The main factor again for the grain market on Sunday night and into the opening on Monday will be the price action in the US and global equity markets.  The US stock market moved lower this week and is down about 4% this month. Global equity prices were hit even harder. It will be difficult to sustain a rally in the grain markets if the global equity markets stay under pressure. 

Yield reports for corn are coming in as farmers move into some of the prime farm land in southern Illinois. A lot of the early corn planted early has been less than hoped for, but as farmers start moving north close to Springfield and Decatur, Illinois the trade will be closely monitoring actual yield results. We will keep you posted on our customer yield reports via the morning e-mail updates, our Web updates, and afternoon phone updates next week.

US crop conditions are expected to be drop next week. The southern and eastern Corn Belt could get some much-needed rain by next week, but the heat and dryness took a toll on crop conditions and yield potential this week. Our early indications are for a 1-2% drop in both corn and soybean ratings next week.

Can the huge exports continue?  Combined old and new crop corn exports came in at a whopping 68 million bushels this week, soybeans at 28 million bushels and wheat at 21 million bushels. We will see what the Monday report shows, but this could be a record month for the combined exports of US corn, soybeans, and wheat as global demand remains strong.

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