GRAINS-Chicago wheat, soybeans and corn rise ahead of USDA crop report

BEIJING/HAMBURG, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Chicago wheat, soybeans and corn futures rose on Monday as traders positioned ahead of the closely watched U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop reports, while news of more U.S. soybean sales to China also supported.

Chicago Board of Trade most active soybeans Sv1 rose 0.3% to $10.66-1/2 a bushel at 1149 GMT. Wheat Wv1 rose 1.2% to $5.23-3/4 a bushel, corn Cv1 rose 0.5% to $4.48 a bushel.

Dollar weakness, making U.S. grains and oilseeds cheaper in export markets, also supported, along with geo-political tension.

The USDA will later on Monday publish its annual U.S. crop production, quarterly grain stocks, U.S. winter wheat seeding and monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports.

“The USDA will give a huge amount of data for the market to digest,” one German trader said. “Markets are expecting there could be some cuts in USDA estimates of U.S. corn and soybean crops and a cut in U.S. winter wheat seedings.”

Also supportive was China buying more U.S. soybean following a trade truce in late October.

On Friday, Chinese state agency Sinograin purchased at least 10 cargoes of U.S. soybeans, moving closer to fulfilling a commitment to buy 12 million metric tons of the latest U.S. soybean harvest by the end of February.

On Tuesday, Sinograin will auction 1.1 million tons of imported soybeans as the state stockpiler works to make room for arriving U.S. shipments.

But soybean's rise was limited as Brazil's harvest picks up speed. Consultancy Patria AgroNegocios said Brazil's farmers have harvested 0.53% of the country's expected 2025/2026 soybean area.

Wheat had been supported by dryness concerns in the U.S. Plains, though some traders said it was too early in the season for dry conditions to materially affect winter wheat yields, with crop conditions still looking relatively good across the region.