Commodity Trading Information on Grain Futures

Futures Trading Terms

Soybean Futures Fast Facts

Corn Futures	Soybean Futures
Wheat Futures	Oat Futures

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Soybean Futures are traded on the Chicago Board of Trade. Soybeans are grown primarily for beans, which are harvested into oil and meal. Soybeans are primarily grown in the Corn-Belt states and the lower Mississippi Valley. The three top producing states on average are Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota.

Soybeans are processed, "crushed", into meal and oil. Soybean Meal is used primarily as an animal feed, while soybean oil is found in a plethora of foods we eat and also has a host of industrial uses, with the most common food uses being edible oils- margarine, salad dressing, etc. Typically, each bushel of Soybeans produces 11 pounds of Soybean Oil and 48 pounds of Soybean Meal.

Planted area to Soybeans has increased rapidly from the second world war until 1979, when a record 71.4 million acres were planted. Acreage declined in the 1980's, but has rebounded in the 1990's. The 1997 yield of 39 bushels per acre is the second highest yield on record, versus the highest yield of 41.4 bushel per acre, set in 1994.

Major World Producers and Consumers for 1998/99 Crop Year

in million metric tons

	Beginning			Domestic	Total		Ending
	Stocks	Production	Imports	Crush	Use	Exports	Stocks
	1998/99 (projected in million metric tons)
World	20.8	157.75	38.51	129.6	152.28	38.53	26.25
United States	5.44	75.03	0.16	42.46	47.97	20.96	11.7
Total foreign	15.36	82.73	38.35	87.14	104.31	17.57	14.55
Major exporters	13	53	1.9	37.7	40.3	15.4	12.2
Argentina	7.05	18.7	0.9	15.8	16.57	3.3	6.78
Brazil	5.95	31	1	21.3	23.03	9.5	5.42
Major importers	1.68	17.51	29.05	34.21	45.86	0.7	1.68
EU-15	0.82	1.74	15.62	15.52	16.77	0.52	0.89
Japan	0.63	0.16	4.6	3.54	4.84	0	0.55
China	0	13.8	3.45	10.3	17.07	0.18	0

all data gathered from the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WASDE #349)

Usual Planting and Harvest Dates for US Soybeans

Usual Planting Dates for Soybeans

(Top 5 producing States)

	Planting			Harvest
State	Begin	Most Active	End	Begin	Most Active	End
Illinois	May 6	May 15 - Jun 9	Jun 16	Sep 23	Oct 1 - Oct 19	Nov 3
Iowa	May 4	May 14 - Jun 2	Jun 17	Sep 21	Oct 1 - Oct 15	Oct 27
Minnesota	May 6	May 16 - Jun 3	Jun 23	Sep 25	Oct 4 - Oct 21	Oct 30
Indiana	May 5	May 15 - Jun 5	Jun 20	Sep 25	Sep 30 - Oct 25	Nov 5
Ohio	May 5	May 10 - Jun 7	Jun 23	Sep 21	Oct 1 - Oct 22	Nov 10

Dates based on the December 1997 USDA Agricultural Statistics Board

Usual Planting and Harvesting Dates report

Crop Progress

Planted - Sowing grain or percent planted
Emerged - As soon as the plants are visible.
Blooming - A plant should be considered as blooming as soon as one bloom appears.
Setting Pods - Pods are developing on the lower nodes with some blooming still occurring on the upper nodes.
Dropping Leaves - Leaves near the bottom of the plant are yellow and dropping, while leaves at the very top may still be green. Leaves are 30-50 percent yellow.
Harvested - Reaping grain or percent harvested

Price Prospective- Soybean Continuous contract monthly data

Charts compliments of Geckosoftware, Inc.

Seasonal Prospective

complete seasonal anlysis

Note: 1.0 represents the seasonal high, while 0.0 represents the seasonal low. Based on CBOT November Soybean futures settlement prices from 1979 to 1998.

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THE DATA CONTAINED HERE IN ARE BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE BUT CANNOT BE GUARANTEED AS TO RELIABILITY, ACCURACY, OR COMPLETENESS; AND, AS SUCH ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. CFEA WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM RELIANCE ON THIS DATA OR THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE IN.

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