DES MOINES, Iowa (Agriculture.com)--The CME Group corn and wheat markets closed slightly higher Friday.

The May corn futures settled 1 1/4 cents higher at $6.44. The May soybean contract closed 3 1/4 cents higher at $12.86 3/4. The May wheat futures finished 1/4 of a cent higher at $6.41 1/4.  The May soymeal futures settled $0.90 per short ton higher at $336.20. The May soyoil futures ended $0.06 higher at $54.65. 

In the outside markets, the NYMEX crude oil is $1.67 per barrel higher, the dollar is lower and the Dow Jones Industrials are down 22 points.

Jack Scoville, PRICE Futures Group vice president, says it was a slow trading day.  

"The Outlook Conference produced no surprises that I could see," Scoville says.  

The corn and soybean estimates showed little change from earlier in the month.  "Wheat showed the increased production and ending stocks, but this should not be a shock after the higher planted area estimate released yesterday," he says. 

This morning's Weekly Export Sales were strong but generally within expectations, he says. "There is talk of China in the market for U.S. beans and corn, but of course nothing confirmed. Some speculative action back and forth, very little commercial action," he says.