Reading Time: 6 minutes Top marketers know that marketing isn’t only the act of selling, it’s the act of knowing. In particular, top farm marketers not only know their own strategies, strengths and needs, they also know how they can make them mesh with the strategies, strengths and needs of their customer, whether that’s an elevator down the road […] Read more
Built on the basis
For this farm, finding a way to participate in how local grain prices get calculated has opened the door for growth and success
What is wheat basis anyway?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Like a lever pulling open a chute, basis makes grain flow. Or it shuts it off. Grain buyers use basis to attract grain when they need it. If they offer a higher local cash price, they’re in fact offering a stronger basis than other buyers in the area. A weak basis means the cash price […] Read more
Wheat basis levels improve, futures stay bearish
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– Canada’s spring wheat basis has hit fresh highs to spur producer selling, but overall the market remains bearish. “It does seem kind of counterintuitive to see cash prices strengthening right during harvest,” said Brenda Tjaden Lepp, co-founder of FarmLink Marketing Solutions in Winnipeg. Over the past week, quoted basis levels for Canada […] Read more
U.S. wheat futures seen stalling
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada –– U.S. wheat futures posted solid gains over the month of June but appear to be stalling out in the early days of July as the market looks for more fresh supportive news. “The bull needs to be fed every day, and right now it’s not getting anything to keep it going,” said […] Read more
Prairie wheat bids rise with improving basis
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada –– Cash bids for Canadian wheat were stronger during the week ended Friday, as basis levels improved. A firmer tone in U.S. wheat futures was also supportive. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were C$6-$12 per tonne higher, with bids ranging from about $204 per tonne in north-central Saskatchewan to $223 […] Read more
Reading the basis
Of all the signals the market is always sending you, the clearest can be the basis. Here’s how to put that to better use in your farm’s 2015 marketing strategy
Reading Time: 7 minutes If there’s a market signal farmers obsess over, it’s the basis. Not only can it make the difference between profitability and red ink, it’s also set by your local grain buyers, so theoretically it’s the signal you should hear the loudest. But is the basis really well understood? Is it ever entirely clear why it’s […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
