By Karl Plume
CHICAGO, May 15 (Reuters) – The U.S. soybean crush in April fell short of most trade estimates as the daily processing pace dropped to the lowest level since September, according to monthly National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) data issued on Friday.
NOPA members, which account for nearly all soybeans processed in the United States, crushed 211.856 million bushels of soybeans last month, down 6.3% from the 226.161 million bushels crushed in March but up 11.4% from the April 2025 crush of 190.226 million bushels. The total reflected a daily crush rate of 7.062 million bushels a day, a seven-month low, according to NOPA data.
Soy processors began temporarily idling plants in April for seasonal maintenance and repairs following several months of record or near-record crush rates and despite robust crush margins, analysts said. U.S. crush margins spiked to the highest point in at least three years last month as soyoil prices rallied along with a surge in crude oil prices caused by the Iran war.
The April crush had been expected at 214.030 million bushels, according to the average of estimates from eight analysts surveyed by Reuters. Their estimates ranged from 207.650 million to 221.000 million bushels, with a median of 212.496 million bushels.
Soyoil stocks held by NOPA members as of April 30 fell to a three-month low of 1.947 billion pounds, down 4.5% from 2.039 billion pounds at the end of March but up 27.5% from the 1.527 billion pounds in stocks a year earlier.
The total was below most trade estimates which averaged 1.954 billion pounds, according to estimates from seven analysts. Estimates ranged from 1.850 billion to 2.025 billion pounds, with a median of 1.975 billion pounds.
(Reporting by Karl Plume)
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