Corn Export Sales Lead Weekly Report as Soybeans Slow, Cotton Stays Strong

Corn and cotton gave the strongest signals this week, while soybean demand remained softer than in the previous report.

WASHINGTON, D..C. (RFD NEWS) — Corn led the latest weekly export sales report, while soybean sales softened and cotton shipments stayed active. USDA said buyers booked about 62.9 million bushels of old-crop corn during the week ending April 23, up 21 percent from the previous week, while corn exports reached 63.4 million bushels.

Soybean sales came in lower. Old-crop soybean bookings totaled about 9.5 million bushels, down 29 percent from the previous week, while exports reached 22.4 million bushels. Wheat sales improved to 8.3 million bushels for the current marketing year, with another 5.8 million bushels booked for 2026-27. Wheat exports totaled 15.1 million bushels.

Sorghum remained a China-centered story. Sales were about 500,000 bushels, but exports were much stronger at 7.5 million bushels. Rice sales totaled 39,000 metric tons, with exports at 83,600 metric tons.

Cotton also posted solid movement. Upland cotton sales reached 162,900 bales for 2025-26, with another 105,700 bales sold for 2026-27. Exports totaled 384,600 bales, led by Vietnam, Pakistan, Turkey, India, and Bangladesh.

Soybean meal was one of the stronger product categories. Sales reached 294,900 metric tons, and exports totaled 387,200 metric tons, while pork sales rose to 46,300 metric tons and beef sales to 13,800 metric tons.

Farm-Level Takeaway: Corn and cotton gave the strongest signal this week, while soybean demand stayed softer than the previous report.
Tony St. James, RFD News Markets Specialist
Related Stories
Export volumes remain positive year-to-date, but weaker soybean loadings and slowing wheat movement hint at early bottlenecks in global demand or river logistics. Farmers should watch basis levels and freight conditions as export competition heats up.
Industry leaders representing more than 40 nations gathered to discuss the future of ethanol and other corn-based products.
A fast-moving series of trade signals from the White House and key partners is resetting the near-term outlook for U.S. agriculture.
Stay alert for trade announcements—especially border reopening timelines, tariff threats, and developments in Brazil’s export flows.
Margin Protection and the new MCO add county-level margin tools — with earlier price discovery, input cost triggers, and high subsidy rates — to complement on-farm risk plans for 2026.
Set targets and use forwards, futures, or options to manage downside while preserving room for rallies.

Tony St. James joined the RFD-TV talent team in August 2024, bringing a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to RFD-TV and Rural Radio Channel 147 Sirius XM. In addition to his role as Market Specialist (collaborating with Scott “The Cow Guy” Shellady to provide radio and TV audiences with the latest updates on ag commodity markets), he hosts “Rural America Live” and serves as talent for trade shows.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

China’s renewed purchases signal improving sorghum demand at a time when export markets are otherwise uneven. Meanwhile, agriculture groups across the U.S, Canada, and Mexico want to protect close trade relations.
The Environmental Protection Agency confirms that new single-fluorinated pesticides are not PFAS and remain fully compliant with current safety standards.
Strong demand supports sweet potatoes, but grading challenges and rising costs weigh on returns for Southeastern growers.
Pressure on grain storage capacity and stronger export positioning are pushing more grain onto railroads, highways, and river systems as logistics become a key bottleneck this fall.
The Cotton-4 are pushing hard for new value chain investments. Still, many U.S. cotton producers face unsustainable losses, and weakened regional textile capacity threatens the survival of the Carolina “dirt-to-shirt” supply chain.
Late harvest and tight supplies shape crop progress and agribusiness this week. Here is a regional snapshot of harvest pace, crop conditions, logistics, and livestock economics across U.S. agriculture for the week of Dec. 1, 2025.