Global Ag News For April 23.2026

TOP HEADLINES

Extreme heat threatens global food systems, UN agencies warn

• Extreme heat threatens global food supplies, UN says
• Heatwaves cut crops, livestock, fisheries
• Early-warning systems needed to help farmers plan

Extreme heat is pushing global agrifood systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods and health of more than a billion people, according to a new report by the U.N.’s food and weather agencies.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said heatwaves are becoming more frequent, intense and prolonged, damaging crops, livestock, fisheries and forests.

“Extreme heat is rewriting the script on what farmers, fishers and foresters can grow and when they can grow. In some cases it is even dictating if they can still work,” said Kaveh Zahedi, head of FAO’s climate change office.

“At its core, this report is telling us that we face a very uncertain future,” he told Reuters.

Recent climate datasets show global warming is accelerating, with 2025 ranking among the three hottest years on record, triggering more frequent and severe weather extremes.

Acting as a risk multiplier, extreme heat intensifies droughts, wildfires and pest outbreaks and sharply cuts crop yields once critical temperature thresholds are breached.

 

FUTURES & WEATHER

Wheat prices overnight are up 6 1/2 in SRW, up 9 1/2 in HRW, up 0 in HRS; Corn is up 2; Soybeans up 2 1/4; Soymeal up $1.90; Soyoil down 0.14.

For the week so far wheat prices are up 14 1/4 in SRW, up 9 1/2 in HRW, up 1/7 in HRS; Corn is up 7 1/4; Soybeans down 1 1/4; Soymeal down $9.00; Soyoil up 2.95.

For the month to date wheat prices are down 13 in SRW, up 10 3/4 in HRW, up 1/9 in HRS; Corn is down 3 1/2; Soybeans down 4 1/4; Soymeal up $3.90; Soyoil up 1.98.

Year-To-Date nearby futures are up 19.3% in SRW, up 25.8% in HRW, up 15.8% in HRS; Corn is up 3.6%; Soybeans up 13.2%; Soymeal up 9.7%; Soyoil up 48.8%.

Chinese Ag futures (JUL 26) Soybeans up 54 yuan; Soymeal down 12; Soyoil up 7; Palm oil up 28; Corn down 7 — Malaysian Palm is down 48.

Malaysian palm oil prices overnight were down 48 ringgit (-1.04%) at 4580.

There were changes in registrations (-31 Soyoil, -60 Soymeal). Registration total: 34 SRW Wheat contracts; 93 Oats; 206 Corn; 523 Soybeans; 1,076 Soyoil; 125 Soymeal; 108 HRW Wheat.

Preliminary changes in futures Open Interest as of April 22 were: SRW Wheat down 6,033 contracts, HRW Wheat up 747, Corn up 6,656, Soybeans down 20,703, Soymeal down 3,904, Soyoil down 4,208.

 

DAILY WEATHER HEADLINES: 23 APRIL 2026

• NORTH AMERICA: The recent forecasts confirm a cold snap in the next week across the U.S., though it should less expansive and limited to the northern crop areas
• SOUTH AMERICA: Dry conditions over the next 2 weeks across Central West and Southeast Brazil will affect development of the second corn crop
• SOUTH AFRICA: Active weather in South Africa with heavy rains in late April could delay the maize harvest
• CENTRAL ASIA: Recent heavy rainfall in North Kazakhstan and Continental Russia may impact spring wheat plantings but has improved soil moisture
• TELECONNECTIONS: The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is expected to reach a strong positive phase this summer, which may support higher rainfall during the Indian Monsoon season

 

Northern Plains: A system will move through on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing through scattered showers but also some colder air. Accumulating snow will be possible with that system, especially in Montana. The system will stall in the Canadian Prairies and may bring occasional showers into the weekend. More showers will be possible from a system passing by to the south on Sunday. The cold air is expected to linger into early May, resulting in slower rises in soil temperature.

Central/Southern Plains: Though it has been warmer early this week, a front will move through on Thursday and bring in some more cold air that is forecast to be common into early May, especially across the north. Some showers will move through with the front, but will miss drier areas in the west. A better chance for precipitation comes with a system moving through on Sunday. Though it will be brief, precipitation may be widespread and cover some of the dry areas in the west. Another system may get southern areas in the middle of next week. However, deficits and drought are increasing and becoming a major concern for this season. How cold the air will be will also be a concern as it could produce more areas of frost.

Midwest: After a few warmer days this week, a front will move through on Thursday and Friday, producing scattered showers, but also bringing in some colder air, at least to the west. Another system will move through on Sunday and Monday, with widespread precipitation and spreading some more of the cold air through the region. The colder forecast may slow down planting intentions, as the colder regime will stick around into early May. The region will need to be on the lookout for frosts and freezes for the next couple of weeks yet.

Delta: Drought is becoming a major concern for this season. A front moving through on Friday into Saturday could bring through some needed showers to the north. Two more fronts will move through next week with scattered showers as well. But despite the chances for rain, it is coming at too slow of a pace to keep up with the increasing drought.

Canadian Prairies: A system will move in on Wednesday and linger into the weekend, creating widespread precipitation, but as a mix of rain turning to heavy snow, especially in Saskatchewan. The system will also bring through another round of cold air, a common theme this spring. That cold air is forecast to last into early May, creating slower rises in soil temperature and letting snow linger across the region for longer than preferred. Shorter planting windows seem all but certain at this point, unless models make drastic changes to the forecast.

Brazil: Spotty showers continue around Mato Grosso, but much of central Brazil will remain dry as the wet season rainfall has essentially come to an end a couple of weeks early. A front is stalling across the south and will produce showers for Rio Grande do Sul and Parana at times through next week. Much of the safrinha corn acreage will be dry, though. The country will then rely on fronts to bring through extra moisture as corn is now pollinating for the next couple of weeks. The forecast is only calling for these fronts to move into the far south. When it is not raining, temperatures are very high, creating additional stress. The lower soil moisture built up this wet season will soon be depleted, a poor outlook for safrinha corn.

Argentina: A system may bring some showers this weekend. Crops continue to mature and the rainfall is becoming less and less important with each passing day. Rain may disrupt the maturing process as well as harvest.

Europe: A system hit some of the drier areas in the northeast with some needed precipitation lately, but not many. Some showers will move through eastern areas this weekend as well. Though it won’t be heavy rain that the northeast needs, it will take the scattered showers. Additional showers will move across Spain, especially later this week and weekend. Drier conditions elsewhere should allow for some significant planting this week, but are not much of a concern for winter wheat, which has fairly good soil moisture across most of the continent.

Black Sea: Periods of showers continue into next week, being favorable for winter wheat as soil moisture continues to slow increase this spring. However, it is also colder this week with reinforcements coming every couple of days. Despite that, temperatures will not be extremely cold and wheat should continue to develop at a normal pace. It may discourage corn planting, however.

 

The player sheet for 4/22 had funds: net sellers of 3,500 contracts of SRW wheat, sellers of 3,000 corn, sellers of 4,000 soybeans, sellers of 2,500 soymeal, and sellers of 3,000 soyoil.

TENDERS

• CORN SALE: The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed private sales of 130,000 metric tons of U.S. corn for delivery to undisclosed destinations in the 2025/26 marketing year that began September 1, 2025.
• CORN PURCHASE: A Tunisian state grains agency is believed to have purchased about 27,000 metric tons of animal feed corn in an international tender on Wednesday, European traders said. The corn was said to have been bought at an estimated $267.09 a ton cost and freight (c&f). Trading house Ameropa was believed to be the seller.
• BARLEY TENDER: Jordan’s state grains buyer issued an international tender to purchase up to 120,000 metric tons of animal feed barley, European traders said. The deadline for submission of price offers in the tender is April 29.

PENDING TENDERS

• RICE TENDER: South Korea’s state-backed Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp issued an international tender to purchase an estimated 65,394 tons of rice, European traders said. The deadline for submissions of price offers was April 21.
• WHEAT TENDER: The Taiwan Flour Millers’ Association issued an international tender to purchase an estimated 105,950 tons of grade 1 milling wheat to be sourced from the United States, European traders said. The deadline for submission of price offers is April 23.
• RICE TENDER: South Korea’s state-backed Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp issued an international tender to purchase about 20,000 tons of rice sourced from the United States and Vietnam, European traders said. The deadline for submissions of price offers in the tender is April 28. Results of the tender may not be known for some weeks after price submissions, traders said.
• WHEAT TENDER: Saudi Arabia has issued a tender to purchase 710,000 metric tons of wheat, the General Food Security Authority said on Thursday. The delivery of the wheat is scheduled for the period from June through August 2026, according to the GFSA.

 

 

 

 

TODAY

GRAIN EXPORT SURVEY: Corn, Soy, Wheat Sales Before USDA Report

Estimate ranges are based on a Bloomberg survey of four analysts; the USDA is scheduled to release its export sales report on Thursday for week ending April 16.

• Corn est. range 1,000k – 1,800k tons, with avg of 1,413k
• Soybean est. range 200k – 600k tons, with avg of 344k

 

DOE: US Ethanol Stocks Rise 0.9% to 26.948M Bbl

According to the US Department of Energy’s weekly petroleum report.

• Analysts were expecting 26.467 mln bbl
• Plant production at 1.04m b/d, compared to survey avg of 1.083m

 

US CROP EXPORTS: 130,000 Tons of Corn to Unknown Buyers

The US Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announces export sales activity on its website:

• The sale is for the 2025-26 marketing year

 

Argentina 26-27 Wheat Area Seen Falling 3% Y/y on Tight Margins

Planted area for the 2026-27 crop is seen at 6.5m hectares (16.1m acres), down from 6.7m last season, as expensive fertilizer costs weigh on farmer profit margins, the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange said in a pre-season report.

• NOTE: Most Argentine wheat planting is done in June and July
• Excellent soil moisture plus the forecast for El Nino, which brings rain to Argentina, are incentives for wheat
  • NOTE: Plentiful rains last season spurred a huge wheat crop
• But that weather optimism is offset by poor wheat economics, given the high cost of inputs like urea fertilizer
• While some regions will take advantage of the soil moisture, farmers in key growing areas will shift to other winter crops like barley or rapeseed, or simply leave fields for soybeans later in the year

 

SovEcon Boosts Russian Wheat Crop Forecast on Good Weather

Russian wheat production is now seen at 89.7 million tons in 2026, up 2.4% from the previous estimate, SovEcon says in an emailed note.

• Cites favorable weather, though frost risks remain
• Sees no signs that farmers are facing shortages of inputs for the new crop
• Winter-wheat harvest forecast raised to 66.7 million tons

 

Russia Expects Good Grain Harvest Despite Sowing Delays: Tass

Russia expects a good grain harvest in 2026 despite significant delays in the sowing campaign due to cold weather, Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut says, according to Tass.

• Spring crops sown on 3.2m hectares so far
• Says the ministry is “technologically prepared” for good harvest

 

Cold weather delays spring grain sowing in Russia, agriculture minister says

Cold weather across Russia has caused significant delays to spring grain sowing, but will not affect the overall harvest, Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said on Wednesday, according to Russian news agencies.

Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, suffered grain crop losses in the two previous years due to spring frosts, which hit crops in many southern regions, but the losses were offset by a better-than-expected harvest in other regions.

Temperatures plummeted in many grain-producing areas in Russia in April after a warm March and a snowy winter, with experts saying the melting snow will provide enough moisture for plants ahead of the summer drought.

“The delay is currently significant due to bad weather. However, there is nothing to worry about, as seasons vary,” Lut said. She declined to provide a forecast for the overall grain crop this year.

“We haven’t even sown yet, so there is no forecast, but everything will be fine,” she said. Russia has sown spring grain over an area of 3.2 million hectares so far, out of a planned 56 million hectares.

 

EU Grains Output Seen Falling 3.2% in 2026-27; Corn Rising

EU cereals production is seen at 278.1 million tons in the 2026-27 season due to yields, the European Commission says in a report.

• Wheat output is expected to drop 6.2% from last year’s “exceptionally high” levels
• Forecasts assume average weather for the rest of the season, the end of the Iran conflict
• Corn harvest expected to rise 5.3%, though a surge in fertilizer prices at the time of sowing could result in a drop in planted area
• Net grain exports are set to rise by 3.2 million tons to 19 million tons in 2026-27
• Oilseeds production set to rise 3.3%
  • Sunflower production seen up 14.5% while vegetable oil output set to rise 4.5%, resulting in record-low veg oil imports

 

Brazil Soy Exports Seen At 16.40 Million Metric Tons In April – Anec

• BRAZIL SOY EXPORTS SEEN REACHING 16.40 MILLION METRIC TNS IN APRIL VERSUS 16.67 MILLION TNS SEEN IN THE PREVIOUS WEEK- ANEC
• BRAZIL SOYMEAL EXPORTS SEEN REACHING 3.06 MILLION TNS IN APRIL VERSUS 3.10 MILLION TNS SEEN IN THE PREVIOUS WEEK- ANEC

 

US farm secretary says USDA is speaking with White House daily on high fertilizer prices

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture is speaking daily with the White House and other agencies about high fertilizer prices and that the agency would announce action on the issue soon.

The Iran war has driven up fertilizer prices as more than 30% of global exports were caught in Iran’s near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In addition to the daily calls, which include the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Homeland Security, Rollins told the agriculture subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee that she is also speaking with the heads of major fertilizer companies.

“Obviously, the short-term issues are acute and really require significant effort as we work to bring those prices down,” Rollins said.

Rollins said forthcoming announcements would include short- and long-term strategies to bring prices down.

 

Argentina truckers and farmers plan talks to resolve Quequen port protest

Argentine truckers, whose protests over higher freight rates have caused delays and paralyzed access to the Quequen port, have agreed to meet with farmers in the coming days in an effort to settle the dispute, Julian Kristansen, chair of the transportation committee of the local Necochea city council, told Reuters on Wednesday.

Protesting truck drivers have been camped along a road leading to the port, preventing grain trucks from passing and disrupting logistics. The Quequen terminal handles 20% of Argentina’s soybean exports.

Argentina is the world’s third-largest exporter of soybeans and the largest global supplier of soybean oil and meal.

The Argentine Chamber of Private Commercial Ports said on Monday that the protests, which had initially affected the port of Bahia Blanca, have prevented exports worth approximately $450 million.

“In the coming days, there will be a new call for a negotiation table to hear all parties and try to reach a consensus,” Kristansen said. Necochea is home to the port of Quequen, located in southern Buenos Aires.

According to Kristansen, the truckers are demanding a 25% increase in their rates due to the global surge in fuel prices since the outbreak of the war in Iran, while rural associations are currently accepting a 14% increase.

Reuters reached out to the Buenos Aires transportation ministry and the protesting truckers’ unions ATCADE and FATRAC, but did not receive responses.

Ports in the Rosario area, which ship more than 85% of Argentina’s grain exports and nearly all of its soy oil and soymeal exports, were not impacted by the dispute.

 

India Contracts Fertilizer at Nearly Double Pre-War Price

India, the world’s top importer of urea, has booked the nitrogen-based fertilizer at sharply higher prices than in a previous tender as the Middle East conflict disrupts supplies and pushes global benchmarks higher.

Indian Potash Ltd., which imports the crop nutrient for the government, will secure 1.5 million tons for delivery on the west coast at $935 per ton, while another 1 million tons will be delivered on the east coast at $959 per ton, according to people familiar with the matter.

The offers are almost 90% higher than what India agreed to pay in a tender before the start of the conflict, said the people, who asked not to be named due to the commercial sensitivity of the information. Urea from the Middle East, a major supplier to the South Asian nation, was quoted at $490 a ton before the war began, according to Green Markets data.

A fertilizer ministry spokesperson did not immediately comment.

More than two dozen firms submitted offers last week, quoting rates between $935 and $1,136 a ton. This would be India’s first purchase since the US-Israel strikes on Iran and comes at a crucial period ahead of sowing for monsoon crops such as rice, corn and soybeans. The 2.5 million-ton tender, valid until April 23, was awarded late Wednesday, the people said.

India required that shipments avoid the Strait of Hormuz to reduce the risk of war-related disruptions to fertilizer supplies, the people said. The cargoes will be sourced from several countries, including Russia, Indonesia and Algeria, they said.

The South Asian nation’s urea production relies heavily on natural gas, much of it from the Middle East and used to make ammonia, a key feedstock for the fertilizer. Supply disruptions following the effective closure of the vital oil and gas shipping corridor forced some regional producers to idle plants last month. Indian authorities are now in talks with major producers and exporters to secure direct shipments of nitrogen-based and phosphatic fertilizers.

Global urea prices have surged since the war began, with nearly 45% of global supply moving through the Persian Gulf, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Any prolonged disruptions could push prices even higher.

 

USDA to expand acreage surveys to more US farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to survey more farmers for some of its key U.S. crop reports following a drop in the response rate for its March 31 plantings report, officials with the agency’s statistical arm said in a public data users’ meeting on Wednesday.

The USDA faced criticism over the reliability of its data after making unprecedented increases in January to corn acreage estimates for the 2025 crop.

Last month, the response rate for the USDA’s March 31 planting intentions report was 37.6%, down from 44.3% last year and the loweston record for that survey, the agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service said.

Pending approval from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, the USDA wants to increase the sample size of farmers surveyed for its June 30 acreage report by about 35%, and by 10% for subsequent reports in September, December and March.

“This should substantially boost our usable reports and increase the precision for major field crop estimates,” Joseph Parsons, administrator of the USDA’s statistics service, said at the data meeting.

In addition, the USDA plans to add more “plain language” information to its reports about the level of uncertainty associated with key statistics, Parsons said.

Separately, the USDA plans to launch a yearly report, possibly starting this autumn, on how its forecasts for major crops compared to final totals determined after the end of the marketing year, Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden told the meeting.

The agency sought public comments on its statistical programs in a “Request for Information” survey between February 23 and April 9 and is still studying the findings, said Parsons and other officials at the meeting.

 

USDA to announce next phase of agency reorganization this week, agriculture secretary says

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday the next phase of the Department of Agriculture’s reorganization will be announced by the end of this week and will involve the relocation of researchers.

The agency has said it will move most of its Washington-area staff – about 2,600 people – to five regional hubs in an effort to bring the workforce closer to farmers. Most USDA employees already live outside Washington.

The next reorganization phase will include moving researchers closer to land-grant institutions and was being finalized on Wednesday, Rollins told the agriculture subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

More than 15,000 USDA employees took financial incentives to leave the agency last year as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reorganize and shrink the federal government.

USDA plans to sell one of its two headquarters buildings in Washington as part of its reorganization. The agency also recently said it will relocate the Forest Service headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

Uzbekistan announces cattle hygiene measures, citing foot-and-mouth outbreaks abroad

Uzbekistan on Wednesday listed measures amounting to the partial quarantine of cattle, linking them to foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in 48 countries in 2025-26.

The country’s agriculture ministry said in a statement that measures to be taken during the national “cattle hygiene” month would include disinfection facilities in farm areas, restricted access for outsiders, and elimination of infected animals.

The move comes after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the northwest of China and the mass culling of animals in Siberia due to what officials said were outbreaks of pasteurellosis and rabies.

The affected farmers, some veterinarians, and biologists called the Siberian culls excessive for dealing with pasteurellosis and rabies.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, in a report, cited local sources and trading contacts who said the scale of the measures “may indicate an unconfirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease”.

The Russian agriculture watchdog agency told Reuters that allegations in the USDA report “were not true”. It said on March 25 that there were no longer risks of the diseases spreading further.

Kazakhstan banned imports of animal feed wheat from Russia following the outbreaks.

The culling of thousands of animals in Siberia’s Novosibirsk region has sparked rare protests in Russia and prompted calls by farmers for the resignation of top government officials overseeing agriculture.

 

 

 

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