Corn prices are up 4 to 5 cents so far on Thursday morning. Futures posted Wednesday losses of 3 to 5 cents across most contracts. Open interest was down 7,221 contracts, mostly in the July (-14,986), as OI was rising in most other contracts. Crude oil losses of $4.48 on Wednesday continued to be a pressure factor, but are bouncing $2.74 this morning. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price was down 4 3/4 cents to $4.13 1/4.
NASS Crop Progress data showed the US corn crop at 86% planted as of Sunday, which was 3% ahead of the 5-year average pace of 83%. The crop was also 60% emerged, which is 2 percentage points faster than normal. The only states lagging their average planting pace are KS, MO, NC, OH, and PA. In addition to those, CO, NE, and WI are behind normal for emergence. Condition ratings will be reported next week.
