USDA’s newest grain export sales report, out Thursday morning and covering the week through September 12, held another mixed round of data for traders to digest. Soybeans outpaced analyst expectations after China resumed its role as an active buyer. Meantime, corn sales were relatively disappointed, and wheat slid below all trade guesses offered prior to today’s report.

Corn exports moved to 33.4 million bushels last week. That was on the lower end of analyst estimates, which ranged between 21.7 million and 57.1 million bushels. Cumulative sales for the 2024/25 marketing year are running modestly lower than last year’s pace so far after reaching 44.5 million bushels.

Corn export shipments reached 22.6 million bushels last week. Mexico, Spain, Japan, Colombia and Taiwan were the top five destinations.

Sorghum export sales only reached 260,000 bushels last week. China was the lone destination. Cumulative sales for the young 2024/25 marketing year have started slower than last year’s pace so far, with 2.5 million bushels since the start of September.

Combined old and new crop soybean export sales climbed to 64.5 million bushels last week. That was better than the entire set of trade guesses, which ranged between 18.4 million and 60.6 million bushels. Cumulative sales for the 2024/25 marketing year are still modestly lower than last year’s pace, however.

Soybean export shipments were less robust, with 16.4 million bushels. Mexico, China, Indonesia, the Netherlands and Algeria were the top five destinations.

Wheat exports found 9.5 million bushels in combined old and new crop sales last week. Analysts missed the mark, expecting a higher volume after offering trade guesses that ranged between 11.0 million and 25.7 million bushels. Cumulative sales for the 2024/25 marketing year remain moderately above last year’s pace after reaching 249.3 million bushels.

Wheat export shipments moved to a marketing-year high of 23.6 million bushels. The Philippines, Mexico, Thailand, Japan and Yemen were the top five destinations.

Click here for more highlights from the latest UDSA export sales report.