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US Biofuels Update: Soybeans Slip on Strong US Crop Outlook; Soy Oil, Ethanol Futures Rise

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Biofuels feedstock futures closed mixed on Friday, with soybean futures falling on upside potential for this year's crop.

The Chicago Board of Trade November soybean futures contract closed 0.13% lower at $11.76 1/4 per bushel, while the CBOT September soybean oil futures contract settled 0.74% higher at 68.24 cents per pound.

The Nymex September ethanol futures contract settled 0.52% higher on Thursday at $1.94 per gallon.

Rhett Montgomery, a DTN analyst, said that the soybean trade was very quiet through the latter half of the week, with traders awaiting August weather results as well as US Department of Agriculture input next week before placing their next round of price bets.

"Yield ideas for the upcoming US soybean crop remain stout in terms of history, with most estimates thus far falling in the 52-53 bpa range," Montgomery said.

USDA announced on Friday sales of 238,000 metric tons of soybeans for delivery to China during the 2026/2027 marketing year. Also, 286,097 mt of corn were sold for delivery to Mexico.

Of the total, 29,808 mt are for delivery during the 2026/2027 marketing year and 256,289 mt are for delivery during the 2027/2028 marketing year.

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