Chicago Board of Trade corn futures ended slightly lower on Wednesday as traders squared positions ahead of key planting intentions and quarterly stocks reports due this week from the US Department of Agriculture. CBOT May corn settled down 1/2-cent at $3.73-1/2 per bushel, as traders prepared to see what the USDA would report regarding corn acreage and stocks. Analysts expect the USDA on Thursday to project a decline in US corn plantings for 2018 compared to a year earlier.