US Cash Grains-Corn basis firms at Midwest processing plants

CHICAGO, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Spot basis bids for corn were steady to firmer in the U.S. Midwest on Wednesday, firming at a few processing sites and ethanol facilities as lower futures prices and wintry weather discouraged farmer grain sales, brokers said.

• The corn basis improved by 6 cents a bushel at a processor in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and by 2 to 3 cents at ethanol facilities in Annawan, Illinois, and Union City, Indiana.

• For soybeans, the basis strengthened by 10 cents a bushel at a Lincoln, Nebraska, crushing plant and by 4 cents at a Cincinnati, Ohio, terminal elevator.

• Snow showers were causing localized travel disruptions from the Dakotas into the Great Lakes states, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a daily weather note.

• Meanwhile, forecasts called for an expansive winter storm late this week spanning the southern Plains to Alabama and Georgia. Late-week temperatures were expected to plunge below zero degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius) across the Midwest and as far south as the central Plains and the Ohio Valley.

• On the Chicago Board of Trade as of 12:30 p.m. CST (1830 GMT), March corn futures CH26 were down 1-3/4 cents at $4.22 a bushel, retreating from a one-week high set in early moves. CBOT March soybeans SH26 were up 13-1/4 cents at $10.66-1/4 a bushel. GRA/

Basis values are quoted against CBOT futures in cts/bu:

NOTE: 0 = Option price, UNC = Unchanged, UNQ = Unquoted

NC = Not comparable, DP = Delayed price, N/A = Not available,

F = January, H = March, K = May, N = July
Q = August, U = September, X = November, Z = December

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LINKS: 0#USCSHGRN-PM

For U.S. forward basis spreadsheets, please click:

CORN/BASIS, SOYA/BASIS, WHEAT/BASIS, MILO/BASIS

- CBOT corn report COR/

- CBOT soybean report SOY/C

- CBOT wheat report WHE/C

- U.S. grain barge freight values BG/US

- U.S. Midwest cash grain PM GRA/PM

- U.S. CIF/FOB Gulf Grain GRA/F