The Elevator’s Cut Podcast

S2E17 - Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.   Are we giving producers too much freedom? In this episode of The Elevator's Cut, we're diving into the wild world of behavioral economics and why endless grain marketing choices usually just lead to terrible, last-minute decisions.   ---------- Check Out O...

S2E16 - Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.   May brings bad weather, planting stress, and $5 corn, but should you actually be selling right now? Today, we're breaking down why FOMO is destroying your grain marketing strategy, the hard truth about elevator margins, and why the commercial side is pushi...

S2E15 - Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.   Everyone says the market is "wrong," but the truth is usually just a supply crunch hidden in plain sight. We’re breaking down the "DeLorean Market" (Backwardation), why the Strait of Hormuz is driving everyone crazy, and the 3 phases of the grain business...

S2E14 - Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, we're diving deep into the specific cultural characteristics that separate high-performing grain elevators from the rest of the pack. Drawing from over 50 years of industry observations and fresh off a nat...

S2E13 - Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, we're diving deep into the specific cultural characteristics that separate high-performing grain elevators from the rest of the pack. Drawing from over 50 years of industry observations and fresh off a nat...

S2E12 - Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, we're diving into the disconnect between public perception and the gritty reality of life in the grain industry. From the perspective of seasoned grain merchandisers, the conversation challenges common mis...

S2E11 - Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, your hosts Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler recap their recent trip to St. Louis for a grain merchandising workshop, enduring extreme winter weather and navigating the "climate" of the city. They highlight t...

S2E10 - Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, your hosts Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler are joined by the CEO of White Commercial, Phil Luce. Today, we dive into the harvest hours debate and the limitations of autonomous grain handling, then pivot to...

S2E9 Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, your hosts Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler are analyzing the intense harvest season, from viral videos of collapsing grain bins to the serious economic impact of bad crop quality. They look at the fundamental issues plaguing the rice and soybean markets. Is the talk about low prices and tariffs justified? They dig into the numbers to give yo...

S2E8 Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, your hosts Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler are joined by special guest Scott Hansen, a grain business legend with decades of experience. In this candid discussion, we dive into the frustrations many farmers are facing this harvest season, particularly with the historically low soybean basis. Scott shares a fascinating story about a conversat...

S2E7 Join Roger and Jason on "The Elevator's Cut Podcast" as they dive into the current harvest landscape. Why are farmers selling even when prices are low? We'll discuss the massive yields emerging from the Southeast and how they’re affecting the market. We'll also break down the importance of harvest ownership for elevators and discuss why some grain is being sold "across the scale" despite low...

S2E6 Join Roger and Jason on "The Elevator's Cut Podcast" as they welcome back industry legend, Jeff Reardon! In this insightful episode, Jeff, a financial expert and CPA, dives deep into the current financial landscape for grain merchandisers and elevators. Discover why the industry is seeing impressive profits, even with changing market dynamics. Jeff shares his unique "dollars per bushel of spa...

S2E5 Join hosts Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler on this episode of The Elevator's Cut as they welcome back old friend and former grain elevator manager, Michael Kaeb of White Commercial. Michael, now a consultant for grain elevators across the western U.S. and Canada, shares his surprising observations about the vast diversity of crops—from milo and sunflowers to various wheat types—and the unique...

S2E4 Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut, where Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler cut through the misconceptions and complexities of the grain industry with a healthy dose of humor and pragmatism. This episode, they tackle the "joys" of corn planting season, dissecting USDA numbers and the ever-predictable weather chaos. They then dive into the wild world of grain spreads and basis trading, revealing...

S2E03 What is the market really saying? Probably “good luck,” but we’re listening anyway. In this episode, Roger and Jason decode how merchandisers respond to spread structures, why everyone’s suddenly in love with averager contracts, and what to do when every farmer within 100 miles decides to grow corn. As always, no financial advice—just sarcasm, strategy, and survival tips from the merchandise...

S2E2 In this episode, Jason and Roger return from the road to unpack what they’re hearing across the industry—from farmer frustrations to merchandiser game plans. They dig into summer inversions, spread behavior that defies expectations, and the silent chaos of full bins before harvest. Also: co-op board decisions, pricing deadlines, and how bureaucratic policies somehow helped basis. If you’re in...

S2E1 Who’s really pulling the strings in the grain market? The Grain Mafia? The speculators? The deep state? In this episode, Roger and Jason break down the latest rally, debunk some classic misconceptions, and take a closer look at why some folks think only farmers should be allowed to trade futures. Plus, we explore why certain pricing myths just won’t die and how elevators actually manage risk...

How are basis traders looking at this recent harvest and the outlook for this season? We talk through the basics of what's going on, the importance of setting boundaries with customers, the value of space, why people hate Free DP so much, why the heck people hedge in the wrong months, and the prospects of setting up our own DOGE for the grain industry. A veritable cornucopia of zeitgeist delving a...

The guys are back delving the Zeitgeists on all the latest bad basis takes. We discuss how basis may not actually have destroyed the country's infrastructure, how "trading like an elevator" may not be as glamorous as people think but still worthwhile, and what the heck is basis theft and basis fraud anyways.  If you'd like to hear how Christopher Columbus and CRT are related to basis trading, this...

We are back with Part 2 for your harvest time listening pleasure. This time, with Special Guest, Susan Stroud of No Bull Ag ( NO BULL (nobullag.com) ). We delve into the Corn Sweat Zeitgeist, of course, but still have time to tackle the big topics of the 2024 fall harvest: rolling basis contracts, proactive selling to capture big carries, what's a "good price" and how does it change throughout the...

It's that time again for some audio to help pass the long hours of harvest. The guys have a special guest, Michael Kaeb from IL, to share stories and have some fun talking about the more entertaining side of the grain business. From Chemtrails to damaged equipment to bathroom subscription services, we once again dare to delve where other podcasts refuse to.   0:00 Intro 3:10 Special Guest Introduc...

Do the fundamentals even matter anymore? Are the Spec Shorts covering their Longs? Why is this crop so big and prices so low? Mostly, what should we do now that nothing is sold and prices are worse? Finally, how should elevators be approaching the coming logistical crunch and capturing the value they should? As usual, the guys delve into these topics and have all the answers. 

Help! I HTA'd myself and I don't know what to do!   Join us as we delve into the mysterious world of re-owning hedges and other recent agtwitter shenanigans.

The guys chat with Phil Luce about his ascension from spreadsheet guy to Spreadsheet CEO. What should we get out of charts? How did you learn the business? Can we have raises? All the important questions asked or implied. And of course, how should we interpret Cicadian Rythyms?

An Elite Peer Group of geographically diverse grain merchants join the show to share about their love for the grain business as well as their struggles and how they help each other through it all. Join us for a lively chat with Jake Lund from Wisconsin, Ben Nething from Ohio, and Michael Mock from Pennsylvania.