Weekly Crop Commentary 4/24/2026
Apr 24, 2026
Wes Bahan
Vice President, Grain Division
Good afternoon. It has been a big week of planting in my home area, as we have dodged most of the shower activity this week. Talking to folks, it seems there are several wrapping up or will be in the next few days, which is quite remarkable since our friends to the north really haven’t been able to get going yet.
The futures markets for the week have been relatively stable. We did see a bit of a rally on Wednesday, but just couldn’t find the traction to keep going. Funds continue to have length in grains and seem willing to defend that position on a sell-off. Basis is what has started to heat up a bit. With no new pricing objectives being achieved and focus on fieldwork, there just isn’t enough moving at the moment. Common theme for this time of the year, so nothing new. All eyes will be focused on the weather forecasters through the summer and on the issues in the Middle East.
I hope you all are having a safe planting season.
Briana Holtzman
Grain Merchandiser, Kenton (Region 1)
Here in/around Kenton, guys have been slow to get planting. We have been getting timely rain, so they haven’t been able to make much headway on planting. I have not talked to many who have started, and those who were able to start had to stop after the rain moved through the other evening. I have seen some fields being worked and some fertilizer spread, but have not personally seen any planters out in this area. This time is being used to get things around, make repairs, and be ready to get into the field to plant.
The markets were fairly uneventful this week, remaining steady. Wheat did make some decent moves, though, on the crop concerns coming in from the Plains. Winter wheat condition scores came in at 30% good/excellent this week, down again from last week. On the wheat front around here, I have heard that the crop is looking good so far; let’s hope that lasts.
Zane Robison
Grain Merchandiser, Urbana (Region 3)
Planting continues to roll across Champaign County, with little to no rain over the past couple of weeks. I caught about 0.30” the other night, but you wouldn’t know it with how quickly conditions have dried back out.
Markets haven’t offered much excitement lately. We’re still early enough in the season that “planting delays” aren’t really delays yet. Weekly corn sales came in at 51.8 mb, right in line with expectations, and we remain about 1% ahead of the pace needed, so nothing noteworthy there. Outside markets have quieted as well, with tensions in the Middle East having little impact at the moment. So where do we go from here? It feels like we stay rangebound until a more meaningful headline emerges. One thing to watch: China is selling feed wheat out of state reserves, which could reduce the likelihood of additional corn imports.
Soybeans were shaping up for a solid week before slipping in the last couple of sessions. News of China purchasing Argentine beans for late May/June delivery took some of the momentum out of the market. If that trend continues, it could further cloud expectations around a potential Trump/Xi meeting. An interesting perspective from Arlan Suderman (StoneX) suggests China may try to negotiate down the 25 MMT purchase commitment for next year. With limited storage capacity in China and strong domestic crush demand in the U.S., export availability could become a factor.
Have a great weekend!
Lisa Warne
Grain Merchandiser, Marysville (Region 4)
It’s the last Friday of April already, and planting is well underway in the area. I know of a few who are already done, while others are just putting the finishing touches on planter preparation. USDA had Ohio at 9% planted on both corn and soybeans as of Sunday evening. Even with scattered rain this week, there’s been significant progress. Here at the Marysville office, we only saw a quarter of an inch of rainfall this week, but others in the draw area received an inch or more.
Corn and wheat made positive gains in the market this week, but as we close the week, soybeans are losing any gains they made earlier. November soybeans did top out within a quarter cent of their contract high, though. If you had an offer in place for 11.75 April beans or 11.39 fall delivery to Marysville, it would have hit. That’s about 20¢ higher than where we sit today. This is the benefit of placing target offers!
Wheat conditions in Ohio are at 67% Good/Excellent, the same as the 5-year average but 6 points better than at this time last year. With wheat conditions in hard winter wheat areas continuing to decline (30% G/E nationwide), the wheat market has been on a steady incline over the last couple of weeks. We did briefly touch $6 for harvest delivery three weeks ago, and the charts look to be heading that way again, so that may be an offer level to have working. Have a great weekend, and stay safe out there!
Ralph Wince
Grain Merchandiser, Canfield (Region 5)
Good afternoon, planting season has begun here in the Buckeye State. I know that here in NE Ohio, very little has been done yet, but the state as a whole showed 9% planted on both corn & beans. That was as of last Sunday, and we are well ahead of the 5-year average of 2% for both corn & beans. I do expect the state to show good progress this week as well. I have talked to some folks in other parts of the state, and they were making good progress. Again, I know that here in NE Ohio, that is not the case.
Markets continue to be somewhat mixed. Corn and wheat have rallied this week. We are not at the most recent highs, but we are well off the lows. Beans continue to chop sideways. There are concerns about the size of this year’s wheat crop as a country as a whole, which has pushed the wheat market higher and dragged corn along. I think the June 30th USDA Acreage report could be a day when we get some surprises. That said, I still think we should be looking to lock in some of this year’s crop. Give us a call to talk about that in more detail.
Another thing to keep an eye on is the long-term implications of nitrogen shortages in parts of the world. None of us has the answer to when this war will end, but even if it were to end today, there would still be infrastructure that would take some time to rebuild. There is no shortage of food in the world today, but there are areas that need more nitrogen. Yesterday, the International Grains Council reduced both global wheat and corn production. Again, this isn't a story the markets are jumping on today, but it's worth keeping an eye on.
Lastly, let’s talk briefly about what the weather looks like. It appears that we could see a little more rain over the next week or so, but locally, we are not showing a huge amount. The 6–10-day forecast does show above-normal precipitation and below-normal temperatures. Rain amounts here in the NE part of the state look to be around ½ inch over the next 5 days. I have attached the 8-14 maps for you to review. They show normal precipitation and below normal temperatures. Let’s see where planting progress stands on Monday, but the market isn't concerned today about not getting the crop in the ground.
Have a great weekend, everyone!!!!
Vice President, Grain Division
Good afternoon. It has been a big week of planting in my home area, as we have dodged most of the shower activity this week. Talking to folks, it seems there are several wrapping up or will be in the next few days, which is quite remarkable since our friends to the north really haven’t been able to get going yet.
The futures markets for the week have been relatively stable. We did see a bit of a rally on Wednesday, but just couldn’t find the traction to keep going. Funds continue to have length in grains and seem willing to defend that position on a sell-off. Basis is what has started to heat up a bit. With no new pricing objectives being achieved and focus on fieldwork, there just isn’t enough moving at the moment. Common theme for this time of the year, so nothing new. All eyes will be focused on the weather forecasters through the summer and on the issues in the Middle East.
I hope you all are having a safe planting season.
Briana Holtzman
Grain Merchandiser, Kenton (Region 1)
Here in/around Kenton, guys have been slow to get planting. We have been getting timely rain, so they haven’t been able to make much headway on planting. I have not talked to many who have started, and those who were able to start had to stop after the rain moved through the other evening. I have seen some fields being worked and some fertilizer spread, but have not personally seen any planters out in this area. This time is being used to get things around, make repairs, and be ready to get into the field to plant.
The markets were fairly uneventful this week, remaining steady. Wheat did make some decent moves, though, on the crop concerns coming in from the Plains. Winter wheat condition scores came in at 30% good/excellent this week, down again from last week. On the wheat front around here, I have heard that the crop is looking good so far; let’s hope that lasts.
Zane Robison
Grain Merchandiser, Urbana (Region 3)
Planting continues to roll across Champaign County, with little to no rain over the past couple of weeks. I caught about 0.30” the other night, but you wouldn’t know it with how quickly conditions have dried back out.
Markets haven’t offered much excitement lately. We’re still early enough in the season that “planting delays” aren’t really delays yet. Weekly corn sales came in at 51.8 mb, right in line with expectations, and we remain about 1% ahead of the pace needed, so nothing noteworthy there. Outside markets have quieted as well, with tensions in the Middle East having little impact at the moment. So where do we go from here? It feels like we stay rangebound until a more meaningful headline emerges. One thing to watch: China is selling feed wheat out of state reserves, which could reduce the likelihood of additional corn imports.
Soybeans were shaping up for a solid week before slipping in the last couple of sessions. News of China purchasing Argentine beans for late May/June delivery took some of the momentum out of the market. If that trend continues, it could further cloud expectations around a potential Trump/Xi meeting. An interesting perspective from Arlan Suderman (StoneX) suggests China may try to negotiate down the 25 MMT purchase commitment for next year. With limited storage capacity in China and strong domestic crush demand in the U.S., export availability could become a factor.
Have a great weekend!
Lisa Warne
Grain Merchandiser, Marysville (Region 4)
It’s the last Friday of April already, and planting is well underway in the area. I know of a few who are already done, while others are just putting the finishing touches on planter preparation. USDA had Ohio at 9% planted on both corn and soybeans as of Sunday evening. Even with scattered rain this week, there’s been significant progress. Here at the Marysville office, we only saw a quarter of an inch of rainfall this week, but others in the draw area received an inch or more.
Corn and wheat made positive gains in the market this week, but as we close the week, soybeans are losing any gains they made earlier. November soybeans did top out within a quarter cent of their contract high, though. If you had an offer in place for 11.75 April beans or 11.39 fall delivery to Marysville, it would have hit. That’s about 20¢ higher than where we sit today. This is the benefit of placing target offers!
Wheat conditions in Ohio are at 67% Good/Excellent, the same as the 5-year average but 6 points better than at this time last year. With wheat conditions in hard winter wheat areas continuing to decline (30% G/E nationwide), the wheat market has been on a steady incline over the last couple of weeks. We did briefly touch $6 for harvest delivery three weeks ago, and the charts look to be heading that way again, so that may be an offer level to have working. Have a great weekend, and stay safe out there!
Ralph Wince
Grain Merchandiser, Canfield (Region 5)
Good afternoon, planting season has begun here in the Buckeye State. I know that here in NE Ohio, very little has been done yet, but the state as a whole showed 9% planted on both corn & beans. That was as of last Sunday, and we are well ahead of the 5-year average of 2% for both corn & beans. I do expect the state to show good progress this week as well. I have talked to some folks in other parts of the state, and they were making good progress. Again, I know that here in NE Ohio, that is not the case.
Markets continue to be somewhat mixed. Corn and wheat have rallied this week. We are not at the most recent highs, but we are well off the lows. Beans continue to chop sideways. There are concerns about the size of this year’s wheat crop as a country as a whole, which has pushed the wheat market higher and dragged corn along. I think the June 30th USDA Acreage report could be a day when we get some surprises. That said, I still think we should be looking to lock in some of this year’s crop. Give us a call to talk about that in more detail.
Another thing to keep an eye on is the long-term implications of nitrogen shortages in parts of the world. None of us has the answer to when this war will end, but even if it were to end today, there would still be infrastructure that would take some time to rebuild. There is no shortage of food in the world today, but there are areas that need more nitrogen. Yesterday, the International Grains Council reduced both global wheat and corn production. Again, this isn't a story the markets are jumping on today, but it's worth keeping an eye on.
Lastly, let’s talk briefly about what the weather looks like. It appears that we could see a little more rain over the next week or so, but locally, we are not showing a huge amount. The 6–10-day forecast does show above-normal precipitation and below-normal temperatures. Rain amounts here in the NE part of the state look to be around ½ inch over the next 5 days. I have attached the 8-14 maps for you to review. They show normal precipitation and below normal temperatures. Let’s see where planting progress stands on Monday, but the market isn't concerned today about not getting the crop in the ground.
Have a great weekend, everyone!!!!