CHICAGO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural futures closed mixed on Thursday, with corn and wheat falling and soybean unchanged.

       The most active corn contract for March delivery fell 1.75 cents, or 0.38 percent, to settle at 4.5775 U.S. dollars per bushel. March wheat lost 7 cents, or 1.15 percent, to settle at 6.0375 dollars per bushel. March soybean settled at 12.365 dollars per bushel, unchanged from the previous trading day.

       The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) January Crop Report is due out on Friday. The report will set CBOT price tone heading into March. Chicago-based research company AgResource holds that the key after the report is soybean yields in Northern Brazil following record dry September through December.

       USDA reported that for the week ending Jan. 4, the United States sold 4.7 million bushels of wheat, 19.2 million bushels of corn and 10.3 million bushels of soybeans.

       For respective crop years to date, the United States has exported 565 million bushels of wheat, up 2 percent year on year; 1,192 million bushels of corn, up 37 percent; and 1,353 million bushels of soybeans, down 17 percent.

       Cold temperatures and low-price bids are keeping U.S. farmers from making new cash sales. They point to a smaller Brazilian soybean crop as a reason for their future price optimism.

       It is drier for Northern and North Central Brazil. Rain is in immediate need across the dry areas of Parana, MGDS and Sao Paulo in the next two weeks. Soybeans here are podding and corn is pollinating, and it is critical that soil moisture levels are restored and improved to preserve 2024 Brazilian soybean crop potential.

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