Global Ag News For April 15.2026

TOP HEADLINES

Grain deliveries to two Argentine ports delayed amid trucker protests

Argentina’s grain ports in the cities of Bahia Blanca and Necochea were paralyzed on Tuesday due to protests by independent truckers, according to the country’s Center for Grain Exporters.

Truckers have been protesting over grain transport fees in recent days.

They argue that current rates fail to cover diesel, toll and maintenance costs, with diesel prices up nearly 30% this year.

Industry bodies, including the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange, have warned of logistical delays, disruptions in the flow of goods, and complications in commercial and export operations caused by protests.

“The situation is unsustainable: ships are not coming to load cargo in Argentina, so the economic damage to the entire grain and oilseed value chain is immense,” the Center for Grain Exporters said on X.

Operations in the port area of Rosario, which handles more than 80% of the country’s grain exports, are proceeding without issues.

Last week, the Rosario Grains Exchange raised its corn harvest forecast to a record 67 million tons.

Argentina is the world’s largest exporter of soybean oil and meal.

 

 

FUTURES & WEATHER

Wheat prices overnight are down 4 1/4 in SRW, down 4 1/4 in HRW, up 0 in HRS; Corn is up 3 3/4; Soybeans up 6; Soymeal down $1.00; Soyoil up 0.54.

For the week so far wheat prices are up 20 3/4 in SRW, up 31 3/4 in HRW, up 1/4 in HRS; Corn is up 4 1/2; Soybeans down 13; Soymeal down $1.30; Soyoil down 0.44.

For the month to date wheat prices are down 29 1/2 in SRW, down 16 3/4 in HRW, down 1/5 in HRS; Corn is down 12; Soybeans down 7 1/4; Soymeal up $12.00; Soyoil down 2.12.

Year-To-Date nearby futures are up 16.8% in SRW, up 21.1% in HRW, up 11.8% in HRS; Corn is up 1.4%; Soybeans up 12.9%; Soymeal up 12.2%; Soyoil up 38.8%.

Chinese Ag futures (MAY 26) Soybeans down 53 yuan; Soymeal down 7; Soyoil down 60; Palm oil down 101; Corn unchanged — Malaysian Palm is up 8.

Malaysian palm oil prices overnight were up 8 ringgit (+0.18%) at 4474.

There were changes in registrations (-22 Corn). Registration total: 34 SRW Wheat contracts; 93 Oats; 575 Corn; 523 Soybeans; 1,536 Soyoil; 187 Soymeal; 108 HRW Wheat.

Preliminary changes in futures Open Interest as of April 14 were: SRW Wheat up 2,101 contracts, HRW Wheat up 7,393, Corn up 19,559, Soybeans down 10,682, Soymeal up 9,423, Soyoil down 1,430.

 

DAILY WEATHER HEADLINES: 15 APRIL 2026

• NORTH AMERICA: Warmer temperatures are expected across much of the U.S. over the next 10 days, wet conditions persist in the Northwest and Southern Plains, while dry weather is raising concerns for winter wheat areas in the North and Central Plains.
• SOUTH AMERICA: Cooler temperatures with moderate wet spells will persist across the Pampas corn and soybean regions, while Brazil’s Southeast/Center West turn dry, and wet spells remains confined to the far South and Northwest.
• EUROPE: Central Europe will be warmer over the next five days before turning cooler during days 6–15, with continued wet spells in Germany, Poland, and the Alps and drier conditions elsewhere.
• ASIA: Wet spells may benefit winter wheat in China and coffee in Vietnam, but could delay sugarcane harvesting and corn planting in China, while dry conditions favour winter wheat harvest in India and sugarcane harvesting in Thailand.
• TELECONNECTIONS: MJO Phase 7-8 is forecast to bring wet conditions across South America and Africa through late April.

 

Northern Plains: Pockets of isolated showers will move through this week, exiting on Friday with some cold air to follow behind it for the weekend. The constant up-and-down temperatures are limiting the rise in soil temperature, which may have some additional cooler periods the rest of April and possibly into May as well. Drought in the west and south will surely take the precipitation coming with the variable conditions, however.

Central/Southern Plains: Several impulses will move through this week, creating areas of showers and thunderstorms. Dry areas in the west are the least likely to see precipitation, but may still happen for a few lucky spots. The last system will move through Friday into Saturday, and will be followed by some cooler air, but the active pattern will restart by the middle of next week again. Dryness continues to be a major issue for some winter wheat areas, but other areas are getting some good rainfall to improve drought and soil moisture for corn and soybean planting.

Midwest: Multiple impulses and small systems will produce scattered showers throughout the week, ending with a sweeping cold front moving through on Friday and Saturday. Widespread precipitation and areas of heavy rain will increase soil moisture, but may make it difficult for planting and other fieldwork. Colder air will briefly move through behind the cold front this weekend into early next week, which may slow down thoughts of planting as well.

Delta: Drought continues to be a major issue in the region while planting increases. Fronts may bring through some periods of showers throughout the week, but drier conditions are still looking likely while temperatures are well above normal. A final front will move through on Saturday, bringing through some showers and a brief burst of cooler temperatures. The rainfall will likely not be enough to stave off the growing drought, which continues to produce poor conditions for early growth.

Brazil: A system will move into the south and west with scattered showers for midweek, but will quickly return to being isolated showers by the end of the week. Outside of Mato Grosso, which may have more consistent showers, much of the safrinha corn growing areas will be dealing with very limited rainfall this week. If rainfall will be more focused on fronts instead of wet season popup showers, as the forecast suggests, this would likely be beneficial for southern corn areas only, and less beneficial for central Brazil. That could be concerning for corn as it begins pollinating this week and into early May.

Argentina: 7A system moved through the north with scattered showers over the weekend. Another will do move through the north with some heavy rain for Tuesday and Wednesday. Though the rainfall will be useful, it will only be for the shrinking portion of the crop that was planted late. Harvest continues to progress for early-planted corn and soybeans and the rain may cause some delays and flooding issues.

Black Sea: Periods of showers continue this week, though they will be more isolated than last week. Soil moisture has slowly been improving since the winter. Above-normal temperatures should help wheat develop at a regular pace.

 

The player sheet for 4/14 had funds: net buyers of 3,000 contracts of SRW wheat, buyers of 5,000 corn, buyers of 2,000 soybeans, sellers of 4,000 soymeal, and sellers of 4,000 soyoil.

TENDERS

• CORN SALES: The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed private sales of 316,000 metric tons of U.S. corn to Mexico, including 65,000 tons for delivery in the current 2025/26 marketing year that began September 1, 2025, along with 139,000 tons for 2026/27 and 112,000 tons for 2027/28.
• CORN SALES: The USDA also confirmed private sales of 120,000 metric tons of U.S. corn to undisclosed destinations for 2025/26 delivery.
• RICE TENDER: South Korea’s state-backed Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. issued an international tender to purchase about 20,000 metric tons of rice sourced from the United States and Vietnam, European traders said. The deadline for submissions of price offers in the tender is April 28. Results of the tender may not be known for some weeks after price submissions, traders said. The corporation often requires rice samples to be sent to Korea for analysis before making a final award. 

PENDING TENDERS

• WHEAT TENDER: Algeria’s state grains agency OAIC issued an international tender to purchase a nominal 50,000 metric tons of durum wheat, European traders said. The deadline for submissions of price offers is April 15, with offers having to remain valid until April 16, they said. The durum can be sourced from optional origins. Volumes in Algeria’s tenders are nominal and the country frequently purchases more than the volumes initially sought.
• SUNFLOWER OIL TENDER: Turkey’s state grain board TMO issued an international tender to purchase and import about 12,000 metric tons of crude sunflower oil, European traders said. The deadline for submission of price offers is April 16.
• RICE TENDER: South Korea’s state-backed Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. issued an international tender to purchase an estimated 65,394 metric tons of rice, European traders said. The deadline for submissions of price offers is April 21.

 

 

 

 

TODAY

LIVESTOCK SURVEY: US Cattle on Feed Placements Seen Down 6.7%

March placements onto feedlots seen falling y/y to 1.72m head, according to a Bloomberg survey of ten analysts.

• Estimates range from -10.2% to -4.6% y/y change
• Feedlot herd as of April 1 seen falling by 0.3% y/y to 11.61m head
• Marketings seen falling 6.4% y/y

 

CORRECT: US Inspected 1.6m MT of Corn for Export, 731k of Soy

USDA corrects amounts for week ending April 9 and April 2.

• Corn: 1,610k tons vs 2,028k the previous wk, 1,830k a yr ago
• Wheat: 271k tons vs 339k the previous wk, 612k a yr ago
• Soybeans: 731k tons vs 793k the previous wk, 555k a yr ago

 

ETHANOL: US Weekly Production Survey Before EIA Report

Output and stockpile projections for the week ending April 10 are based on four analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

• Production seen lower than last week at 1.086m b/d
• Stockpile avg est. 25.995m bbl vs 26.053m a week ago

 

US CROP EXPORTS: 436,000 MT of Corn to Mexico and Unknown Buyers

The US Department of Agriculture on Tuesday announces the following export sales activity on its website:

Two sales announced:

• 316,000 tons of corn to Mexico: 65,000 for 2025-26 marketing year, 139,000 for 2026-27 and 112,000 for 2027-28
• 120,000 tons of corn to Unknown Buyers for 2025-26

 

Brazil 2025-26 Soybean Crop Seen at 179.15M Tons: Conab

Output estimate raised from 177.85m tons, Brazil’s national supply co. says in its monthly report.

• Analysts in a Bloomberg survey were expecting 179m tons
• Corn production estimate raised to 139.6m tons vs 138.3m tons
• Cotton production estimate raised to 3.843m tons vs 3.795m tons

 

Ukrainian winter grain crops are in mostly good condition, forecasters say

Ukrainian winter grain crops are in mostly good condition, Ukraine’s state weather forecasters said on Tuesday.

“The condition of the crops was generally assessed as good. In some areas of the central regions, damage to winter wheat plants caused by pests and mechanical damage resulting from crop maintenance was observed,” forecasters said in a report.

Winter wheat dominates Ukrainian wheat output, accounting for over 90% of the total wheat harvest.

 

Russia’s agriculture ministry says 97% of winter crops in good condition

Russia’s agriculture ministry estimates that 97% of winter crops are currently in good and satisfactory condition, TASS news agency quoted minister Oksana Lut as saying on Tuesday.

 

Russia’s seaborne grain exports up 113.7% in March

Russia’s seaborne grain exports jumped to almost 5.1 million metric tons in March 2026, 113.7% year-on-year, according to shipping data from industry sources released on Wednesday.

Grain exports were low amid bad weather at ports earlier this winter, analysts said.

Total seaborne exports have reached 41.2 million tons so far this season, still 8.8% down year-on-year, according to the data.

Exports via Black Sea terminals, the main route for Russian grain, doubled, reaching 4.6 million tons in March.

Supplies via the Caspian Sea, a route primarily serving Iran, amounted to 0.3 million tons in March, compared with almost no shipments in March 2025.

Exports via Baltic Sea terminals fell by 24.4% to 0.1 million tons in March due to bad weather and ice. Far East terminals turnover increased by 56.0% to 0.1 million tons.

 

Russian soybean exports to China in March reach highest level since Dec 2023 – Agroexport

MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax) – Russia exported 0.12 million tonnes of soybeans to China in March, which was the highest monthly figure since December 2023, the Agroexport federal center said.

According to the center’s calculations, shipments increased 1.6-fold compared to February and 2.2-fold year-on-year.

High foreign demand, driven not only by Chinese buyers, has necessitated a revision of the overall estimate of Russian exports of this oilseed crop in the 2025-2026 agricultural season, bringing it closer to 1 million tonnes (an almost 1.7-fold increase compared to the previous season), Agroexport said.

The past month somewhat broke processors’ expectations regarding the movement of purchase prices, Agroexport’s analysts said. “Prices, as initially expected, could repeat the autumn scenario again and move downwards against the backdrop of an abundant supply of remaining stocks, but growing interest from China, stable demand from Belarus, and the first massive shipments to Iran via the Caspian Sea in a long time – estimated at around 25,000 tonnes – left plants in some deficit,” they said. “Because of this, ruble quotes in the Central Federal District rose around 5% over the month, and farmers became more optimistic about pricing for the new agricultural year on the eve of the start of sowing this crop.”

According to the center’s forecast, the outflow of oilseeds to China may slow down as the Far Eastern quota of 500,000 tonnes for the export of raw materials at a reduced duty of 5% (but not less than $25 per tonne) expires. However, Primorye Territory and the Amur region have so far used around 55% of the capacity of this quota. Further prospects for sales to Iran will depend on the pace of exports of South American soybeans to the Middle East against the backdrop of the geopolitical situation.

 

India Gets Fertilizer Offers Near $1,000 as War Stokes Costs

A closely-watched urea tender in India — the world’s top buyer of the nitrogen-based fertilizer — drew offers near $1,000 a ton, in a fresh sign of how the war in Iran is sending prices for the crop nutrient surging.

Aramco Trading Co. and Ameropa Asia Pte. were among more than two dozen suppliers offering the crop nutrient to the South Asian nation as high prices following the conflict add urgency to stockpiling ahead of a key planting season.

Indian Potash Ltd., which imports the crop nutrient for the government, received offers for 3.29 million tons against a 1.5 million ton tender for the west coast, with prices between $935 and $1,136 a ton, according to people familiar with the matter.

For the east coast, submissions totaled 2.63 million tons against a 1 million ton requirement, with offers between $959 and $1,136 a ton, they said, asking not to be identified due to commercial sensitivity of the information.

Urea prices from the Middle East, typically a major global supplier to India, were trading at $490 a ton before the war began, Green Markets data shows. The latest offers are about double the pre-conflict spot levels.

A fertilizer ministry spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Indian Potash had issued a tender to collectively procure 2.5 million earlier this month, the first such purchase for the country since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The timing is crucial as sowing for key monsoon crops, including rice, corn and soybeans, is set to begin in the coming months.

The South Asian nation’s urea output depends heavily on natural gas, much of it sourced from the Middle East and used to produce ammonia, a key feedstock. A shortage of liquefied natural gas following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz forced some regional firms to idle plants last month. Indian authorities are in talks with major producers and exporters of nitrogen-based and phosphatic fertilizers to secure direct supplies.

Global urea prices have surged since the start of the war as nearly 45% of global supplies pass through the Persian Gulf, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Any prolonged shutdown risks driving prices even higher.

 

WARMTH TO PERSIST ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH AMERICA THROUGH 10 DAYS BEFORE A POTENTIAL SHIFT ARRIVES

Weather Anomaly Severity: Moderate

Crops impacted: Wheat, Corn, Soybeans

Preferred model for the next 5 days: GFS Op

Preferred model for the 6-15 day timeframe: EC Ens

Forecast confidence: High through 5 days, moderate through 6-15 days. Higher confidence for temperature forecast, lower confidence for precipitation forecast.

Model Change (from previous update): Similar temperature pattern (expected warmth). Potential change to wetter weather in parts of the U.S. and Canada.

Significant weather anomalies and crop impact:

• 5-day temperatures: Warmth between 4-10 °F above normal in the Central U.S., warmth between 8-20 °F above normal in the Eastern U.S., cool weather up to 12 °F below normal in Central Canada
• 6-10 day temperatures: warmth between 6-8 °F above normal in the north-central U.S., cool weather up to 12 °F below normal in the Northeast U.S.
• 10-day precipitation: High rainfall between 25-50 mm (~1-2 in) above normal in the Upper Midwest U.S., dry weather between 25-40 mm (~1 to 1.6 in) below normal in the Southeast U.S.
• Ensemble guidance and teleconnection consensus show a shift to cooler weather across much of North America in the 11-15 day time frame.
• The lack of severe precipitation anomalies in the forecast across most croplands should bode well for both spring plantings and wheat development, though more rain is needed to boost reserves moving forward to alleviate current deficits.

 

 

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