By: NATHAN STUEDLE
USDA's latest export inspections report shows mixed demand for American grain, with wheat shipments continuing to fall substantially behind last year's pace. During the week ending October twenty-ninth, wheat inspections totaled just over 75-thousand metric tons. That's down from 195-thousand tons the previous week and 351-thousand tons during the same period last year. Season-to-date wheat inspections have reached 7.53 million metric tons, compared with 11.8 million a year earlier.
Soybean inspections totaled 2.44 million metric tons, slipping slightly from the previous week but remaining well above last year's comparable total of 993-thousand tons. Corn inspections increased to nearly 885-thousand metric tons, up from 638-thousand the previous week. However, that remains below the 1.71 million tons recorded a year ago. Overall, soybean export inspections are running ahead of last year, while corn and wheat continue trailing their previous marketing-year pace.