Not the Year for Complacency in Crop Marketing
Sep 02, 2025
Jarod Lemper
Grain Division Manager
THIS IS THE LAST newsletter you’ll be receiving before harvest 2025 is in full motion! I’d like to review a few things before you climb into the combine.
The August WASDE report injected a little excitement into the soybean market by dropping 2.5 million acres from the soybean crop and adding 2.1 million planted acres to the corn crop. Additional changes were made to the yield estimates. Corn yield increased 7.8 bushels per acre while bean yield followed suit at 1.1 bushels per acre. Add all this up and combine it with some changes in the usage categories, and now we’re looking at carryout estimates of 2.1 billion in corn and 290 million in soybeans.
The markets reacted to the report as you would expect, with soybeans making a nice recovery and corn pushing toward new lows in the December futures.
By now I realize this is old news, but I wanted to include a recap for you because it adds perspective to how this marketing year is shaping up. If you look at producer marketing in 2025, there are slightly more corn bushels priced than the previous year and almost twice as many soybeans. Yet, producers are less sold this year than just about any of the previous ten. Current marketing totals for new crop grain are down about 50 percent from 2022 numbers. While price is generally the greatest defining factor in forward marketing, I do want to highlight that with the crop potential yet to be harvested, the price forecast is not overly positive. A lot can change, but my opinion is: This is not the year to be complacent in crop marketing.
As you read this newsletter, Key will have completed the transition to our new business system. Thank you for your patience thus far on this journey, and I would like to ask for your continued understanding during the transition. I know many of our processes have been altered, and many things look different from your angle. Please know this system has been put into place with you in mind. We aim for this transition to feel seamless to our member-owners and customers. Thank you for your business, and I hope you have a safe and productive harvest!
______________________________________________
Enroll in Grain Direct Deposit
Automatically deposit your grain check from the Co-op directly into your checking or savings account. Fill out the authorization form on our Customer Resources page and return it by mail or drop it off at your Key Location.
Grain Division Manager
THIS IS THE LAST newsletter you’ll be receiving before harvest 2025 is in full motion! I’d like to review a few things before you climb into the combine.
The August WASDE report injected a little excitement into the soybean market by dropping 2.5 million acres from the soybean crop and adding 2.1 million planted acres to the corn crop. Additional changes were made to the yield estimates. Corn yield increased 7.8 bushels per acre while bean yield followed suit at 1.1 bushels per acre. Add all this up and combine it with some changes in the usage categories, and now we’re looking at carryout estimates of 2.1 billion in corn and 290 million in soybeans.
The markets reacted to the report as you would expect, with soybeans making a nice recovery and corn pushing toward new lows in the December futures.
By now I realize this is old news, but I wanted to include a recap for you because it adds perspective to how this marketing year is shaping up. If you look at producer marketing in 2025, there are slightly more corn bushels priced than the previous year and almost twice as many soybeans. Yet, producers are less sold this year than just about any of the previous ten. Current marketing totals for new crop grain are down about 50 percent from 2022 numbers. While price is generally the greatest defining factor in forward marketing, I do want to highlight that with the crop potential yet to be harvested, the price forecast is not overly positive. A lot can change, but my opinion is: This is not the year to be complacent in crop marketing.
As you read this newsletter, Key will have completed the transition to our new business system. Thank you for your patience thus far on this journey, and I would like to ask for your continued understanding during the transition. I know many of our processes have been altered, and many things look different from your angle. Please know this system has been put into place with you in mind. We aim for this transition to feel seamless to our member-owners and customers. Thank you for your business, and I hope you have a safe and productive harvest!
______________________________________________
Enroll in Grain Direct Deposit
Automatically deposit your grain check from the Co-op directly into your checking or savings account. Fill out the authorization form on our Customer Resources page and return it by mail or drop it off at your Key Location.