Grain IQ

We’ve seen the grain markets have been active lately, leading to numerous questions for grain producers.

On January 12, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released three reports. - World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) - 2022 Crop Production Annual Summary - Quarterly Grain Stocks Report With all the data you could consume in those reports, which numbers are important to you and your grain marketing plan? And what will influence the markets in the coming weeks and months? Kyle...

Every conversation in this podcast so far has brought up various marketing terms and phrases - some of which you may have heard; others which may be new. This episode is your glossary reference! We’ve pulled together definitions of important terms and phrases so that you can refer back to them as you create and execute your grain marketing plan.

If you find yourself listening to market analysis, you might hear the terms ‘technical’ and 'fundamental.’ Throughout the podcast, we’ve learned about fundamental trading and analysis. This week on Grain IQ, what is technical trading? Can it be used with fundamental trading? How can it be used on your operation? Mike Zuzolo, president of Global Commodity Analytics, breaks down technical trading.

With all the information you can use to make a grain marketing plan, what should you prioritize? Darin Newsom of Darin Newsom Analysis says he does NOT use USDA reports when making grain marketing decisions. Today, we’ll learn his perspective on those reports and explore the tools he uses to make grain marketing decisions. Grain IQ is a production of the Nebraska Rural Radio Association, with supp...

We continue part two of our conversation on how to use U.S. Department of Agriculture reports to make grain marketing decisions. Today’s focus is on the Quarterly Grain Stocks report. Keep in mind, there are some grain marketing experts who use this information, and there are some who don’t. It comes down to what works for making your operation profitable. We’re joined again by Jeff Peterson, the...

As you’ve probably gathered by now, there are so many pieces of information you can use to make grain marketing decisions. It’s easy to go into information overload. Some grain marketing experts will tell you why a certain material matters. Other experts will tell you just the opposite for the SAME material - why it doesn’t matter. Ultimately what matters for you is developing a grain marketing pl...

We’ve mentioned it before, but wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly when you need to sell your grain? When you create your grain marketing plan for your operation, you’ll need to focus on different benchmarks to help you determine when to market your grain. Those benchmarks will be different for pre-harvest and post-harvest marketing. In part two of this conversation, Luke Beckman, a grain sales ma...

One of the most frequently asked questions in grain marketing: When should I sell my grain? If only there was a magic ball to predict price trends in the future… Hopefully, somebody’s working on that technology, but until then, it’s important to develop a marketing strategy that works for your operation. In part one of this conversation, Luke Beckman, a Grain Sales Manager with Central Valley Ag C...

Now that you’ve learned about puts and calls in options trading, let’s put the ideas into workable examples. Doug Simon, a commodity consultant with Tredas, works through math problems to help you better understand options trading and how it can be a part of your grain marketing plan.

What are my options with options trading? Should I sell a put or buy a call, or buy a put or sell a call? Confused yet? It’s a lot to digest! Doug Simon, a commodity consultant with Tredas, breaks down puts and calls and how they can layer into your grain marketing plan.

Put me in, coach! There are all kinds of players in the futures market, from grain buyers to money managers to food processors and more. Farmers are actually just a small piece of that puzzle. In this episode of Grain IQ, we explore the players in the futures market. Who is involved and how does that impact YOU, the farmer? Justin Lovegrove, owner, president and grain marketing advisor with the AR...

Many grain producers base their grain marketing decisions on basis or the cash market. So why is it important that farmers understand the futures market? Darin Fessler, senior hedge advisor at Lakefront Futures and Options, said that understanding the futures market can help producers better manage risk throughout the year.

Guest: Jeff Peterson, Heartland Farm Partners Throughout season one of Grain IQ, listeners have learned about factors that influence commodity trade, tendencies of different types of grain marketers and strategies for developing a grain marketing plan. In this episode of Grain IQ, Jeff Peterson, president of Heartland Farm Partners, shares helpful resources for developing a marketing plan.

Guest: Ed Usset, University of Minnesota While it’s important to understand basis, the Chicago Board of trade, seasonality patterns and more in grain marketing, it’s even more important to be able to think about all of those components collectively to develop a marketing plan. In the latest episode of Grain IQ, Ed Usset, a grain marketing economist for the Center for Farm Financial Management at t...

Every year is different when it comes to grain marketing, but some patterns will hold true. In this episode of Grain IQ, Heartland Farm Partners President Jeff Peterson sheds light on how the seasonality of grain can impact your marketing plan. Grain IQ is a production of the Nebraska Rural Radio Association, in cooperation and with support from the Nebraska Soybean Board.

In order to stay profitable, producers have to sell their commodities at or above their breakeven. Seems pretty simple, right? So who determines what those commodities are worth? How do other people buy and sell futures and options? Who sets the prices of commodities? That’s where the Chicago Board of Trade comes into play. In this episode of Grain IQ, author and market analyst Elaine Kub explains...

What is basis and why does it play a role in grain marketing? Basis is the difference between the futures price and the cash price. It’s an indication of whether or not a local buyer wants your grain. The more positive the basis, the more the buyer is willing to pay for your grain. The more negative the basis, the less the buyer is willing to pay for grain. There are many factors, both seasonal an...

The U.S. exports a lot of grain. In fact, U.S. exports of grain in all forms reached nearly 101 million metric tons in the 2019/20 marketing year. So what countries rely on U.S. grain? Where does it go? How does it get there? In this episode of Grain IQ, author and market analyst Elaine Kub explores the developing and major international markets for U.S. corn, soybeans and wheat.

Have you ever wondered how the U.S. uses grain produced by its own farmers? You’d probably be surprised to learn about all of its uses! Author and market analyst Elaine Kub dives into the domestic uses of U.S. grain, specifically for corn, soybeans and wheat.

Every grain producer has a different personality, different preferences, and different tendencies which impacts the ways in which they think about grain marketing. On this episode of Grain IQ, we’ll explore two main types of grain marketers: pre-harvest marketers and post-harvest marketers.

Before futures contracts and the Chicago Board of Trade, grain marketing was as simple as a farmer trying to make money. These days, basis, grain elevators, and other factors have made grain marketing a complicated endeavor. Gain a greater understanding of the origins of the grain markets in Episode 1 of GrainIQ, featuring Ed Usset, grain marketing economist for the Center for Farm Financial Manag...

We know farmers are good at producing grain, but we want them to be good at marketing it, too. Grain marketing is a critical part of keeping farming operations profitable. From the history of grain trading to the importance of domestic and international markets, we’ll help you understand all facets of grain marketing. And, we’ll give you resources to build your own grain marketing Hosted by Chad M...