The Elevator’s Cut Podcast

As we look forward to a summer of diminishing grain stocks with big inversions and a new crop year of little to no carry in the spreads, how the heck is anyone going to make any money and what should grain merchants be doing now to prepare? Also, how should farmers be approaching their marketing in this environment? The guys walk through the situation and outline the opportunities. 

After some wild times following war news, the guys discuss why things happened the way they did in the cash market during days of locked limit up futures markets in Chicago. Why did people shift their bids to different months? Why were some not bidding at all? How should a farmer look at all of it? Was it all a cash grab for a big "elevator's cut" or were buyers just trying not to lose money? 

The guys bring in Phil Luce, new CEO of White Commercial, to share his keynote talk about decision making during volatile times in the grain business. Celebrating Easter early, we put some Easter eggs at the end for you. 

It's a Festivus Miracle! The guys are back with another episode. In this one we air our grievances about "knowing the markets," having a bunch of screens, and why people look at risk the opposite of the way Merriam Webster does. We also catch you up on some of our latest conferences and what's on our schedule for 2022. Hope to see y'all out there this year! 

The guys discuss the latest ways to #winbasis from last summer. Step 1: Volatility Step 2: Derivatives Step 3: ??? Step 4: #WinBasis

Once again, the guys welcome guest cohost and fellow GMD connoisseur, Susan David, to the show to do some analysis of the infamous Facebook page known on AgTwitter simply as GMD. We discuss some of our favorite posts and delve into the comment sections. Some good discussion on why people bid vs. different months, spreads, and how basis is used by grain buyers. 

The guys welcome guest cohost and fellow GMD connoisseur, Susan David, to the show to do some analysis of the infamous Facebook page known on AgTwitter simply as GMD. We discuss some of our favorite posts, delve into the comment sections, and hopefully bring somewhat of a counter argument to the anti-merchandiser, anti-elevator mentality that pops up from time to time.

For this episode, we cross international lines to talk with the (in)famous Pete Archer from Maizieing Acres in Ontario. Pete tells us his personal story as a grain farmer and eventual commercial grain elevator and gives us great insight on how basis trading actually works when trading across borders and currencies. 

The guys delve into the reality that bushels will likely be hunting for space this year, and what that means for the value of space amid the sad-trombone spread structure currently in place (hint: don’t pay too much for the basis!) They also get into the nitty gritty of the real cost of running a grain elevator and how your policies can help (or hurt) your ability to cover those costs. As always,...

We are joined by University of Arkansas Professor, Dr. Mckenzie, to discuss the grain business and how he has been able to bridge the gap between academia and pragmatic cash grain trading through his career. He also shares with us his perspective about what qualities young people are looking for in an employer as they begin their careers (and it's not what you might think). Finally, we discuss his...

We sit down with Fred Seamon, Executive Director of Commodity Research and Product Development at CME Group, to discuss all the buzz and consternation around the corners of the internet for the agricultural world. Of course, we also delve into the zeitgeist of this season. Fred sets us straight on how the commercial side is affected by HFT, algos, convergence, and more. And he does it all in a cle...

Long time friend of the show Jeff Reardon spends some time with us going over how the financial side of the business is handling this big rally year. He also tells us how commercial grain business margins are faring this year based on his unique analysis and metrics.

Ashley Bettenhausen (@TheFarmWifey) joins the guys all the way from up north to share her trials and triumphs as a female grain originator from a non-ag background. And of course, she sets the record straight on just exactly how proper spread terminology do.  

What does grain merchandising, family business transition, and dog food have in common? More than you might think. Join the guys as Chad takes us down his professional pathway and sheds some light on that ol grain business chestnut, "its different around here." (Spoiler Alert: it ain't)

It seems like all people in the grain business want is a rally, but why are so many people miserable right now? Your humble hosts delve into the zeitgeist of the big grain rally and discuss what's so difficult about it for the farmer and the commercial. Clear your schedule for half an hour and enjoy this episode nearly dubbed "The China Cut" 

The guys chat with CEO/Co-Founder of Bushel Jake Joraanstad, and Chief Market Officer Camille Grade to discuss the way technology is improving the grain business. We hear about the story of this Fargo based Ag-Tech firm and what they are doing to make the grain elevator and farmer relationship more transparent and streamlined. We also discuss what's out there on the horizon for technology advancem...

2020 has been the most unique year we’ve had in a while, and spreadz are not immune to this year’s wonkiness. While we haven’t seen this type of spread action in the grain biz in a few moons, they are not unheard of and in fact, once understood, flat & inverted markets can provide the astute merchandiser with both profit and fun. Probably.

Rodney Connor of Indigo Ag fields all the tough questions about how Indigo interacts with the grain business. As a former grain merchant in Northern IL, he acknowledges the company's past mistakes and explains their perspective moving forward and shifts they are making to try and be a valuable cog in the supply chain.

Family grain business operator, blogger, and friend Rob Cogdill of Cogdill Farm Supply in Dunlap, Iowa joins us to share his journey into the family business from the halls of academia, as well as some of the ways he’s been able to de-complicate grain merchandising. Find more info about Rob at   www.cogdillfarmsupply.com  and www.bullsheet.blog or on twitter @BullSheet_Blog.

The guys delve into all the zeitgeists that have folks riled up about visions of rallies to come this year. Join us as we discuss practical ways to digest the news without the need for all the antacid. As always, thanks to our sponsor for this episode: Sample Buckets.

The guys discuss worst case scenarios for new crop this year and what commercial grain folks should be doing now to avoid trouble. As always, it’s not rocket surgery, but worth thinking through in a year where space could be more valuable than it’s ever been.

Today, we delve into the policies and contracts that haven’t had a great year (namely rolling basis contracts) and how to improve them in the future. We also get into some of the popular contracts for new crop and which ones you should be tweaking, eliminating, improving, or promoting in the current environment.

No bad tweets, but how about podcast interviews? Ohio grain originator and self proclaimed truck czar Benjamin Nething shares with us his thoughts on the grain biz. From the differences in working for a major vs. a family company, to keeping millennials engaged at the elevator, to the the bane of modern society that is social media, we cover it all.   Disclaimer: no bats were harmed in the recordi...

In this episode the guys social distance with Scott Hansen, long time WCC employee and fixture of the Iowa school board world. Scott shares with us his take on what is and is not new in the grain business, as well as sharing a few of his stories from the road. 

The guys hop on the line with Luke Swenson and Joe Solinger from Bushel to get learnt on how ag tech is being driven in the commercial grain business, all while adhering to proper social distancing guidelines. To learn more about how Bushel is helping the grain industry, please visit them at bushelpowered.com