Corn futures remained above $5.10 per bushel, hovering near their highest levels in more than three years, as mounting worries over disruptions to Black Sea grain exports lent additional support ahead of the region’s peak corn shipment season. The prime export window for Black Sea corn begins in October, intensifying concerns about global supply as ongoing attacks continue to impede shipments from both Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine accounts for roughly 10–11% of global corn exports, so prolonged disruptions there pose a clear risk of tighter international supplies.
At the same time, the latest USDA weekly report showed a net reduction of 829,600 metric tons in US corn sales for the 2025/26 marketing year in the week ended August 27, even as accumulated exports rose to 85.06 million tons, up from 83.49 million tons the previous week. Market participants are also closely tracking US crop conditions heading into harvest and are awaiting updated production and yield estimates from the USDA on September 11.
