CHICAGO, April 17 (Reuters) - Spot basis bids for soybeans increased at processing facilities in the U.S. Midwest on Thursday amid a lack of farmer selling during the planting season, grain dealers said.

* The soy basis jumped by 10 cents per bushel at a processor in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and by 7 cents at a crushing plant in Lafayette, Indiana.

* A major processor in Decatur, Illinois, raised its basis by 3 cents for soybeans and 5 cents for corn.

* Farmers have been planting corn and soybeans before rains are expected to disrupt progress starting this weekend.

* "As guys head to the fields, you just see basis firm up," said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. "The selling stops."

* The U.S. Department of Agriculture is slated to issue a weekly update on planting progress on Monday.

* Soybean futures Sv1 slipped and corn futures Cv1 were nearly flat at the Chicago Board of Trade by 9:40 a.m. CDT (1440 GMT) on Thursday. The markets will close on Friday for Good Friday.

Basis values are quoted against CBOT futures in cts/bu:

NOTE: 0 = Option price, UNC = Unchanged, UNQ = Unquoted

NC = Not comparable, DP = Delayed price, N/A = Not available,

F = January, H = March, K = May, N = JulyQ = August, U = September, X = November, Z = December

--------------------------------------------------------

LINKS: 0#USCSHGRN-PM

For U.S. forward basis spreadsheets, please click:

CORN/BASIS, SOYA/BASIS, WHEAT/BASIS, MILO/BASIS

- CBOT corn report COR/

- CBOT soybean report SOY/C

- CBOT wheat report WHE/C

- U.S. grain barge freight values BG/US

- U.S. Midwest cash grain PM GRA/PM

- U.S. CIF/FOB Gulf Grain GRA/F

(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

((Thomas.Polansek@thomsonreuters.com))