July corn opened 3 cents higher on the day session at 616 and established an early range of 616 to 631. Corn moved higher in early trade based on heightened concerns over planting delays in corn. Old and new contracts made another round of new highs for the day after 10:00 Central. This took the December contract to a new all-time high. July corn followed with a new all-time high after 10:15. Much of the Corn Belt has gotten 1-2 inches over the past day and a half, and more rain is expected on Sunday and again after Wednesday of next week. Traders fear that this could seriously delay planting progress in a number of key areas from today through the end of next week. This week's export sales came in at 337,200 tonnes for old crop and 63,300 for new crop. Sales of 403,300 tonnes are needed each week to reach the USDA projection. Total sales to date stand at 89.0% of the projected total compared to a 5-year average of 79.0%. Japan and Mexico were the biggest buyers. Basis levels at the Gulf were mostly lower for corn. Traders credited the basis weakness to slow export demand.