Corn Bulls Gain Momentum, Driving Prices Up as Thursday Ends

Corn Market Sees Modest Gains by Thursday's Close

Corn futures managed to recover late in the session, ending the day with increases ranging from 1 to 3 cents. The CmdtyView national average cash corn price climbed 2.5 cents to reach $4.00 1/2. The spring base crop insurance price will be finalized after Friday’s close, with the average December corn settlement at $4.61—9 cents lower than the previous year.

This morning, the USDA announced a private sale of 178,000 metric tons of corn to Japan, with 154,000 MT scheduled for the 2026/27 marketing year and 24,000 MT for 2027/28.

Latest Updates from Barchart

Export sales data for the week ending February 19th was released today, showing total sales of 682,804 metric tons. This figure represents a 29% decrease from the previous week, but is still 1.1% higher than the same period last year. Mexico led purchases with 373,600 MT, followed by Japan at 171,700 MT. New crop sales totaled 11,685 MT.

In international trade, a South Korean buyer secured 135,000 MT of corn through a tender, while another South Korean importer issued a tender for 210,000 MT earlier today. Additionally, Turkey purchased 350,000 MT of wheat overnight in a separate tender.

Recent Corn Futures Settlements

• March 2026 Corn settled at $4.33 1/4, up 2 3/4 cents
• Nearby Cash closed at $4.00 1/2, up 2 1/2 cents
• May 2026 Corn finished at $4.43 1/2, gaining 1 1/2 cents
• July 2026 Corn ended at $4.51 1/4, up 1 cent