CBOT soybean futures closed lower on Friday, with the main May contract settling at 1159.5 cents per bushel, down 11.5 cents per bushel. The decline was driven by two main factors: first, after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the biofuel blending mandates for 20262027, the market widely considered that the near-term policy bullish factors had been fully priced in, prompting long positions to take profits; second, traders adjusted their positions ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Prospective Plantings report, scheduled for release next Tuesday, amid expectations of a significant increase in spring soybean acreage this year. As corn and wheat planting require higher fertilizer inputs, cost pressures may encourage some farmers to switch to soybeans.