Corn futures rose 52 percent last year on the Chicago Board of Trade, the most since 2006. Global demand grew as inventories fell and warm, dry weather threatened output in Brazil andArgentina, the biggest corn exporters after the U.S. Soybeans rallied 34 percent in 2010, the most in three years, after record Chinese demand for the oilseed. Both commodities are trading close to their highest levels since 2008.

Corn may surge to a record in the first half of 2011, Agrocorp International Pte. said yesterday. The firm joined Rabobank International and Blackstone Group LP’s Byron Wien in forecasting new highs for the grain as demand increases and global stockpiles decline.

Farmland Boom Provides Bright Spot for U.S. Midwest Real Estate