CBOT corn futures up

Chicago Board of Trade corn futures rose to a 1-1/2 week high on Friday on short-covering ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend, notching the first weekly gain in three weeks. Bargain-buying after corn futures fell to contract lows last week also continued to buoy prices.
Benchmark March corn settled up 3/4 cent at $3.52 a bushel. For the week, the contract gained 1.3 percent. The US Department of Agriculture on Friday said the number of all US cattle on feed as of December 1 rose 8 percent from a year earlier while November placements jumped 14 percent. Both were above average trade estimates.