GRAIN MARKET REPORTS
by Dan Steiner
Grain Buyer - Morrow County Grain Growers/ Pendleton Grain Growers

9-1-06 Inspection report yesterday showed that Corn did ok at 42.4 myn bu, while wheat just sort of chugged along with 14.7 myn bu. Beans and Corn will hit the USDA export projections. It is interesting that USDA made those projections a year ago, then in the backwash of Katrina, when exports were slowed, revised them downward, but then last spring (after the Port's recovered much quicker than expected) raised them back to the original level.

Also, it is interesting to note that grain tonnage moved through the Gulf ports are actually UP 8.7% vs. last year (Ports were re-opened at least on a partial basis only 4 days after Katrina (whose hurricane name will be retired)).

Corn scores are a little lower across the country. I looked at quite a bit of local corn yesterday and although Idid not do a kernal count, the ears seemed to be a bit smaller than last year. Combines will tell in about a month. Locally our corn is pretty much all dented, but country wide 65% is dented which would put the US crop quite a bit ahead of normal.