Corn futures held above $5.10 per bushel near their highest level in more than three years, supported by concerns over disruptions to Black Sea grain exports ahead of the region’s October peak corn export season. Ukraine supplies roughly 10%-11% of global corn exports, and continuing attacks are disrupting shipments from Ukraine and Russia. Prices remained volatile after profit-taking briefly pushed futures below $5.20 following the rally. The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) rated 57% of the U.S. corn crop good-to-excellent as of August 30, while field assessments indicated mixed and sometimes lower-than-expected yields. The USDA’s latest report showed a net reduction of 829,600 metric tons in U.S. corn sales for the 2025/26 marketing year during the week ended August 27, although accumulated exports increased to 85.06 million tons from 83.49 million tons. Traders are awaiting updated USDA crop estimates on September 11 and monitoring reports that Chinese officials are discussing purchases of U.S. agricultural products, including corn, ahead of a potential Trump-Xi meeting.