By Jesse Newman 
 

CHICAGO--U.S. soybean futures rose Monday, buoyed by concerns over hot, dry weather in the U.S. Midwest positioning by traders at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, corn and wheat prices were mixed.

Soybean prices advanced, bolstered by worries that lack of precipitation in parts of the U.S. Midwest would cut soybean yields prior to the autumn harvest. Soybean plants need adequate moisture to finish filling pods at the end of the growing season, and some crops have received little moisture in recent weeks, analysts said. Disease pressure also boosted prices for the crop.

"More cases of Sudden Death Syndrome and White Mold are being reported across Midwest soybean fields," said Karl Setzer, an analyst with brokerage MaxYield Cooperative in West Bend, Iowa, in an afternoon note to clients. "It is not out of the question that these factors could impact final soybean yields."

Analysts said traders also were squaring positions ahead of the month's end, pushing soybean prices higher.

Soybean futures for September delivery gained 4 1/4 cents, or 0.5%, to $8.97 1/2 a bushel at the Chicago Board of Trade.

Corn prices also were mixed, with nearby futures prices propped up by a lower U.S. dollar, which makes the grain more affordable for foreign buyers. But expectations that warmer weather this week will help hasten the U.S. crop to maturity weighed on longer-dated corn futures, as did the U.S. harvest, which is afoot in the southern Corn Belt.

Grain markets were marked by choppy trade on Monday in part due to ongoing uncertainty over the size of the U.S. crop.

CBOT September corn added 1/2 cent, or 0.1%, to $3.63 3/4 a bushel. March-dated contracts shed 1/4 cent, or 0.1%, to $3.86 1/4 a bushel.

Nearby wheat prices rose for the first in five sessions, buoyed by short-covering after the market became oversold, analysts said. Still, longer-dated futures remained depressed, thanks in part to lackluster demand for U.S. supplies.

CBOT September wheat added 5 1/2 cents, or 1.2%, to $4.82 1/4 a bushel. March-dated contracts declined 1 1/2 cents, or 0.3%, to $4.90 1/4 a bushel.

Write to Jesse Newman at jesse.newman@wsj.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 31, 2015 19:14 ET (23:14 GMT)