years.

This morning's Export Sales report revealed net reductions of 280,943 MT for the current crop year, falling within the projected range of net reductions of 400,000 MT to sales of 100,000 MT. This figure represents a marketing year low. New crop transactions amounted to 2.117 MMT, approaching the upper end of the 0.9 to 2.2 MMT estimates for the week ending August 28. This volume surpasses the previous week by 1.3% and exceeds the same period last year by 16.2%.

StoneX has adjusted its forecast for the US corn yield to 186.9 bushels per acre, a decrease of 1.2 bpa from August's estimate, based on a producer survey. The projected production now stands at 16.577 billion bushels. The USDA is scheduled to release updated figures next Friday.

Market Snapshot

September 2025 Corn is trading at $4.03 1/4, up 3 1/2 cents Nearby Cash price is at $3.77, up 2 cents December 2025 Corn is at $4.21 3/4, showing a 2-cent increase March 2026 Corn is priced at $4.40, up 2 1/2 cents