Corn spot basis bids were slightly lower at US Midwest river terminals on Wednesday, pressured by lackluster export demand and overall ample supplies, grain buyers said. The corn basis was down 1 cent per bushel along the Mississippi River and 2 cents along the Illinois River, with minimal demand from exporters as US grain was more expensive than supplies shipped out of South America.
The limited exporter demand also was reflected in weak freight costs on the rivers for barges to haul supplies to the Gulf Coast. Shipping costs on the benchmark Mississippi River at St. Louis market fell to the lowest levels in about two months, forcing some smaller barge operators to tie up their vessels due to low profitability, barge sources said.
However, corn bids had a firm tone at interior processors and ethanol plants amid rain delays to the autumn harvest and slow sales by farmers, many of whom were holding out for higher prices. Soyabean bids fell on the Mississippi River but were otherwise mostly steady as the harvest neared completion.
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