Corn futures forum members are comparing current CBOT prices against historical harvest lows. With U.S. corn trading 3% above its ten-year seasonal average, the market remains sensitive to yield projections and global stock levels. Strong domestic feedlot demand adds to upward price pressure. Prospective Plantings, also known as Planting Intentions, is an annual report released by the USDA on the last business day in March. Prospective Plantings, next slated for release at 12:00 PM ET (11:00 AM CT) on Monday, March 31, 2025, reports on the season’s expected planted acreage for principal crops including corn and soybeans. The report also contains production data for the old crop. Compiled from a farmer survey regularly covering over 75,000 participants, Prospective Plantings is considered to be the early planting season’s most important view into the upcoming crop year. Then we have the annoying fact that the prices of soybeans dropped, too. Given that the total acreages of corn plus soybeans plus cotton tends to remain the same, the normal assumption is that if corn acres go up strongly, the difference tends to come out of soybean acres. That should make soybean prices go up, but they didn’t. Market sentiment on corn futures forum discussions points to sideways trading this week, as speculative positions flatten ahead of the WASDE report. CBOT corn for September settled around $4.62, with volume down 8% compared to last week, indicating investor caution despite consistent ethanol production demand.
