CBOT wheat ends nearly steady, traders await US crop reports

CHICAGO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures closed nearly unchanged on Friday as grain traders waited for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release crop reports on Monday.

• Analysts expect the agency will estimate that U.S. farmers planted 32.413 million acres of winter wheat for harvest in 2026, down from 33.153 million acres planted for harvest in 2025, according to a Reuters poll.

• The USDA will also issue data on quarterly U.S. grain stocks and estimates on last year's U.S. corn and soy harvests.

• On Thursday, CBOT wheat Wv1 neared a two-week high on concerns over unfavorable dryness in U.S. Plains growing areas and Russian attacks on infrastructure in exporter Ukraine.

• Traders said it was too early in the year for dry weather to impact U.S. winter wheat yields and that crop conditions still looked relatively good in the Plains.

• Snow was expected in the southwestern U.S. Plains on Friday, but above-normal temperatures over the next week will melt the snow quickly, weather forecaster Vaisala said. The lack of snow cover will leave winter wheat vulnerable to potential cold snaps, the firm said.

• CBOT March soft red winter wheat WH26 closed down 3/4 cent at $5.17-1/4 per bushel. The contract climbed about 2.1% for the week.

• K.C. March hard red winter wheat KWH26 finished flat at $5.30-1/4 per bushel, and Minneapolis March spring wheat MWEH26 was down 3-3/4 cents at $5.67-1/2 per bushel at the close of trading.