USDA Releases Final Grain Stocks Estimates

The Final Grain Stocks Report may be the last key figures we see if a government shutdown halts future updates.

WASHINGTON (RFD-TV) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its Final Grain Stocks Report on Tuesday, providing key figures that may be the last we see if a government shutdown halts future updates.

CommodityEstimatesTrade Guess
Corn1.53 BB1.34 BB
Soy316 MB323 MB
Wheat2.12 BB2.04 BB

While soybean growers work to bring in this year’s crop, selling it remains a challenging task. The American Soybean Association warns that the U.S. is losing competitiveness after China recently turned to Argentina for supplies.

“If we can be competitive with beans, we can get them moved like they did with Argentina,” says ASA Vice President Scott Metzger. “Those could’ve easily been our beans going over there. It shows that if that opportunity is there, China is willing to buy.”

The grain trade says the numbers underscore broader concerns as China steps back from U.S. purchases. The National Corn Growers Association calls the situation a “four-alarm fire” and is urging Congress to act quickly to remove market barriers.

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“It does not extinguish right away here — in any sort of sense — the real profitability concerns and people’s ability to pay bills and get to the other side of this in the very short term. This is where the skepticism builds.”

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