Eppich Grain Inc.

09/04/2026

Grain Market Update – September 3

After a strong August rally, corn and wheat are pulling back today as traders take profits and react to new Black Sea headlines. The bigger fundamental story, however, hasn’t disappeared.

CORN

Corn is seeing some profit-taking after reaching multi-year highs, but demand remains impressive. USDA reported nearly 2.0 million metric tons of new-crop corn export sales this week — stronger than trade expectations. Concerns also remain that late-season heat, dryness, and earlier crop stress could reduce final U.S. yields.

WHEAT

Wheat is sharply lower today after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested there is still a possibility of a peace agreement with Ukraine. That immediately removed some of the geopolitical premium that has driven wheat higher.

However, Black Sea problems are far from solved. Asian buyers have recently purchased at least 500,000 metric tons of Australian and Argentine wheat to replace delayed Russian and Ukrainian cargoes. Chicago wheat is still roughly 35% higher than late June because of the ongoing shipping disruptions.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

• U.S. corn yield and harvest results
• Strong U.S. corn export demand
• Russia/Ukraine peace negotiations
• Black Sea ports and shipping
• September 11 USDA WASDE & Crop Production report

BOTTOM LINE

Today’s weakness looks more like profit-taking and reduced geopolitical risk than a major change in the underlying grain fundamentals. Corn still has strong demand and crop-size uncertainty, while wheat remains extremely sensitive to every Black Sea headline.

Marketing Thought: After such a strong rally, incremental sales make sense. Keep some upside open, but don’t let a good pricing opportunity disappear while trying to pick the absolute top.

09/03/2026

Great video clip talking about todays market drop. Hold on till tuesday when the markets come back after the long holiday weekend.

Mike Minor, Professional Ag Marketing

09/01/2026

Grain Market Update – September 1

Corn and wheat continue to rally, but for different reasons.

Corn is being supported by growing concerns that the U.S. crop may be smaller than USDA’s current estimate. USDA is at 180.7 bu./acre, while Pro Farmer’s Crop Tour came in at 173.2. Strong exports and lower European corn production are also helping support prices.

Wheat remains heavily influenced by Black Sea risk. Russia and Ukraine continue attacking ports, grain terminals, and shipping infrastructure, creating concern over whether grain will move reliably out of the region. Because both countries are major wheat exporters, any prolonged disruption quickly adds risk premium to the market.

Key drivers:
• Lower U.S. corn yield expectations
• Strong corn export demand
• Black Sea shipping disruptions
• Russia/Ukraine port attacks
• Hot, dry late-season weather

Looking ahead, the next major USDA WASDE and Crop Production reports are September 11.

Bottom line: Corn has stronger fundamental support from tighter crop expectations and demand, while wheat is being driven more by geopolitical risk.

Marketing Thought: Use rallies to make incremental sales rather than trying to pick the top.

08/31/2026

Labor Day Hours

Eppich Grain will close at noon on Friday, September 4th and remain closed Monday, September 7th in observance of Labor Day.

We’ll resume our normal business hours on Tuesday, September 8th.

Wishing everyone a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!

— Eppich Grain Inc.

08/30/2026

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08/29/2026

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08/28/2026

Picking up your feed at Eppich Grain Inc.

08/28/2026

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08/26/2026

I’ve been looking at long-term CBOT corn seasonality, and there is definitely a pattern worth paying attention to.

Historically, corn tends to make its yearly high in late spring or early summer, with June being one of the most common months.

That makes sense. By May, June and July, the market is trading weather, pollination risk, acres and potential yield loss. That’s usually when there is the most uncertainty in the crop.

On the other side, the yearly low often shows up around harvest, usually September through November, with October being a common low point.

By then, a lot more is known about the size of the crop and we are dealing with the seasonal flood of new corn coming into the market.

So, in simple terms:

Typical seasonal high: June
Typical seasonal low: October

Obviously every year is different. Drought, exports, acreage changes, global events and production issues can completely change the normal seasonal pattern.

That’s what makes this year interesting. We’re in late August and CBOT corn is around $5.23/bu, and the market is still showing strength at a time when we would normally expect more harvest pressure to start showing up.

For me, the takeaway is that May through July is usually a very important marketing window, and September and October can be some of the toughest months if you’re holding unpriced grain.

Seasonality isn’t everything, but it’s definitely something worth watching when making marketing decisions.

08/25/2026

CORN MARKET UPDATE — A LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE

Corn has been on a strong run, and this chart helps put the current move into perspective.

Looking back to 2009, we’ve seen several major market cycles — the historic rally into 2012, years of lower prices from roughly 2014–2020, another surge in 2021–2022, and now a meaningful move higher again in 2026.

December 2026 CBOT corn is now trading around $5.24/bushel, after spending much of the summer in the mid-$4.00 range.

So what’s driving the rally?

One of the biggest factors is growing concern over the size of this year’s U.S. corn crop. The Pro Farmer Crop Tour estimated national yield at 173.2 bu./acre, well below USDA’s August estimate of **180.7 bu./acre.

Crop conditions have also weakened, with USDA recently rating only 57% of the crop good-to-excellent.

At the same time, export demand has remained supportive, adding strength as the market reassesses overall production expectations.

The bigger picture:

While $5+ corn feels much stronger than what we’ve seen recently, this chart is a good reminder that it is not historically unusual. Corn traded considerably higher during both the 2012 and 2021–2022 rallies.

The market has momentum, but harvest is approaching and plenty can still change. Final yields, harvest results, export demand, weather, and upcoming USDA reports will determine whether this rally has more room to run.

For producers, rallies create opportunities — and history shows those opportunities can disappear quickly.

We’ll continue watching the market closely as we head toward harvest.