BarnX Daily
BarnX Daily
Feed, livestock and market intelligence for operational decisions.
Edition date
August 4, 2026
Coverage window
August 2, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT to August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
Last verified
August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
Today in one minute
- 01
U.S. soybean crushing reached 218 million bushels in June, up from 197 million a year earlier, while soybean cake and meal produced for animal feed rose to 4.79 million tons. Canola crush and meal production also increased sharply.
- 02
Corn use for fuel alcohol was 4% higher than a year earlier, but DDGS output was 3% lower. Feed buyers should not assume that more ethanol corn use produces a proportional increase in dried co-product availability.
- 03
U.S. corn and soybean development remained ahead of normal, but only 61% of corn and 63% of soybeans were rated good to excellent, below 73% and 69% respectively a year earlier.
- 04
U.S. wheat millfeed production was broadly stable at 1.59 million tons in the second quarter. The national total does not establish local availability, freight, quality or price.
- 05
Minneapolis terminal references strengthened for current-delivery corn, northern spring wheat and oats on August 3, while soybean bids were mixed.
Editor’s view
The latest data do not support one simple claim about feed-ingredient supply. Oilseed processors produced materially more soybean and canola meal, ethanol plants used more corn than a year earlier but produced less DDGS, and flour mills generated an essentially unchanged volume of wheat millfeed. At the same time, crop development is fast but condition ratings are weaker than last year. Purchasing teams should therefore track each co-product through its own production, inventory, regional basis, specification and freight signals rather than treating a favourable national crop pace as proof that every feed ingredient will become cheaper or easier to source.
Lead development
U.S. soybean and canola crushing expanded the June protein-meal pool
Geography: United States, with cross-border relevance for Canadian protein-meal buyers
- What changed
- USDA reported that 218 million bushels of soybeans were crushed for crude oil in June 2026, up from 213 million in May and 197 million in June 2025. Soybean cake and meal produced for animal feed reached 4.786 million tons, approximately 2.6% above May and 10.9% above a year earlier. U.S. canola seed crush increased to 204,577 tons from 164,945 tons in May, while canola cake and meal production rose to 110,263 tons from 94,711 tons.
- Why it matters
- Higher processing volumes increase the physical stream of protein meal, but they do not guarantee lower delivered prices. Export demand, renewable-fuel economics, processor margins, inventory positioning, local basis, rail and truck capacity, currency and specifications still determine what a mill can actually buy.
- Who may be affected
- Feed mills, soybean- and canola-meal purchasers, poultry and swine operations, dairy nutritionists, crushers, grain elevators and cross-border ingredient traders.
- What to watch next
- July crush volumes, meal stocks, export sales, renewable-fuel demand, regional basis and whether stronger production translates into better delivered availability.
- Evidence note
- Confirmed by a primary USDA NASS industrial report based on all known relevant facilities; monthly estimates may be revised with late or corrected reports.
Other developments
Higher year-over-year corn use did not produce more DDGS
Geography: United States, with relevance to North American co-product markets
- What changed
- U.S. mills consumed 467 million bushels of corn for fuel alcohol in June, down 1% from May but up 4% from June 2025. DDGS production was 1.82 million tons, up 3% from May but down 3% from a year earlier. Distillers wet grains containing at least 65% moisture totalled 1.30 million tons, 6% below May and 7% above June 2025.
- Why it matters
- Corn throughput and individual co-product output can diverge because plant configuration, product mix, moisture form, maintenance and reporting composition affect the stream available to feed users.
- Who may be affected
- DDGS buyers, cattle and dairy operations, feed mills, ethanol plants, ingredient merchandisers and transport planners.
- What to watch next
- Weekly ethanol production, July corn grind, DDGS export demand, plant outages, drying economics and regional truck or rail offers.
- Evidence note
- Confirmed by a primary USDA NASS report. The monthly series is national, and results can be revised when late reports arrive.
U.S. corn and soybeans are developing quickly, but condition ratings trail last year
Geography: Eighteen major U.S. corn and soybean states
- What changed
- By August 2, 90% of U.S. corn was silking and 43% was in the dough stage, ahead of the five-year averages of 87% and 38%. However, the share rated good to excellent slipped to 61% from 63% a week earlier and was 12 percentage points below the 73% reported a year earlier. Soybeans were 88% blooming and 62% setting pods, ahead of five-year averages of 84% and 55%; 63% were rated good to excellent, unchanged from the prior week but below 69% a year earlier.
- Why it matters
- Fast development reduces some timing risk but can move crops through yield-sensitive stages under current heat or moisture conditions. National ratings also conceal large state differences: corn rated good to excellent ranged from 21% in North Carolina and 37% in North Dakota to 89% in Pennsylvania, while soybean ratings ranged from 44% in North Dakota to 78% in Iowa.
- Who may be affected
- Corn and soybean purchasers, feed mills, ethanol plants, crushers, livestock producers, crop merchandisers and risk managers.
- What to watch next
- Heat and rainfall during grain fill and pod set, the August 10 Crop Progress report, the August 12 Crop Production estimates, and emerging regional quality indicators.
- Evidence note
- Confirmed by USDA NASS survey estimates for the major producing states. Condition ratings are observational indicators, not final yield estimates.
- Sources
U.S. wheat millfeed output held near 1.59 million tons in the second quarter
Geography: United States, with strongest relevance near flour-milling regions
- What changed
- U.S. flour mills produced 1.593 million tons of wheat millfeed during April through June 2026, up about 0.9% from the first quarter and down about 0.4% from the second quarter of 2025. All-wheat grind was 222 million bushels, essentially unchanged from the previous quarter and slightly below a year earlier, while flour production increased 1% on both comparisons.
- Why it matters
- Stable national output suggests no broad production shock in this feed stream, but millfeed is bulky and regionally sensitive. Availability and feeding value depend on nearby milling activity, freight, moisture, fibre, starch, inclusion limits and competing demand.
- Who may be affected
- Feed mills, dairy and beef nutritionists, flour mills, ingredient brokers and operations located within economical freight distance of wheat mills.
- What to watch next
- Third-quarter flour grind, local milling schedules, delivered millfeed offers, moisture and nutrient testing, and substitution against other fibrous energy ingredients.
- Evidence note
- Confirmed by a primary USDA NASS quarterly report covering all known U.S. wheat and rye flour mills; estimates can be revised the following quarter.
Market and ingredient watch
Livestock and biosecurity watch
No distinct new North American animal-disease outbreak, official movement restriction or biosecurity directive met this edition's 48-hour significance and verification threshold. Previously announced New World screwworm controls and planned changes to U.S.–Mexico cattle trade remain operationally important, but they are not repeated here without a material new official update. This is not a statement that disease risk is absent; it means no separate development cleared the edition threshold during the researched period.
Mill, safety, and logistics watch
Ingredient planning
Do not translate higher soybean and canola crush directly into lower delivered meal costs. Reconcile supplier offers with stocks, specifications, freight and currency.
Co-product forecasting
Separate ethanol throughput from DDGS output. Confirm the plant's actual product form, drying schedule, nutrient analysis and loading availability before committing space or changing formulas.
Quality control
Faster corn and soybean development does not establish final grain quality. Maintain new-crop sampling plans for moisture, test weight, mycotoxins, protein, oil and processing characteristics.
Logistics
No distinct North American rail, road, port or feed-delivery disruption met the verification threshold during the coverage window. Regional freight remains part of every ingredient interpretation in this edition.
Next to watch
August 5, 10:30 a.m. ET
EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report
U.S. ethanol production and stocks will update the near-term demand signal for corn and the likely operating environment for distillers co-products. [7]
August 5, 3:00 p.m. ET
USDA Broiler Hatchery
Egg sets and chick placements provide a forward indicator for broiler production and related feed demand. [6]
August 6, 8:30 a.m. ET
USDA Weekly Export Sales
The report will test whether recently reported soybean buying appears in official sales data and will update export demand for corn, wheat, soybeans and soybean meal. [8]
August 6, 3:00 p.m. ET
USDA Dairy Products
Cheese, butter and milk-powder production will add context for dairy processing demand and producer margins, without serving as a milk-price forecast. [6]
August 10, 4:00 p.m. ET
USDA Crop Progress
The next condition ratings will show whether the early-August gap versus last year is stabilizing or widening during corn grain fill and soybean pod set. [6]
Source ledger
- 1
Fats and Oils: Oilseed Crushings, Production, Consumption and Stocks
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796003/cafo0726.txt- Published:
- August 3, 2026; reports June 2026 activity
- Accessed:
- August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
- Type:
- Official data
- 2
Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796005/cagc0726.txt- Published:
- August 3, 2026; reports June 2026 activity
- Accessed:
- August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
- Type:
- Official data
- 3
Crop Progress
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796007/prog3126.txt- Published:
- August 3, 2026; conditions for the week ending August 2, 2026
- Accessed:
- August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
- Type:
- Official data
- 4
Flour Milling Products
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796004/cafl0726.txt- Published:
- August 3, 2026; reports April–June 2026 activity
- Accessed:
- August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
- Type:
- Official data
- 5
Minneapolis Daily Grain Report
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and Minnesota Department of Agriculture Market News
https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ams_3046.pdf- Published:
- Final report for August 3, 2026
- Accessed:
- August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
- Type:
- Official data
- 6
Publications – Report by Date
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Calendar/reports_by_date.php?month=08&view=l&year=2026- Published:
- Dynamic August 2026 release calendar
- Accessed:
- August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
- Type:
- Official data
- 7
Weekly Petroleum Status Report Schedule
U.S. Energy Information Administration
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/supply/weekly/schedule.php- Published:
- Current weekly release schedule; standard Wednesday release at 10:30 a.m. ET
- Accessed:
- August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
- Type:
- Official data
- 8
Export Sales Reporting Program
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/export-sales-reporting-program- Published:
- Current program page; weekly summaries normally published Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET
- Accessed:
- August 4, 2026, 5:30 a.m. PDT
- Type:
- Primary