CORRECTED-CBOT wheat firmed as war cuts off fertilizer supplies

CHICAGO, March 19 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures ticked up on Thursday as fertilizer became harder to access, analysts said. But Kansas City winter wheat gave up some of Wednesday's steep gains as showers were forecast in the parched U.S. Southern Plains.

• The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has cut off critical nitrogen fertilizer supplies from the Gulf to the world's farmers, supporting grains and oilseeds. GRA/

• Forecaster Commodity Weather Group said precipitation is expected in the Southern Plains in the coming weeks, but much of the crop will remain too dry.

• The Taiwan Flour Millers' Association purchased an estimated 105,025 metric tons of milling wheat to be sourced from the United States in a tender on Thursday, European traders said.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported net weekly U.S. wheat export sales for 2025/26 for the week ended on March 12 at 401,946 metric tons, within a range of analyst estimates.

• Russia-focused agriculture consultancy Sovecon has raised its forecast for Russia's 2026 wheat crop by 1.7 million metric tons to 87.6 million metric tons citing generally favorable weather conditions.

• CBOT May soft red winter wheat WK26 ended 3-3/4 cents higher at $6.08 per bushel.

• K.C. May hard red winter wheat KWK26 settled up 1-1/4 cents at $6.27-1/4 per bushel.

• Minneapolis May spring wheat MWEK26 rose 6-1/2 cents to finish at $6.43-3/4 per bushel.