The latest Market Talks covering Commodities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

1145 ET - U.S. farmers are increasingly utilizing drones to spray their farmland, says the American Farm Bureau Federation in a note. The AFBF says that 16.4 million acres of farmland were sprayed by drones in 2025, up roughly five times from 3.7 million acres in 2023. The usage of drones is increasing as farmers see them as ways to handle problems with accessing certain portions of their fields. "The biggest advantages for drones come in wet fields, rough terrain, irregularly shaped fields and situations where timely product applications are critical," says Bernt Nelson of the AFBF. Drone usage in 2025 jumped 59% from 2024, the AFBF says. This year, excessive rainfall in many parts of the Corn Belt are making access to fields by combines harder to manage. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1024 ET - Elevated oil prices boosted Canada's purchasing power but the gains are uneven across the country, Royal Bank of Canada says. Real gross domestic income expanded 3.1% on-year in 2Q, nearly triple the pace of real GDP growth after a 46% surge in oil added about C$12 billion a quarter to export revenue. Royal Bank says oil producers and resource-rich provinces are capturing a disproportionate share of the initial windfall, while most households face higher costs without offsetting income gains. This complicates monetary policy, since the Bank of Canada controls only one interest rate for the entire country, Royal Bank adds. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)

1019 ET - The USDA this week announced multiple export sales of U.S. soybeans to China, including a new flash sale of 558,000 tons announced today. An additional 236,000 tons of soybeans sold to "unknown destinations" were also reported. "Unknown destinations" is an alternative moniker that's often used for Chinese buyers, although not necessarily the case. But CBOT soybeans are lower, as China's return to buying U.S. soybeans was at least partially expected, says Joe Davis of Futures International in a note. "The recent demand therefore provides support but has not yet been sufficient to offset harvest pressure." Soybeans fall 0.7%, while corn is off 0.7% and wheat slides 1.2%. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1001 ET - Oil futures are steady in early U.S. trading with continuing strikes in the Middle East, and the absence of a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire keeping prices afloat while traders consider the IEA's plan to accelerate the release of 100 million barrels of emergency stocks, part of previously agreed supply. Unrest in the Middle East is the main driver and traders maintain a "buy the price breaks type trade," Dennis Kissler of BOK Financial says in a note. Front-month WTI is up 0.2% at $98.18 a barrel, and Brent is up 0.1% at $106.02 a barrel. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

0959 ET - Live cattle futures on the CME are up 0.2% to nearly $2.28 a pound. Firm trade is expected today, says AgResource in a note--and that's even though boxed beef prices were lower overnight. "The choice cutout value gave back much of its early-week gains," says the firm, adding that select cutouts also turned negative for the week yesterday. Cattle futures are back to their highest level since early August, with further gains potentially signaling a bigger rally, says AgResource. Lean hog futures are up 1%. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

0910 ET - U.S. natural gas futures are sharply lower despite a cold snap in the Northeast that's likely to lift near-term heating demand, and rising LNG feedgas flows. "The selling started with Asian traders trimming back longs overnight but volumes have been somewhat limited so far, so this doesn't look like a move towards a bearish overall position," Gary Cunningham of Tradition Energy says in a note. "Supplies remain stable, up slightly from last week with the return of Gulf production, but we are seeing some reports of slightly lower flows in from Canada." Nymex natural gas is off 4.6% at $3.087/mmBtu.(anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

0619 ET - Palm oil ended higher in Asian trading. Prices were likely supported by strength in rival edible oils and optimism over stronger early-October export demand, Kenanga Futures writes in a note. However, concerns about abundant tropical oil supply ahead of the weekend might have capped gains, it says. The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for January delivery rose 44 ringgit to 4,769 ringgit a ton. (kimberley.kao@wsj.com)

0420 ET - Gold prices rise on a softer U.S. dollar, with New York futures up 0.7% to $4,200.80 a troy ounce. "Hotter-than-expected consumer and producer inflation readings have failed to trigger renewed selling, with the rebound instead supported by falling bond yields, a softer dollar and a midweek wobble in equity markets, particularly technology stocks," analysts at Saxo Bank say. Key resistance remains around $4,235, a level breached during the late-September selloff. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh declined to signal whether the central bank will raise interest rates at its October meeting. According to the FedWatch tool, traders see a 15% chance of a rate hike this month and a 90% probability in December. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)

0341 ET - Nestle's U.S. PetCare and coffee businesses are key swing factors in the upcoming third-quarter update, analysts at Barclays say in a note. Its PetCare business faced retailer destocking pressures in the second quarter, because customers had elevated inventories built up from when supply was constrained in the past, the analysts write. Coffee should also benefit as customers adjust to prior price rises, they say, particularly in the Starbucks platform. The consumer-foods giant's shares are up 0.9% at 81.80 Swiss francs. (aimee.look@wsj.com)

0324 ET - Comex gold futures are likely consolidating, the daily chart suggests, RHB Retail Research's Aiman Kamil Bin Ahmad Shauqi says in a report. Gold could retest resistance at $4,200 per ounce if the current rebound continues, though the broader technical outlook remains bearish and resistance could prove difficult to break. Should bearish momentum continues in coming sessions, the precious metal could fall toward support at $4,000 per ounce. the analyst adds. Spot gold is 0.4% higher at $4,185.89 per ounce. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

2259 ET - Palm oil rises in Asian trading on expectations of lower production in Indonesia amid severe drought and wildfires linked to El Nino, AmInvestment Bank says in a note. Indonesia's planned higher biodiesel mandate could also reduce export availability and support prices, it adds. However, technical analysis suggests CPO futures bearish sentiment remains dominant and selling pressure may persist, it adds. AmInvestment Bank expects CPO futures to find support at 4,650 ringgit a ton and face resistance at 4,756 ringgit a ton. The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for January delivery is 9 ringgit higher at 4,734 ringgit a ton. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

2218 ET - Iron ore prices are higher in early Asian trade in a likely technical rebound. Iron ore recently traded below US$90 a ton for the first time since 2024 as fundamentals continue to weaken, ANZ Research analysts say in a research note. Better investor sentiment across different assets and markets after a sharp selloff in the previous session likely provide some support. However, Chinese crude steel output remain low amid thin margins for steel mills. As a result, there is no incentive to rebuild inventories of the steel making raw material, the analysts say. The most actively traded January iron ore contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange rises 0.3% to 674.0 yuan a ton.