Organic corn prices have edged higher and are trading slightly north of $10 per bushel. The recent rise in conventional corn prices is adding greed to the marketplace, as farmers are now more willing to hold on to their organic corn instead of selling to raise cash. Organic corn prices on the West Coast are quoted near $480-$485 per short ton, and prices on the East Coast are quoted near $440-$445 per short ton. Fastmarkets/The Jacobsen has seen offers as high as $465 per short ton on the East Coast. With rail cars continuing to be an issue on the secondary market, it’s hard to imagine that organic corn at $445 in PA would be high enough to pull organic corn away from the mid-West.

One of the reasons farmers might be willing to hold on to their organic corn longer is that the spread between organic corn prices and conventional prices is still below average. As of the last week of January 2022, the spread between organic corn mid-West and conventional corn on the CME was…