5 Questions to Help You Manage Pre-Spreads
Why? Pre-spreading is about locking in spread structure that will support your merchandising plans. (e.g., if you plan to carry grain you need a carry spread structure). It’s best viewed as a ...
Read More
The End of Decision-Making
We (human beings, that is) are strongly motivated by FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. Any decision we make before we are forced into deciding means foregoing additional opportunities, and that doesn’t ...
Read More
The Basis Trader's Rules
I ran across this in my favorites folder the other day. I thought it a worthy reminder of how being successful in the grain elevator business is achieved by staying true to a few simple principles.
Read More
Thoughts on Navigating an Uncertain Environment
Last spring, things in the grain world were a mess. Huge swaths of the country were late planting or not planting at all. The general sense was that this was a different kind of year, and while there ...
Read More
Grain Origination: Buying Smart & Building Relationships
Part of my job at a country elevator was buying grain from farmers. I want to be completely clear that the vast majority of my interactions were positive. Sure, some relationships were stronger ...
Read More
The Importance of Contract Integrity for Grain Elevators
What is contract integrity? Simply put, contract integrity refers to the viability and enforceability of a grain company’s policies and procedures regarding the entering into, fulfilling of, and ...
Read More
Fraud Mitigation in the Grain Industry: Webinar & Best Practices
According to recent statistics, financial fraud is on a significant upswing. Last year, 82% of businesses in the United States suffered an instance of fraud, and 50% of those businesses lost money as ...
Read More
Dealing with Special Requests from Your Farmer Customers
How many times has a farmer come into your office and told you about some "great, new marketing alternative" that the guy down the street is offering... and wants to know why you're not? This has ...
Read More
The Consequences of Paying Too Much At Harvest
Competition is the driving forces that determines a fair and equitable price. For the most part, your cash price to producers is based on your best resell values. You determine what you can sell ...
Read More
5 Guidelines for Great Grain Contract Offerings
With so many different types of marketing alternatives available to farmers in the marketplace, how do you, at the grain elevator, decide on which ones to offer? We believe that if you stick to the ...
Read More
