1. Chicago Board of Trade Closed For Good Friday

Grain and soybean trading is closed in observance of Good Friday.

Trading will resume with the overnight session Sunday evening.

2. Export Sales of Corn and Wheat Drop Week-to-Week

Export sales of corn and wheat plunged week-to-week while soybeans saw a modest gain, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Corn sales to overseas buyers in the seven days that ended on March 25 dropped 82% from the previous week at 46% from the prior four-week average to 797,300 metric tons, the USDA said in a report.  

Japan was the big buyer at 273,100 metric tons, followed by Colombia at 245,000 tons and Saudi Arabia at 139,200 tons. South Korea bought 123,500 tons and Mexico was in for 83,800 tons.

The total would have been higher but unnamed countries canceled purchases of 228,800 tons, the agency said.

Exports of corn for the week were unchanged at 1.98 million metric tons.

Wheat sales last week totaled 250,100 metric tons, down 27% week-to-week and 22% from the four-week average, the USDA said.

China bought 130,000 metric tons, the Philippines took 123,300 tons, South Korea purchased 104,000 tons, Bangladesh was in for 55,000 tons, and Algeria bought 30,000 tons.

Unknown customers canceled cargoes of 120,000 tons and Indonesia nixed shipments of 114,900 tons, the government said.

Exports for the week totaled 268,700 metric tons, down 59% week-to-week.

Soybean sales in the week through March 25 totaled 105,800 metric tons, up 4% from the previous week but down 54% from the average, the Agriculture Department said.

China purchased 124,000 metric tons, Egypt took 49,300 tons, Japan bought 44,100 tons, Belgium was in for 27,700 tons, and Colombia bought 19,700 tons. Unnamed countries canceled purchases of 216,500 metric tons.

Exporters dropped to a marketing-year low of 460,900 metric tons, down 8% week-to-week, the USDA said in its report.

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3. Red-Flag Warnings Issued From Canadian Border to Oklahoma

Red-flag warnings have been issued for a large chunk of land spanning from the Canadian border with North Dakota south into the Nebraska panhandle and from eastern Nebraska south into Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service.

In western Nebraska and South Dakota, the fire warning will be in effect from noon to 6 p.m. local time today.

Winds will be sustained from 15 to 20 mph with gusts of up to 30 mph, the NWS said in a report early this morning.

Relative humidity is forecast around 10% to 12%, creating tinderbox-like conditions.

In eastern Kansas and some counties in northern Oklahoma, winds will be sustained from 25 to 35 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph, the agency said.

Humidity is pegged as low as 23% and temperatures will be in the upper 60s today.

“Any fires that start will have extreme fire behavior and spread rapidly,” the NWS said. “Outdoor burning is not advised.”