The nation’s corn pile is shrinking but soybean ending stocks are holding steady, according to Friday’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report.

U.S. corn and soybean ending stocks are getting tighter as the Department of Agriculture increased exports in Tuesday’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report.

The new year got off to a big start for U.S. soybean trade, with sales and shipments to China totaling nearly 2 million metric tons for just the first week in January, according to the latest trade data.

U.S. soybean export sales are unusually strong in January for both the current 2020-21 marketing year and the upcoming 2021-22 marketing year, boosted by China’s efforts to both feed its growing swine herd and replenish stocks.

U.S. soybean future prices are on the rise amid continued Chinese demand and concerns of tight global supplies, putting markets in a “rationing” mode, according to a Cargill executive.

U.S. soybean exports are moving quickly out of U.S. ports, spurred on by larger than normal Chinese purchases as the new marketing year begins.