Labor Day Rally Not Guaranteed for Corn Markets

The Labor Day holiday often marks the beginning of harvest rallies in corn markets. According to Farm Futures, December corn has historically established its summer lows by late August and then climbed during or after harvest time. This pattern has been consistent over the past five years with high planted acreage and production levels.

One such example is from 2025 when December corn bottomed at $3.92 per bushel on Aug. 12 and went on to rise as high as $4.43 by mid-November, a gain of about 61 cents or 14% from the August low.

The current market behavior has been unusual due to war, adverse weather, and trade turmoil that have roiled grain markets for months. The June lows may not be tested in August, but anything is possible.