Corn, soybeans higher with crop tour in focus

U.S. farmers will harvest a corn crop this fall totaling 15.344 billion bushels, with an average yield of 173.2 bushels per acre, advisory service Pro Farmer said after the close of trade on Friday.

The U.S. soybean harvest was projected at 4.572 billion bushels, with an average yield of 53.3 bpa, Pro Farmer said after concluding its annual crop tour through seven top corn and soybean states this week.

The outlook compares with the U.S. Agriculture Department's latest forecast for corn production at 16.013 billion bushels with yields averaging 180.7 bpa, and soybean production at 4.519 billion bushels with an average yield of 52.7 bpa.

Lower yields could tighten U.S. supply at a time of brisk demand for corn and soybeans. Soy, in particular, has received support from soaring soybean crush margins and a steady pace of purchases from China.

Chicago Board of Trade corn futures ended higher on Friday following an 18-month high set in the previous session, as traders digested disappointing results from a crop tour that raised concerns about prospects for this year's U.S. harvest yields.

Soybeans extended gains after rallying earlier this week on mixed findings from the Pro Farmer field tour and a continuing run of export sales to China.

The most-active corn contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (Cv1) settled 5 cents higher at $5.08-1/2 a bushel after having climbed to its highest since February 2025 on Thursday. CBOT soybeans (Sv1) ended 3 cents higher at $12.39-1/2 per bushel.

The market has been closely following reports from the Pro Farmer field tour after the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut its corn and soybean yield forecasts last week.