WASHINGTON, DC (RFD NEWS) — Corn export inspections remained the strongest weekly grain signal for the week ending May 21. USDA inspected 62.3 million bushels of corn, up from 55.1 million the previous week and 55.9 million one year ago.
Corn marketing-year inspections reached 2.37 billion bushels, more than 518 million ahead of last year. Soybean weekly inspections totaled 21.0 million bushels, nearly unchanged from the previous week but well above last year’s 7.3 million.
China was listed for about 5.0 million bushels of soybeans moving through Puget Sound and the Mississippi River. China also received nearly all of the inspected sorghum, but total sorghum volume collapsed to about 122,000 bushels from 5.6 million bushels the previous week.
Wheat inspections improved to 13.5 million bushels from 8.7 million, but trailed last year’s 20.7 million. Near the end of the wheat marketing year, inspections totaled 862.7 million bushels, up from 783.1 million one year earlier.
Corn remains the leading shipment story, while China activity supports soybean and sorghum movement despite lighter marketing-year soybean inspections.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Corn inspections remain strong, while China continues providing important demand for soybeans and limited sorghum movement.
Tony St. James, RFD News Markets Specialist
China’s stricter inspection rules prompt Cargill to pause soybean exports from Brazil, briefly lifting U.S. soybean prices as traders anticipate potential shifts in global trade, as export demand remains supportive across all major U.S. commodities.
March 13, 2026 12:57 PM
·
Suderman joins Tony St. James in the RFD Studios to discuss how geopolitical tensions are triggering global transport disruptions, new inflation pressures, and other challenges for agriculture to navigate.
March 13, 2026 11:08 AM
·
Dr. David Anderson with Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension discusses how geopolitical tensions and the Middle East, along with export disruptions in the Chinese market, will shape cattle markets in the months ahead.
March 12, 2026 12:54 PM
·
Energy shifts influence diesel and fertilizer costs.
March 12, 2026 05:00 AM
·
ASFMRA’s Craig Thompson shares insights for American farmers who are navigating farmland markets amid agricultural uncertainty.
March 11, 2026 04:04 PM
·
Ben Kurtzman with American Farmland Trust discusses the growing pressure on farmland and ranchland and the steps being taken to help conserve farms and ranches across the country ,as unrest in the Middle East adds more obstacles for producers.
March 11, 2026 03:18 PM
·
