Corn Prices and US Corn Exports: Chart and Drivers

US farmers received an average of $4.45 a bushel for corn in August 2026, up 49 cents from August 2025, according to the USDA NASS Agricultural Prices report of September 2026. In its October 2026 WASDE, USDA put the 2026/27 season-average farm price at $4.70 a bushel and raised projected US corn exports to 3.3 billion bushels, below the 3.43 billion estimated for 2025/26.

This page tracks corn prices on the cash side: what farmers are paid, how prices differ by state, and how export demand feeds into them. It has dated charts from USDA data, a table of the latest export numbers and a break-even calculator you can fill in with your own costs. If you want the futures market and price forecasts instead, see our separate page on corn futures.

Corn prices right now: the latest USDA numbers

All figures below are official USDA numbers. They are farm-gate prices received or USDA projections, not futures quotes and not your local elevator bid. The dates matter, because corn prices can move by tens of cents in a week.

The season-average price is a weighted average of what farmers are paid across the whole marketing year, which runs from September to August for corn. It is not the price on any single day. Your cash bid will differ by location, delivery month and grain quality.

How corn prices moved through the last marketing year

Corn prices received by US farmers stayed close to $4 a bushel in the autumn of 2025, when the record harvest came in. They climbed slowly through the spring of 2026 and peaked at $4.48 in May. They eased in June and July and then rose 19 cents to $4.45 in August.

Chart

US corn price received by month

Dollars per bushel, September to August marketing years

The 2025/26 pattern differs from the year before. In 2024/25, prices were higher in the spring, near $4.60, and then fell to $3.96 by August 2025. The final season averages ended close together: $4.24 for 2024/25 and $4.16 for 2025/26, according to the NASS monthly table.

Timing of sales matters as much as the average. NASS reports how much of the crop was sold each month. In October 2025, 12.9% of the season’s corn was sold, at $3.93. Farmers who held grain into the spring sold at prices 34 to 55 cents higher, but they also paid for storage and interest.

Corn prices by state

Cash corn prices are not the same across the country. States far from export terminals and from big feed and ethanol buyers usually see lower prices. States with strong local livestock demand and a corn deficit often see higher prices.

In August 2026, North Dakota farmers received $4.07 a bushel and Minnesota farmers $4.12, while North Carolina farmers received $5.53 and Colorado farmers $5.16 (NASS). The gap between the lowest and highest state was close to $1.50 a bushel. That gap reflects freight costs to market, local demand from hog and poultry feeders, and how much corn the state grows compared with how much it uses.

Iowa, the largest corn state, averaged $4.44. Illinois was at $4.55. Nebraska was $4.43, close to Iowa.

Why location changes your price

The difference between your local cash price and the nearby futures price is called the basis. The CFTC futures glossary defines basis as the difference between the cash price of a commodity and the price of a futures contract. A weak basis (cash far below futures) is common at harvest, when elevators are full. A strong basis is more likely in spring and summer, when buyers need grain.

Kansas State University’s grain marketing material notes that basis depends on local supply and demand, transport costs and storage. Tracking your local basis over several years helps you decide when to sell and when to store.

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Corn price received by state, August 2026

Dollars per bushel, selected states

US corn exports: the latest numbers

The United States is the world’s largest corn exporter, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. It exports between 10% and 20% of its corn crop in a normal year. The main buyers are Mexico, Japan, Colombia and South Korea, with China a large but irregular buyer in some years.

Chart

US corn exports by trade year

Million metric tons, October/September trade years; 2025/26 estimate, 2026/27 forecast

Exports have grown fast. In the October/September trade year used for world comparisons, US corn exports rose from 42.8 million metric tons in 2022/23 to 75.7 million in 2024/25. USDA estimates 87.0 million tons for 2025/26 and forecasts 83.0 million for 2026/27, according to the USDA FAS Grain: World Markets and Trade report of October 2026. On those numbers, the US would ship about 39% of all corn traded worldwide in 2026/27.

In bushels, measured over the US marketing year from September to August, the October 2026 WASDE shows exports of 2,873 million bushels for 2024/25, 3,429 million for 2025/26 and a projection of 3,300 million for 2026/27.

Weekly export sales

USDA publishes export sales every Thursday. For the week ended October 1, 2026, net corn sales for 2026/27 were 769,500 metric tons, up 44% from the week before, according to the USDA FAS weekly export sales highlights. Mexico bought the most, at 508,800 tons, followed by Colombia, Japan, Costa Rica and South Korea. Shipments that week were 1.6 million tons.

Traders compare these numbers with forecasts. A Dow Jones report carried by Morningstar said the corn sales total was on the low side of analyst expectations. Weekly figures are noisy, so it is better to watch the four-week average and the total booked so far against USDA’s yearly forecast.

Who competes with US corn

Brazil, Argentina and Ukraine are the main rivals. USDA FAS forecasts 2026/27 exports of 41.0 million tons each for Brazil and Argentina and 22.0 million for Ukraine. Brazil’s second crop, the safrinha, is harvested from about June, so Brazilian corn competes hardest with US corn from late summer to the end of the year.

Price decides most sales. On October 6, 2026, US Gulf corn was bid at $239 a ton, against $231 for Brazil at Paranaguá and $219 for Argentina, according to International Grains Council data in the FAS report. A year earlier the US bid was $203. Ukraine had no bids reported to the IGC since September 1, 2026, because attacks on its export infrastructure have hindered seaborne trade.

▶ How floods and China trade tension hit Kentucky corn and soybean growers, and how satellite maps help. · 1:58

What drives corn prices: the main factors

Corn prices respond to a short list of factors. Each one can be tracked with public data.

Chart

Corn export bids by origin

US dollars per metric ton, FOB

1. US supply: acres, yield and stocks

The biggest factor is how much corn the US has. In October 2026, USDA raised its 2026/27 production forecast by 234 million bushels to 16.0 billion, on a yield of 181.2 bushels an acre. Beginning stocks were raised by 173 million bushels after the September 30 Grain Stocks report. Projected ending stocks rose by 282 million bushels to 1.85 billion, and USDA cut its price forecast by 10 cents to $4.70.

The ratio of ending stocks to total use is a quick guide. A higher ratio usually means lower prices. For 2026/27 the October WASDE implies a ratio of about 11%, up from about 10% in the September report.

2. Export demand

Exports take about one-fifth of US corn use in 2026/27 on USDA’s numbers. Strong sales to Mexico, Japan and Colombia support prices. Lower prices from Brazil or Argentina, or a strong dollar, can shift buyers away from US corn. Trade policy also matters: tariffs or trade disputes with major buyers can cut sales quickly.

3. Ethanol and feed use

Ethanol plants are projected to use 5,650 million bushels of corn in 2026/27, and feed and residual use is projected at 6,000 million bushels (WASDE, October 2026). Ethanol demand follows gasoline use and blending rules. Feed demand follows the number of cattle, hogs and poultry being fed.

4. Weather in the US and South America

Summer heat and drought in the Corn Belt can cut yields fast. Weather in Brazil and Argentina matters too, because it changes how much corn competes with US grain on the world market. Our satellite crop monitoring work shows that crop stress often appears in vegetation maps before it is visible from the road.

5. Costs, the dollar and other markets

Fertilizer, fuel and interest costs do not set the corn price, but they set the price farmers need. A strong US dollar makes US corn more expensive for foreign buyers. Prices of soybeans and wheat also matter, because they compete for acres and, for wheat, for feed use.

▶ How AI and data tools are used on corn fields from Kansas to Alabama. · 11:16

Corn prices compared with production costs

A price only means something next to your costs. The University of Illinois farmdoc daily 2027 crop budgets put the break-even price to cover total costs, including cash rent, just below $5 a bushel in northern and central Illinois and at $5.39 in southern Illinois. The same budgets use a 2027 corn price of $5 a bushel, based on harvest futures and typical basis.

The farmdoc authors note that a 50-cent move in corn prices shifts per-acre returns by more than $100 on high-yielding Illinois farmland. They also point out that costs, mainly fertilizer and fuel, have risen faster than trend yields, pushing break-even prices up.

Your own break-even depends on your yield, your costs and whether you own or rent land. The calculator below lets you test it. It does not replace a full farm budget, and it is not financial advice. Talk to your lender or a farm business adviser before you make marketing decisions.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

How to use corn price data to plan sales

These steps turn public data into a simple marketing plan.

1. Know your cost per bushel. Divide your total cost per acre by your expected yield. That is your break-even price.
2. Watch your local basis. Write down the basis at your elevator every week. Compare it with past years at the same time.
3. Read the monthly WASDE. It is released around the tenth of each month. Look at US ending stocks and the season-average price.
4. Check weekly export sales. Compare total sales so far with USDA’s yearly export forecast.
5. Sell in steps. Many advisers suggest selling part of the crop at several points rather than all at once.
6. Count storage costs. Holding grain only pays if the expected price gain is larger than storage, interest and shrink.

Corn prices in the wider economy

Corn is the main feed grain in the US. Higher corn prices raise feed costs for cattle, hog, dairy and poultry farms, and, with a lag, can push up meat, milk and egg prices. Lower corn prices help livestock feeders but squeeze grain farms.

Corn also links to energy. More than a third of US corn use goes to ethanol and its by-products, so fuel prices and blending policy affect demand. Distillers’ grains, a by-product of ethanol, go back into animal feed and are also exported.

For rural communities, corn prices affect land values, cash rents, machinery sales and local tax income. The NASS index of prices received for feed grains stood at 75.9 in August 2026, 11% higher than a year earlier.

How satellite data helps corn growers

Farmers cannot control corn prices, but they can control how well they know their crop. Field-level data helps with two price-related decisions: how much to sell before harvest, and which fields need attention to protect yield.

Satellite vegetation maps show where a crop is under stress during the season. That helps growers check fields faster and judge yield risk before they sell forward. The Farmonaut Satellite + AI Farm Monitoring System gives these maps for each field on web and mobile apps, so you can compare crop health across fields during the season.

Related pages on our site: Farmonaut apps, agro admin app for large farms, satellite data for crop loans and insurance, carbon footprinting, product traceability, fleet management, satellite data API and API developer docs.

▶ How NDVI maps show crop stress on a corn farm before it is visible. · 4:09

Outlook for corn prices and exports

USDA’s October 2026 numbers point to large supplies. US production of about 16.0 billion bushels and ending stocks of 1.85 billion are both higher than USDA expected a month earlier. That is why USDA lowered its season-average price forecast to $4.70.

Exports remain a support. USDA expects US exports of 3.3 billion bushels, close to last season’s large total, and Mexico, Colombia and Japan led net sales in the week ended October 1. Competition from Brazil and Argentina will be strong in the coming months, and Ukraine’s exports remain uncertain.

World corn ending stocks for 2026/27 are projected at 280.4 million tons, up 8.3 million from September (WASDE). The EU crop was cut on harvest results, with France forecast 38% below the prior year. These numbers change every month, so check the latest WASDE before you rely on any single forecast.

How we checked the numbers

We used USDA reports only for prices and trade volumes: the NASS Agricultural Prices report of September 30, 2026 for monthly and state prices received; the WASDE reports of September and October 2026 for supply, use and season-average prices; the FAS Grain: World Markets and Trade report of October 2026 for world trade and export bids; and the FAS weekly export sales highlights for the week ended October 1, 2026. Cost figures come from the University of Illinois farmdoc team. Prices received are what farmers were paid, not list prices or futures quotes.

For a closer look at a related question, see our guide: ADM Grain Prices: Market Trends & Insights.

If this topic matters to you, read Top Agricultural Machinery Manufacturing Companies Pennsylvania next.

FAQ

What is the current price of corn per bushel?

US farmers received an average of $4.45 a bushel in August 2026, the latest NASS monthly figure. USDA projects a 2026/27 season average of $4.70. Your local cash bid will differ by location and delivery date.

Why did corn prices rise?

Prices fell in June and July, then rose 19 cents in August. In August 2026 the US price received was 49 cents above a year earlier. USDA’s October report then showed bigger supplies and cut its price forecast by 10 cents.

Who buys the most US corn?

Mexico is the largest buyer. Japan, Colombia and South Korea are other major markets, according to USDA ERS and FAS weekly sales data.

How much corn does the US export?

USDA projects 3.3 billion bushels for the 2026/27 marketing year, after an estimated 3.43 billion in 2025/26. That is roughly one-fifth of total US corn use.

Where are corn prices highest in the US?

In August 2026, NASS reported the highest state prices in North Carolina ($5.53) and Colorado ($5.16), and the lowest in North Dakota ($4.07) and Minnesota ($4.12).

Is now a good time to sell corn?

That depends on your costs, storage and local basis. Compare your break-even price with current bids, and get advice from a farm business adviser or your lender before you decide.