Grain traders and analysts look for a10 to 12 mln acre sign-up in the USDA's conservation reserve
program, scheduled to be announced after 1400 CST today.
    The USDA probably will accept about 80 to 90 pct of the
acres submitted, they said.
    Total enrollment in the first three years of the program is
only 8.9 mln acres, so the sharp increase expected this year
has underpinned new crop corn futures all week.
    However, some analysts said a 10 to 12 mln acre sign-up may
end up being negative to new crop corn prices, citing trade
talk earlier this year that 14 to 15 mln acres may be submitted
by farmers. Also, acres set-aside under the conservation
program are by definition poor yielding, so the impact on total
corn production will be minimal, they added.
 Reuter
