Soybean prices fell after climbing to a one-month high in the previous session as short covering waned ahead of the holiday weekend following a disappointing export sales report from the USDA. The USDA pegged net soybean exports for last year's crop in the week ended March 26 at the lowest level in 20 years. Promising weekly sales figures for this year's crop and a separate deal announced by the USDA on Thursday for 118k mt of soybeans sold to unknown destinations likely capped losses. Expectations that the USDA on Tuesday may have underestimated total U.S. soybean acreage this year also weighed on prices for the oilseeds. There is speculation within the trade that "we've very likely seen the smallest planted acres we'll see for soybeans and the largest for corn". May soybeans shed 3 3/4 cents, or 0.4%, to $9.86 a bushel.