Soybeans traded above $12.20 per bushel near a four-week high as weaker U.S. crop conditions and export demand supported prices. The USDA’s national good-to-excellent rating fell 1 percentage point to 60% for the week ended Aug. 23, while 91% of the crop had reached the pod-setting stage. Traders are assessing whether further deterioration could reduce production potential and tighten the supply balance before harvest. A private exporter also reported a sale of 132,000 tonnes of new-crop U.S. soybeans to an unknown destination, which traders speculated could be China. The purchase comes as possible new U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods add uncertainty to future soybean demand, with markets also watching a potential late-September meeting between Trump and Xi. Earlier, the Pro Farmer Crop Tour estimated yields at only 0.6 bushels per acre above the USDA’s August forecast, implying 53 million bushels of additional production. Weather risks, including flooding and disease in parts of the eastern Midwest, remain important because much of the crop still needs to mature. China and unknown destinations had also purchased nearly 53 million bushels of new-crop U.S. soybeans in recent flash sales, while traders are monitoring demand into the new marketing year, when Chinese imports typically increase.