*

Corn futures mixed amid steadier U.S. dollar and favorable

crop

conditions

*

Soybeans rise on technical trading despite negative

biodiesel

tax credit amendment

*

U.S. wheat total exports hit highest weekly total since

December

2023

(Updates for market open, changes dateline from PARIS/CANBERRA

to CHICAGO, updates byline, headline and bullets)

By P.J. Huffstutter

CHICAGO, May 22 (Reuters) - Chicago wheat futures fell

on Thursday as a short-covering rally that took prices to a

one-month peak petered out, with traders seeing limited threats

to Northern Hemisphere crops despite adverse weather concerns.

Corn futures were mixed after three-day gains, with a

steadier U.S. dollar, weaker crude oil and generally favorable

crop conditions curbing deferred contract months.

Soybeans ticked up on technical trading, even as soyoil

futures slumped as an amendment to the U.S. House of

Representatives' tax bill was seen as negative for biodiesel tax

credits, analysts said.

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) most-active soybean

contract was up 0.38% at $10.66-3/4 a bushel at 1656 GMT,

while corn firmed 0.22% to $4.62 a bushel.

CBOT wheat eased 0.68% to $5.45-1/2 a bushel, moving

back from Wednesday's one-month high of $5.56-1/4.

Ahead of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, traders focused

on adjusting their positions and feeling a little hesitant about

the size of this summer's domestic wheat harvest, said Don

Roose, president of Iowa-based U.S. Commodities.

"Yes, there are disease issues, yes there are flooding

issues," Roose said. "But it's still looking like we're going to

have a big crop."

After dropping to a near five-year low of $5.06-1/4 on May

13, concerns over adverse weather in Russia and China and an

unexpected decline in U.S. wheat ratings triggered a wave of

short-covering in the past week.

Traders are now questioning whether Chinese or Russian wheat

crops have suffered significant damage, while the U.S. remains

on track for a large harvest despite disease risks in some

areas, analysts said.

Better-than-expected weekly U.S. wheat export news also

helped keep a floor under futures prices, market analysts said.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported

that total wheat exports - a combination of old- and new-crop

wheat - was 868,829 metric tons last week, marking the biggest

for a single week since December 2023.