CHICAGO, March 20 (Reuters) - Spot basis bids for soybeans were mostly steady to higher on Thursday at U.S. Midwest elevators and mostly unchanged at processing plants as buyers sought to entice fresh sales to bolster supplies, dealers said.

* Spot corn basis bids were mostly unchanged at elevators, ethanol plants and other processors.

* Spot basis values for both commodities have been ticking higher at several locations this week after a slowdown in farmer sales. Growers were discouraged from booking new sales due to low prices and as they focus on spring field work instead.

* Chicago Board of Trade May corn futures CK25 were up 5-1/4 cents at $4.67-1/4 per bushel near midday on Thursday, but the benchmark contract remained well below its late-February peak of $5.18-3/4.

* CBOT May soybeans SK25 were up 3-1/2 cents at $10.11-3/4 a bushel.

Basis values are quoted against CBOT futures in cts/bu:

NOTE: 0 = Option price, UNC = Unchanged, UNQ = Unquoted

NC = Not comparable, DP = Delayed price, N/A = Not available,

F = January, H = March, K = May, N = JulyQ = August, U = September, X = November, Z = December

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LINKS: 0#USCSHGRN-PM

For U.S. forward basis spreadsheets, please click:

CORN/BASIS, SOYA/BASIS, WHEAT/BASIS, MILO/BASIS

- CBOT corn report COR/

- CBOT soybean report SOY/C

- CBOT wheat report WHE/C

- U.S. grain barge freight values BG/US

- U.S. Midwest cash grain PM GRA/PM

- U.S. CIF/FOB Gulf Grain GRA/F

(Reporting by Karl Plume in Chicago; Editing by Shreya Biswas)

((karl.plume@thomsonreuters.com; +1 313 484 5285))