Grain export ship in Portland OregonChina keeps buying U.S. soybeans and based on expected continued demand as that nation rebuilds its hog herd and rattling nerves about crop prospects in South America, soybeans could take a lot of attention away from corn in the battle for U.S. 2021 acres. Economics are setting up for China’s pace of soybean purchases to last well into 2021, one USDA official said this week. But Mother Nature will have to help out a bit; global plantings of soybeans and other crops — namely winter wheat — are at record levels around the world, causing some speculation about the long-term viability of U.S. grains as an export sector leader without a weather hiccup in one of the world’s other large growing regions, namely South America for soybeans or Eastern Europe for winter wheat. See more on the global grain situation.