CORN MARKET UPDATE: During the past 10 days or so the market is finally realizing what we've been saying about #Plant19 - We ain't gonna see a 15Bbu crop...and perhaps not even a 14Bbu crop! It feels like we're rallying like it's 2010 all over again, but we all need to step back and … Continue reading Data Dump: May 22, 2019 →

  CORN MARKET UPDATE: WEEKLY CORN MARKETING THOUGHTS: Another week, another leg down in the grain markets, while planting delays pile on.  If I did not already have the majority of my 2018 and 2019 crops priced, I would be lowering targets and looking to sell more on any bounce.  However, I do have plenty … Continue reading Weekly Data Dump: May 13, 2019 →

I don't remember when Brian Duffy published this cartoon in the Des Moines Register, but I think it was 1993.  It was posted on a ISU professor's door during all my years at Iowa State...and that was a really long time...  The great part about ISU, at least at that time, was that it wasn't … Continue reading Does Planting Pace Matter? →

It's going to be a VERY brief post today, folks... I planted corn until just before rain Saturday night, and I'm going to head back out and get back at it this afternoon I was feeling bullish enough late last week that I decided to begin converting some of my sales to minimum price contracts … Continue reading Weekly Data Dump: May 6, 2019 →

"Man who picks bottom gets stinky fingers." -Old Chinese Proverb CORN MARKET UPDATE: WEEKLY CORN MARKETING THOUGHTS: I'm running late this week because I was planting beans late last Friday to beat the rain! While the past week in grain prices was UGLY, it sure feels like the market let loose a whole bunch of … Continue reading Weekly Data Dump: April 29, 2019 →

As part of my weekly grain merchandising routine I prepare a summary of our hedged positions and a very brief overview of the markets, called my "Merchandising Dashboard."  After preparing the Dashboard, I share it with my business partners and other associates during a 15-minute weekly teleconference.  Since I began in late-2016, the weekly ritual … Continue reading Weekly Data Dump: April 19, 2019 →

Sometimes I can't help myself...it's hard for me to solve problems without just going for the most complicated solution...  If you're not into math and computers and such, just trust me when I say that just selling as little as 50 bushels per acre at prices currently available can greatly improve your odds of profit … Continue reading Unnecessarily Complex →

Based on surveys done by folks who care about such things, it is often said that farmers feel that marketing is the absolute worst part of farming.  I'm guessing they didn't ask about budgeting, because I just finished putting mine together for this season after having  procrastinated on a "make new crop budgets" on a … Continue reading My 2019 Crop Budgets →

I'm not going to ask you to name names, but do you know someone who should have sold more grain when the markets were decent last spring?  Yes? Unfortunately, my wife does, too.  By now we've all heard about #Seasonal price patterns, and how prices tend to peak during planting season, but why didn't we … Continue reading It’s Target Season: Don’t Miss the Buck! →

I made the mistake once of showing my wife that there's been an opportunity for me to sell our corn and soybeans at a healthy profit every year since I picked up my farming habit.  Her response should have been predictable..."then why do you make grain marketing so difficult?"...  Hmmm...touché.  I quickly rattled off a … Continue reading TMI →