Corn bids fell by a penny on the Illinois River and soya bids dropped by 2 cents per bushel. Corn bids rose by 1-2 cents at locations in Illinois and Indiana. Bids for both crops were flat at other locations. Freezing rain in parts of Iowa slowed transportation of grain. "It's making folks pretty immobile here today," said a dealer at a soya processor in Des Moines, Iowa.
Farmers largely remained on the sidelines as futures drifted lower in overnight trade. Many growers are content to wait to see if prices rise in the coming days and weeks rather than selling in a down market. Chicago Board of Trade corn futures fell to a six-week low in overnight activity, with further pressure seen at the open of day trading from weak crude oil and ideas of big US corn plantings.
CBOT soyabean futures were also expected to open lower amid pressure from weak crude oil, while wheat was expected to be pulled down from big global supplies and a firm dollar. CBOT soyabeans were called 4 to 6 cents per bushel lower, corn down 2 to 4 cents and wheat down 5 to 7 cents.