Grain prices looked a bit more positive this week, but were still not in a good place.

Matif French wheat for December closed last week at €193.75/t, down slightly on the week before. On Wednesday afternoon 27 August, that price was up at €194.75/t.

Last week, the view of good crops in the US midwest was confirmed by Pro Farmer’s yield and production estimates.

Pro Farmer placed corn yield at 182.7bu/ac, down from the USDA’s 188.8bu/ac and both results estimate record production, so there is a lot of grain available in that market, although the threat of southern rust on crop yield was supporting markets.

US corn prices were down on Wednesday.

Agritel reported that Brazilian operators are starting to sell.

The second crop in Brazil is now 90% harvested. This will likely put pressure on markets.

The International Grains Council increased its 2025/2026 global wheat forecast. It added 3m tonnes to the previous estimate, bringing the estimate to 811m tonnes.

The EU released its crop monitoring report this week. Grain maize yield was estimated down 3% since the last report and rye up 2%.

Overall, other cereal estimates did not change much.

The report said: “Hot and dry weather across southern and eastern Europe severely affected summer crops such as maize, sunflowers and soybean. Persistent drought conditions in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, southern Ukraine and Türkiye caused irreversible yield damage.”

The report stated that conditions were more favourable in western and northern Europe and yield estimates are around or above the five-year average.

Oats

Tirlán has reduced its gluten-free oats contracts. When planning for 2026, it may be a good idea to cut back on oat area that is not contracted. While oats have been dependable, the price is not good for feed oats and supply is high. That’s not to say it won’t pick up.

Oilseed rape

Many people are planting oilseed rape at present. It might be a good idea to get some of the crop sold in the coming weeks or by the end of the year.

Oilseed rape prices have had peaks and troughs over the last year and if opportunities to sell come, take them to reduce risk.

Prices fell this week for some contracts, but the November 2026 price was stable after a rise last week. It was at €468.50/t on Wednesday afternoon.

Keep an eye out for a lift in the market to sell and have your costs of production calculated so you know what price is profitable.