Regardless of the crop or the time of year, Farmers Cooperative has the tools to handle your grain marketing, storage, and transportation needs.  Our grain division offers a wide variety of risk management, contracting, and storage tools and has the experience to help you find the right direction based on YOUR operations' needs.  We also offer transportation services from the bin or the field.  Call for specific quotes and details, but below is a description of various marketing tools offered at your local Farmers Cooperative elevator.  For further explaination/working examples, please see attached document:

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Forward Sale

 The forward sale gives the producer the ability to lock in a price for a commodity for a predetermined quantity during a pre determined delivery timeframe.  Also known as forward contracting and/or flat priced sale.

Cash Offer

The cash offer allows the producer to organize a disciplined marketing strategy with a standing offer to price bushels at a set "offer" price.  Offers work day and night, and are FREE to enter.  Be it grain in your bin, or grain in elevator storage/price later, offers are a great tool to stay disciplined and let market volatility work on your behalf.  

Price Later

Price later allows the producer to deliver grain to their local Farmers Cooperative elevator without establishing a set price.  The producer will then price that grain at our nearby cash bid at his/her discretion up unitl the final pricing date set in Price Later program.  The cost will vary throughout the year and is subject to availability of space.  Title of grain passes at time of shipment, and price later bushels may not be applied to forward contracts or used as collateral on government loans or LDP's.   

Spot Sale

The spot sale is an alternative in which grain is sold immediately as it crosses the scale.  Many prefer this method of pricing during harvest if forward contrating wasn't a large portion of the producer's marketing plan.

Hedge-to-Arrive

The producer locks in the futures-price portion of their contract while leaving delivery period and the basis-price portion open.  The producer then waits for basis to improve or market carry to widen, allowing the opportunity to roll forward and gain market carry and potential basis improvement.  HTA's are extremely flexible and is the best way to earn market carry, which helps pay for your storage space/expense.  HTA contracts may require a fee and may not be rolled from crop year to crop year.

Basis Contract

The producer locks in the basis-price portion of their contract while leaving the futures-price portion open, allowing for opportunity to gain from any potential futures-price appreciation.  Producer may haul and apply bushels before futures-price is established.  Basis contracts may be used in place of storage at times and are free to write and roll forward.  

Minimum Price

The classic re-ownership marketing alternative; The minimum price contract establishes a guarenteed base price but allows the seller to benefit from a rally AFTER the sale is made.  Payment is made right away (once grain is delivered).  The MP contract utilizes call and/or put options and are tailored to match your needs.  Can be used in place of storage and guarentees a price floor while generating cash right away.  Can be hybridized with most other contract offerings.

Premium Offer

The premium offer pays the producer a premium in exchange for a deferred offer that is ABOVE the current market.  You pick the offer price and you keep 100% of the premium, regardless if the offer is filled or it expires.  Premium offers are a way to generate premium simply by identifying something you are willing to sell; it offsets the risk of lower prices with the risk of higher prices (and pays you for doing so), a risk that most commodity producers welcome with open arms.  Can be hybridized with most other contract offerings.