Farmers have delayed sales of the grain to avoid increasing their taxable income as the year comes to an end, while futures have declined in seven out of the last eight sessions, further chilling the already limited selling interest. Soyabean spot basis bids firmed at a processor in Lafayette, Indiana, while bids for soft red winter wheat climbed 5 cents per bushel in Toledo. There was little selling or deliveries of the commodities to market with many participants already in "holiday mode" ahead of the Christmas holiday next week.
Barge freight costs were weak on the lower Ohio River and otherwise unchanged. The US Army Corps of Engineers projects no "significant interruption in navigation" on the Mississippi River due to low water levels, US Senator Dick Durbin said on Monday. However, shippers remained nervous about the potential for crippling restrictions.