Weekly Grain Market Update – 10/16/2026

Weekly Change

CZ26 -5'2

SX26 -31'6

Good morning, here’s a quick look at what moved the grain markets this week:

• Corn spent most of the week trying to stabilize after last Friday’s WASDE. USDA raised the national yield to 181.2 bpa and pushed new crop carryout up to 1.849 billion bushels. That bigger supply picture is going to be tough to overcome while harvest is still rolling.

• Corn harvest was 33% complete as of Sunday vs. 39% on average. Iowa is especially behind at only 14% harvested vs. 34% normally. Recent rains will slow things down in some areas, but probably not enough to change the overall supply story.

• Demand is going to be a big focus from here. Weekly corn sales improved to 44.2 million bushels, the best in five weeks, but total sales are still roughly 33% behind last year. We did get a fresh sale of 5 million bushels to Japan this morning, so hopefully the cheaper board starts bringing some buyers back in.

• Beans have their own set of problems. Harvest reports continue to be very strong and USDA is already at a record 4.56 billion bushel crop. September NOPA crush also disappointed at 196.3 million bushels vs. expectations of 203.7 million.

• The bright spot for beans has been China. They’re believed to have bought around 20 cargoes this week, and USDA confirmed several sizable sales along the way. That buying needs to continue, especially with South American weather staying favorable so far.

• Brazil planting is moving along quickly with good moisture in most areas. Unless South American weather turns into a problem later this fall, it’s hard to find much of a weather premium for either corn or beans right now.

Written by 

Spencer Macke, Grain Originator

(913) 991-2815

Reach out with any questions. Thanks for reading.