Tuesday's Chicago grain futures showed choppy movement as market participants tried to make sense of two competing narratives. On one hand, whispers about the US government potentially getting back to work—which could mean agricultural data finally hitting traders' screens again. On the other, the reality check: buying activity from across the Pacific hasn't shown the momentum many were banking on. The floor seemed caught between cautious optimism about data transparency returning and the sobering fact that demand signals remain muted. It's the kind of session where every tick feels like a tug-of-war between what might happen and what's actually happening right now.