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USDA Report Schedule: What Lands When

The USDA releases its market-moving reports on a fixed calendar: the WASDE supply-and-demand report monthly (usually between the 9th and 12th at noon Eastern), Crop Production monthly during the growing season, Grain Stocks quarterly, and Prospective Plantings at the end of March. Weekly Export Sales land every Thursday morning. Grain and livestock traders plan around these dates because prices often reprice in seconds.

The Monthly Anchors

The WASDE (World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates) is the report the grain trade organizes its month around. It typically lands between the 9th and 12th at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, and it updates U.S. and world production, usage, and ending stocks for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and more. During the growing season, Crop Production is released alongside it with updated yield and harvested-acreage estimates.

Weekly Export Sales come every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Not a headline event like WASDE, but a steady pulse on demand that corn, soybean, and wheat traders watch closely.

The Quarterly and Annual Events

  • Prospective Plantings — March 31, noon Eastern. The first survey-based look at U.S. acreage intentions and one of the year's biggest volatility days.
  • Grain Stocks — quarterly (end of March, June, September, and January, noon Eastern). March and June stocks are paired with planting and acreage reports, which compounds the move.
  • Acreage — end of June, updating what actually got planted.
  • Cattle on Feed and Hogs and Pigs — monthly and quarterly respectively, typically Friday afternoons, moving livestock futures.
  • Crop Progress — weekly Monday afternoons during the season, rating crop conditions.

Dairy, cotton, and rice each follow their own USDA calendars as well, and the daily and weekly slaughter and export-inspection data fill in between the headline events. Every date is published well ahead of time on the department's website, and any broker who works the agricultural markets keeps that calendar pinned to the wall — it is the rhythm of the marketing year for hedgers and speculators alike.

How to Trade Around the Calendar

The schedule is published well in advance on the USDA's website, so there is no excuse for being surprised. Practical habits: know which reports matter for your market, check open interest and option implied volatility going in — it tells you how big a move the market expects — and decide beforehand whether you intend to hold a position through the number or stand aside.

Our clients get report-day context through trade alerts and the quotes and charts platform, but no calendar edge removes risk. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.

Related Guides & Tools

The WASDE report, explainedThe Grain Stocks report, explainedThe Prospective Plantings reportCommodity crop year tableGrain markets

USDA Report Schedule: What Lands When — FAQ

What time do USDA reports come out?

The major crop reports — WASDE, Crop Production, Grain Stocks, Prospective Plantings, Acreage — release at 12:00 p.m. Eastern. Weekly Export Sales are 8:30 a.m. Eastern Thursdays, and Crop Progress comes Monday afternoons in season.

Which USDA report moves markets the most?

WASDE is the monthly benchmark, but Prospective Plantings and the quarterly Grain Stocks reports often produce the largest single-day grain moves, especially when paired at the end of March and June.

Where is the official USDA report schedule published?

The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the World Agricultural Outlook Board publish release calendars on usda.gov well ahead of time.

Should I hold positions through a USDA report?

That depends on your risk tolerance and whether the position is a hedge or a speculation. Hedges tied to a business exposure are usually held; short-term speculations through a major report are effectively a bet on the number. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss.

Talk It Through with a Real Broker

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