Grains close lower Wednesday

Grain futures closed lower on the Chicago Board of Trade Wednesday with the dollar index off 0.12 percent to 81.24 on the International Exchange. Corn was off 11 3/4 to off 17 1/4, soybeans were off 17 1/2 to off 23, wheat was 15 1/2 to off 20 1/4 and oats were off 5 1/4 to off 8 3/4. Corn prices fell as the harvest got under way, with the crop 10 percent harvested as of this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday in a holiday-delayed report. Wheat found support from a Ukrainian Agriculture Ministry report that pegged wheat for export at 4 million metric tons, notably shy of the USDA estimate of 6 million metric tons. Soybean prices dropped with the cash market soft and equities flat on Wall Street. The prices: Corn: Sep 7.89 3/4 off 17 1/4, Dec 7.90 3/4 off 14 1/4, Mar 7.94 3/4 off 13, May 7.91 off 11 3/4. Soybeans: Sep 17.48 off 23, Nov 17.47 1/2 off 20 3/4, Jan 17.46 1/4 off 20, Mar 16.94 1/2 off 17 1/2. Wheat: Sep 8.45 3/4 off 20 1/4, Dec 8.67 3/4 off 21, Mar 8.80 1/2 off 19, May 8.82 off 15 1/2. Oats: Sep 3.81 off 5 1/4, Dec 3.87 off 8 1/4, Mar 3.85 3/4 off 8 3/4, May 3.85 1/4 off 8 1/4.