Today’s USDA report painted a very friendly and supportive tone for grain prices going forward into the U.S. planting and growing season for 2018.

There has been quite an uproar the past few years about the seemingly “mystical and all-knowing” funds and speculators in the commodity marketplace.

Make the most of every penny possible. Here is a quick hit list of five tips to make the most of your time and grain.

It’s the time of year to think back and reflect on 2017. Here are the top five grain and livestock marketing pieces many have expressed they want to improve upon in 2018.

If exports don’t pick up steam in the coming months, the “extra supply” from this year’s harvest will stay on U.S. soil.

Cattle futures have come to life yet again. Demand, and demand alone, is the sole reason for higher prices. Domestic and export demands are solid as packers gear up for holiday needs. At the end of October, beef prices increased substantially suggesting boxed beef prices on Friday, October 27, closing at $203.30. This is the highest beef market since early August.

Quit looking out your backdoor. There’s more to the price of corn, beans, and wheat than the yield out in your fields.

Learn about the nine fundamentals I continuously monitor, any of which can tip the balance scale.

Sick of these corn prices stuck in a rut for NINE months? Yes, it HAS been that long. This corn price is seriously STUCK at a 35¢ cent trading range since October 2016! What gives? Part one, as you very well know, is the overall fact that the U.S. grew a record crop in 2016. Ending stocks have been more than ample since harvest. Even though farmers are still moving old-crop corn sitting in bins since fall, for the time being, there is plenty of corn available in the U.S. and around the world.   

Marketing your grain can be an emotional roller-coaster. Let’s take the emotion out of the equation and explore historical trends.