After a week of record-setting, due to continued crop-stress concerns, the CME Group corn and soybean futures settled sharply higher Friday.

The Sep. corn futures settled 16 3/4 cents higher at $8.24 1/2, while the Dec. contract ended 17 1/4 cents higher at $7.95 3/4. The August soybean contract settled 23 3/4 cents higher $17.57 1/2, while the Nov. 2012 contract finished 34 cents higher at $16.86 1/4. The Sep. wheat futures ended 8 1/4 cents higher at $9.43 1/4. Aug. soyoil futures settled $0.04 lower at $54.36. The Aug. soymeal futures closed $11.00 higher at $543.00.  

In the outside markets, the NYMEX crude oil is $1.23 per barrel lower, the dollar is higher and the Dow Jones Industrials are 117 points lower.

Jack Scoville, PRICE Futures Group, says 2013 farmer-selling and speculative activity hints that a top for these markets may be coming into focus.

"It's a very choppy day, with not a lot of news out there.  Seeing some producer interest in starting to sell 2013 crops a bit, which is interesting news," Scoville says. 

But, mostly the spec-buying and selling, both sides of the market, getting in or getting out whatever they want to do, is dominating the market, he says.  

"We're seeing a lot of action in the spreads again, which is making me wonder what up side we got left here. I am not ready to say this market has topped, but what is going on here is not what happens when the market wants to run lots higher.  Watching it like a hawk to stay with my clients and see," Scoville says.