Harvest is expected to continue next week across much of the Western Corn Belt, while the Eastern Corn Belt (ECB) may receive 1 to 3 inches of rain. This could slow down later harvest activity, though it may help improve low river levels along the Mississippi.

Due to the government shutdown, the Export Sales report, which is typically released on the Friday following a holiday, will not be published this week. However, traders estimate that soybean sales for the week of October 9 ranged between 0.4 and 1.4 million metric tons. Soybean meal sales were seen between 150,000 and 400,000 metric tons, while soyoil sales ranged between 5,000 and 30,000 metric tons.

There has been some chatter that China is delaying purchases of Brazilian soybeans due to high premiums. This is not unusual, as Brazil typically runs low on stocks ahead of new supplies arriving in January or February. Additionally, Brazil’s exports have been running strong to compensate for China’s reduced buying from the US. If China continues to avoid US soybeans, it may need to rely on its state reserves.