# Futures File: Grain acres slashed

> USDA's Prospective Plantings report showed US farmers cutting corn acreage by about 2.1 million acres and soybeans by about 3 million acres from last year. Soybean November futures hit a contract high while December corn neared a seven-month high. Cattle futures fell to limit-down levels on higher feed costs.

- Date: 2018-03-30 · published 2018-03-30T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/66032-futures-file-grain-acres-slashed
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Smaller US corn and soybean crops point to tighter supplies and higher feed grain prices. Higher grain costs squeeze cattle feeders' margins, weighing on live and feeder cattle prices.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: bullish ▲
- CORN: bullish ▲
- FCATTLE: bearish ▼
- LCATTLE: bearish ▼

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FCATTLE | 2018-04-01 | 1 | -2.7% | -3.2 | Prospective Plantings cut corn/soy acreage, lifting grain futures and sending cattle futures limit-down on higher feed cost expectations, which fits the sharp feeder drop. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2023-11-23 | [US cattle futures sag - CME
						 \| The Cattle Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/7971-us-cattle-futures-sag-cme-the-cattle-site.md) | -1.3% | -3.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2023-10-25 | [Live cattle futures continue to fall - CME
						 \| The Cattle Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10310-live-cattle-futures-continue-to-fall-cme-the-cattle-site.md) | +0.5% | -3.6% |
| LCATTLE | 2017-07-26 | [Fund-selling extends CME live cattle futures losses](https://feedsoft.ai/events/70102-fund-selling-extends-cme-live-cattle-futures-losses.md) | -1.1% | -6.9% |
| LCATTLE | 2017-02-24 | [Feeder cattle futures were sharply lower - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8680-feeder-cattle-futures-were-sharply-lower-brownfield-ag-news.md) | -0.9% | +3.2% |
| LCATTLE | 2021-09-27 | [Cattle, hog futures react to Friday's USDA reports - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/45189-cattle-hog-futures-react-to-friday-s-usda-reports-brownfield-ag-news.md) | -1.1% | +0.5% |
| CORN | 2021-06-11 | [WASDE Slashes Corn Ending Stocks \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46506-wasde-slashes-corn-ending-stocks-feed-and-grain.md) | -6.1% | -4.6% |
| CORN | 2025-01-15 | [Corn production slashed, sorghum rises in latest USDA Feed Outlook \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26568-corn-production-slashed-sorghum-rises-in-latest-usda-feed-outlook-feed-and-grain.md) | +2.0% | +2.6% |
| CORN | 2020-11-17 | [The WASDE Slashes Global Grains Stock Estimates \| CZ app](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50094-the-wasde-slashes-global-grains-stock-estimates-cz-app.md) | +1.1% | +0.3% |

## Sources

- desmoinesregister.com: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2018/03/30/futures-file-grain-acres-slashed/474283002/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.