Weekly Crop Commentary 11/13/2026
Nov 13, 2026
Wes Bahan
Vice President, Grain Division
The November WASDE brought the grain markets slightly better news. USDA lowered the corn yield to 179.6 bushels per acre, which brought projected ending stocks down to 1.758 billion bushels. The change with the impact was taking the Illinois crop down 8 bushels. Ohio stayed unchanged at 200 bushels per acre expected. Soybeans tightened up too, with ending stocks now projected at 300 million bushels. The changes in beans were mostly subtle adjustments, with no major shifts. Ohio also remained unchanged on beans, at 62 bushels per acre.
So, what does that mean for us? The report was supportive, but there’s still plenty of grain around, especially corn. As we move into winter, watch basis, export demand, and South American weather. If you have grain in the bin, know what it’s costing you to store it and have some price targets in mind. We may not get one big rally, so being ready to take advantage of opportunities when they come could be the better approach.
Briana Holtzman
Grain Merchandiser, Kenton (Region 1)
We ended this week with some wet weather, seeing about half an inch of precipitation in Kenton. The end of the week also brought colder weather, but I don’t think we’ll see the snow that was rumored to fall today. Next week looks like it will be a bit warmer, in the 60s, with sun. Hopefully that will help some people finish corn harvest, and others continue to make good progress.
To start the week, national corn harvest was pegged at 81% complete, and bean harvest was at 92% complete. For the Kenton region, I think bean harvest is nearly wrapped up, with some double-crop beans still coming in. I think we still have a lot of corn to harvest that was delayed because of late beans. I would put our region at about 60-70% complete on corn harvest.
On Tuesday, we saw the monthly WASDE supply and demand report released. It reported differently than I expected, giving corn and beans a decent move up. Beans gained about 35¢ on the day and corn about 15¢. The report showed corn yields down 1.6 bu/acre, production down about 141 million bu, and world output down 2.2 million tons. On the bean side, yields rose 0.2 bu/acre and production was up 12 million bu, but a 25 million bu export increase offset it. This increase was primarily spurred by a stronger-than-expected early-season export pace. The USDA saw enough early shipments and sales heading into November to justify increasing its full-year projection. Let’s hope we see follow-through on this projection.
Cheryl Crawford
Grain Merchandiser, Delaware (Region 2)
Good afternoon! Grain markets showed some support this week following the USDA report on Tuesday. That strength was short-lived as prices gave back some of the gains. The stronger U.S. dollar and concerns about global demand put pressure back on the markets as we head into the weekend.
The USDA report brought some positive news for corn. They lowered the average U.S. corn yield from 181.2 to 179.6 bushels per acre, bringing estimated production down to 15.893 billion bushels. Corn ending stocks were also reduced to 1.758 billion bushels. Soybean yields moved slightly higher to 5.3 bushels per acre, but soybean ending stocks dropped to 300 million bushels due to stronger projected demand. Wheat supplies remain comfortable, with stocks ending estimated at 743 million bushels.
Here in Ohio, harvest is wrapping up for some producers, although some corn is still coming out of the fields. As harvest pressure eases, attention will shift toward grain storage, basis opportunities, and marketing plans for the months ahead. As we move into the winter months, this is a good time to review your unpriced bushels and think about your marketing plan. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of opportunities when they come along. If you have grain in the bin and are unsure of your next move, give your grain merchandiser here at Heritage a call. We will be happy to discuss different options with you.
Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend.
Zane Robison
Grain Merchandiser, Urbana (Region 3)
Markets took a pleasant turn to close out the week, with both corn and soybeans trading higher on Friday. Corn has rebounded today after spending the last two sessions trying to find its footing following the bullish WASDE report. While off the day’s highs, the market should find support as exports finally start to heat up. Corn export sales surged to a 2026/27 marketing-year high of 113.4 million bushels for the week ending November 5. That was the largest weekly total since January and a record for the comparable week. Locally, basis has improved significantly this week as weaker futures prices and competition for the remaining harvest bushels have forced basis to do much of the heavy lifting.
Soybeans have arguably been the week’s winner. Even an increase in projected yield wasn’t enough to offset the 25-million-bushel increase in expected exports, providing some newfound support for a market that funds were actively selling just days ago. Are additional yield increases still possible? Likely, but we won’t have any further USDA updates until January. One other factor worth watching is crude oil, which continues to slide as Trump pursues de-escalation with Iran. Oil, like grains, has experienced some significant declines. A continued pullback could create an opportunity for funds to shift money back into crude oil, potentially reducing some of their exposure to the soybean market.
As we continue to see some improvement in prices, keep an eye out for opportunities to price grain out of the bin or, at the very least, put something in place to protect the downside.
Morgan Hefner
Grain Merchandiser, Nashport (Region 5)
Harvest has wrapped up in many areas, with the crop progress report showing beans in the U.S. at 92% harvested and corn at 81%. In Ohio, corn was 69% complete on Monday’s report, and beans were 92% harvested. For those that haven’t completed harvest, progress has been put on hold this week as wet, cooler weather moved into the area.
The markets saw some movement this week following Tuesday’s USDA report. The USDA lowered the corn yield slightly to 179.6 bpa, down from October’s 181.2 bpa. Bean yields rose slightly to 53.3 bpa from October’s 53.1 bpa. Immediately after the report, markets reacted strongly, with corn gaining 15¢ and beans up around 40¢. By Thursday, grains had gotten significantly quieter, but we are seeing a slight bounce back in the green today.
Overall, we have seen the market's ups and downs this week. Harvest is nearing completion, and the next big report isn’t until after the first of the year. As we enter the holiday season, I look for things to quiet down a bit.
Harvest has wrapped up in many areas, with the crop progress report showing beans in the U.S. at 92% harvested and corn at 81%. In Ohio, corn was 69% complete on Monday’s report, and beans were 92% harvested. For those that haven’t completed harvest, progress has been put on hold this week as wet, cooler weather moved into the area.
The markets saw some movement this week following Tuesday’s USDA report. The USDA lowered the corn yield slightly to 179.6 bpa, down from October’s 181.2 bpa. Bean yields rose slightly to 53.3 bpa from October’s 53.1 bpa. Immediately after the report, markets reacted strongly, with corn gaining 15¢ and beans up around 40¢. By Thursday, grains had gotten significantly quieter, but we are seeing a slight bounce back in the green today.
Overall, we have seen the market's ups and downs this week. Harvest is nearing completion, and the next big report isn’t until after the first of the year. As we enter the holiday season, I look for things to quiet down a bit.
Vice President, Grain Division
The November WASDE brought the grain markets slightly better news. USDA lowered the corn yield to 179.6 bushels per acre, which brought projected ending stocks down to 1.758 billion bushels. The change with the impact was taking the Illinois crop down 8 bushels. Ohio stayed unchanged at 200 bushels per acre expected. Soybeans tightened up too, with ending stocks now projected at 300 million bushels. The changes in beans were mostly subtle adjustments, with no major shifts. Ohio also remained unchanged on beans, at 62 bushels per acre.
So, what does that mean for us? The report was supportive, but there’s still plenty of grain around, especially corn. As we move into winter, watch basis, export demand, and South American weather. If you have grain in the bin, know what it’s costing you to store it and have some price targets in mind. We may not get one big rally, so being ready to take advantage of opportunities when they come could be the better approach.
Briana Holtzman
Grain Merchandiser, Kenton (Region 1)
We ended this week with some wet weather, seeing about half an inch of precipitation in Kenton. The end of the week also brought colder weather, but I don’t think we’ll see the snow that was rumored to fall today. Next week looks like it will be a bit warmer, in the 60s, with sun. Hopefully that will help some people finish corn harvest, and others continue to make good progress.
To start the week, national corn harvest was pegged at 81% complete, and bean harvest was at 92% complete. For the Kenton region, I think bean harvest is nearly wrapped up, with some double-crop beans still coming in. I think we still have a lot of corn to harvest that was delayed because of late beans. I would put our region at about 60-70% complete on corn harvest.
On Tuesday, we saw the monthly WASDE supply and demand report released. It reported differently than I expected, giving corn and beans a decent move up. Beans gained about 35¢ on the day and corn about 15¢. The report showed corn yields down 1.6 bu/acre, production down about 141 million bu, and world output down 2.2 million tons. On the bean side, yields rose 0.2 bu/acre and production was up 12 million bu, but a 25 million bu export increase offset it. This increase was primarily spurred by a stronger-than-expected early-season export pace. The USDA saw enough early shipments and sales heading into November to justify increasing its full-year projection. Let’s hope we see follow-through on this projection.
Cheryl Crawford
Grain Merchandiser, Delaware (Region 2)
Good afternoon! Grain markets showed some support this week following the USDA report on Tuesday. That strength was short-lived as prices gave back some of the gains. The stronger U.S. dollar and concerns about global demand put pressure back on the markets as we head into the weekend.
The USDA report brought some positive news for corn. They lowered the average U.S. corn yield from 181.2 to 179.6 bushels per acre, bringing estimated production down to 15.893 billion bushels. Corn ending stocks were also reduced to 1.758 billion bushels. Soybean yields moved slightly higher to 5.3 bushels per acre, but soybean ending stocks dropped to 300 million bushels due to stronger projected demand. Wheat supplies remain comfortable, with stocks ending estimated at 743 million bushels.
Here in Ohio, harvest is wrapping up for some producers, although some corn is still coming out of the fields. As harvest pressure eases, attention will shift toward grain storage, basis opportunities, and marketing plans for the months ahead. As we move into the winter months, this is a good time to review your unpriced bushels and think about your marketing plan. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of opportunities when they come along. If you have grain in the bin and are unsure of your next move, give your grain merchandiser here at Heritage a call. We will be happy to discuss different options with you.
Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend.
Zane Robison
Grain Merchandiser, Urbana (Region 3)
Markets took a pleasant turn to close out the week, with both corn and soybeans trading higher on Friday. Corn has rebounded today after spending the last two sessions trying to find its footing following the bullish WASDE report. While off the day’s highs, the market should find support as exports finally start to heat up. Corn export sales surged to a 2026/27 marketing-year high of 113.4 million bushels for the week ending November 5. That was the largest weekly total since January and a record for the comparable week. Locally, basis has improved significantly this week as weaker futures prices and competition for the remaining harvest bushels have forced basis to do much of the heavy lifting.
Soybeans have arguably been the week’s winner. Even an increase in projected yield wasn’t enough to offset the 25-million-bushel increase in expected exports, providing some newfound support for a market that funds were actively selling just days ago. Are additional yield increases still possible? Likely, but we won’t have any further USDA updates until January. One other factor worth watching is crude oil, which continues to slide as Trump pursues de-escalation with Iran. Oil, like grains, has experienced some significant declines. A continued pullback could create an opportunity for funds to shift money back into crude oil, potentially reducing some of their exposure to the soybean market.
As we continue to see some improvement in prices, keep an eye out for opportunities to price grain out of the bin or, at the very least, put something in place to protect the downside.
Morgan Hefner
Grain Merchandiser, Nashport (Region 5)
Harvest has wrapped up in many areas, with the crop progress report showing beans in the U.S. at 92% harvested and corn at 81%. In Ohio, corn was 69% complete on Monday’s report, and beans were 92% harvested. For those that haven’t completed harvest, progress has been put on hold this week as wet, cooler weather moved into the area.
The markets saw some movement this week following Tuesday’s USDA report. The USDA lowered the corn yield slightly to 179.6 bpa, down from October’s 181.2 bpa. Bean yields rose slightly to 53.3 bpa from October’s 53.1 bpa. Immediately after the report, markets reacted strongly, with corn gaining 15¢ and beans up around 40¢. By Thursday, grains had gotten significantly quieter, but we are seeing a slight bounce back in the green today.
Overall, we have seen the market's ups and downs this week. Harvest is nearing completion, and the next big report isn’t until after the first of the year. As we enter the holiday season, I look for things to quiet down a bit.
Harvest has wrapped up in many areas, with the crop progress report showing beans in the U.S. at 92% harvested and corn at 81%. In Ohio, corn was 69% complete on Monday’s report, and beans were 92% harvested. For those that haven’t completed harvest, progress has been put on hold this week as wet, cooler weather moved into the area.
The markets saw some movement this week following Tuesday’s USDA report. The USDA lowered the corn yield slightly to 179.6 bpa, down from October’s 181.2 bpa. Bean yields rose slightly to 53.3 bpa from October’s 53.1 bpa. Immediately after the report, markets reacted strongly, with corn gaining 15¢ and beans up around 40¢. By Thursday, grains had gotten significantly quieter, but we are seeing a slight bounce back in the green today.
Overall, we have seen the market's ups and downs this week. Harvest is nearing completion, and the next big report isn’t until after the first of the year. As we enter the holiday season, I look for things to quiet down a bit.