GRAINS-Chicago soybeans slip on strong yield prospects; wheat and corn rise

BEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Chicago soybean futures slipped on Thursday as a U.S. Midwest field tour indicated prospects of strong yield.

The most-active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Sv1 was down 0.1% at $10.35 per bushel, as of 0353 GMT.

Third-day results from the closely watched Pro Farmer crop tour showed Illinois has its highest soybean pod counts in at least 22 years and its second-highest corn yield potential.

Western Iowa showed above-average yield prospects, though crop diseases could threaten final yields.

The annual tour, running through Thursday, is closely followed by the grain market and especially scrutinised this year after the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected a much larger-than-expected 2025 corn crop.

Corn Cv1 futures rose 0.19% to $4.05 per bushel, partly supported by brisk export demand.

Exporters sold 100,000 metric tons of U.S. corn to Colombia and 125,741 metric tons of U.S. corn to Mexico, all for 2025-26 delivery, according to the USDA.

South America is expecting a large corn harvest in 2025-26. Argentina's corn planting area is expected to span some 7.8 million hectares in 2025/26, up 9.6% from the current season thanks to abundant rains, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said on Wednesday.

Wheat futures Wv1 edged higher 0.38% to $5.30 per bushel, helped by short-covering, although ample global supply put pressure on the market.

Grain consultancy Sovecon on Wednesday raised its forecast for Russia's 2025 wheat crop to 85.4 million tons from 85.2 million tons previously.

Commodity funds were net buyers of CBOT wheat, soybean, corn and soymeal futures contracts on Wednesday, traders said. Funds were net even in soyoil futures, they said. COMFUND/CBT