Corn, Sorghum, Soybean Export Sales Hit Marketing Year Highs

Corn, sorghum, and soybean export sales all roared to marketing year highs during the week ending January 15^th.

The USDA says most of those corn sales were to unknown destinations and Japan, while China and unknown destinations led the way on both beans and sorghum.

Upland cotton notched a new marketing year high for the second week in a row, largely thanks to Vietnam.

Beef, pork, rice, and soybean meal export sales also saw week-to-week improvements.

The 2025/26 marketing year began June 1^st for wheat, August 1^st for cotton and rice, September 1^st for beans, corn, and sorghum, and October 1^st for soybean products. The marketing year for beef and pork is the calendar year.

Export demand is driven by several factors, including the value of the dollar against other currencies, seasonal trends, and geopolitical relationships.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

Good report, especially for the crop sector that has had a rough go of it in recent months. Without getting into all of the specific numbers, suffice it to say that the improvements were substantial. It appears that our traditional customers are creating strong demand for U.S. grown commodities. Plus, the reappearance of China in the U.S. market has made a difference as well.

This type of news is a promising beginning for the year. That said, the pace will still need to accelerate if our crop producers are going to experience real profitability in 2026.

But don’t despair. In addition to the government money already being distributed to farmers/ranchers, Congress is said to be considering another outlay of about $15 billion sometime in the near future. So, between a stronger export picture and government payments, farmers/ranchers should have a pretty good year. That also means besides paying down any outstanding debts, they will likely be reinvesting in their operation by purchasing things like tractors, combines and trucks. Make sure you have your available inventory on AgTruckTrader.com® at all times.