Soybean futures are posting early Thursday gains of 3 to 5 cents, building on Wednesday's rally that saw contracts close 7½ to 11 cents higher. The National Oilseed Processors Association reported June crush at 214.34 million bushels, well above the average trade estimate of 203.99 million bushels and up 15.69% from a year ago, while soybean oil stocks fell to 1.5 billion pounds, below the expected 1.653 billion pounds. Open interest rose by 3,344 contracts, indicating modest new buying, and the cmdtyView national average cash bean price gained 8¾ cents to $11.55½. Ahead of the weekly export sales report, analysts surveyed by Reuters expect 2025/26 soybean sales between 100,000 and 500,000 metric tons for the week of July 9, with new crop bookings estimated at 0.9 to 1.7 million metric tons. The near-term weather outlook shows mostly dry conditions across the Western Corn Belt, while parts of the Eastern Corn Belt may receive 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain.