SYDNEY, Mar 13 (Reuters): US wheat futures edged higher on Tuesday as the U.S. Department of Agriculture said production in a key growing region was hit by adverse weather last week.
Corn edged higher, extending gains into a second session, while soybeans firmed despite fears about potential curbs in Chinese demand for U.S. supplies.
The most active wheat futures on the Chicago Board Of Trade were up 0.4 per cent at $4.92-1/2 a bushel by 0426 GMT, having closed up 0.3 per cent on Monday.
Analysts said wheat was drawing support from confirmation of further damage to crops across a major producing region.
"Winter kill due to a lack of snow cover and a lack of moisture have damaged crops again. This is supportive to prices," said Angus Thornton, analyst at Profarmer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture after the close of trading on Monday rated 12 per cent of the Kansas winter wheat crop in good to excellent condition, down from 13 per cent a week earlier.
The USDA rated 53 per cent of the Kansas crop as poor to very poor, up from 50 per cent the previous week.
The USDA earlier on Monday said 389,358 tonnes of U.S. wheat were exported last week, within the range of expectations.
Exports of 910,237 tonnes of soybeans were also within expectations, while corn exports of 1.4 million tonnes topped estimates.
The most active corn futures were up 0.1 per cent at $3.90-1/2 a bushel after closing up 0.1 on Monday.
The most active soybean futures were up 0.4 per cent to $10.45 a bushel, after closing up 0.2 per cent in the previous session when it hit its lowest since Feb. 21.
Dry weather continues to grip Argentina, a situation that is unlikely to be aided significantly by showers expected this week.
Chinese officials have said U.S. soybeans are a prime target for retaliation against tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on steel and aluminium imports, according to the American Soybean Association.
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