The latest USDA export sales report, out Thursday morning and covering the week through August 13, showed another mixed bag of data for traders to digest. Soybeans took the pole position – a relatively rare feat in the 2025-26 marketing year amid sluggish China sales last winter and spring that have since picked up. Old crop corn sales plummeted week-over-week, but total sales were still within the range of analyst estimates. Wheat sales were fairly solid for this time of year.
Old crop corn sales were tepid, at 9.2 million bushels, but an influx of 32.1 million bushels of new crop sales lifted the total to a more respectable 41.3 million bushels. Still, that was on the lower end of analyst estimates, which ranged between 19.7 million and 70.9 million bushels.
Corn export shipments improved 12% week-over-week after reaching 77.8 million bushels. That was also 13% better than the prior four-week average. Mexico, Japan, Spain, Colombia and Portugal were the top five destinations.
Sorghum exports improved noticeably after finding combined old and new crop sales totaling nearly 835,000 bushels. That grain is bound to Mexico and China. In contrast, sorghum export shipments tilted 88% below the prior four-week average.
Soybean exports only found 3.1 million bushels of old crop sales last week but were lifted by an additional 63.3 million bushels in new crop sales for a total tally of 66.4 million bushels. That was on the very high end of analyst estimates, which ranged between 36.7 million and 69.8 million bushels.
Soybean export shipments improved 15% versus the prior four-week average, with 14.9 million bushels. Mexico, the Netherlands, Japan, Egypt and Indonesia were the top five destinations.
Wheat export sales improved 54% week-over-week and were 40% better than the prior four-week average, with 14.5 million bushels. That was also toward the higher end of analyst estimates, which ranged between 7.3 million and 16.5 million bushels. It was also moderately above the prior week’s volume of 9.4 million bushels.
Wheat export shipments found a marketing-year high of 19.3 million bushels, trending 7% higher week-over-week and rising 46% above the prior four-week average in the process. Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea were the top five destinations.
Click here for some additional highlights from the latest USDA export sales report.