Brian Wittal

If Brian Wittal was designing the perfect delivery contract, farmers would have firm delivery guarantees

Is it just me, or was there more marketing information and update seminars than usual this past winter? I think there has been. I know I have attended more than usual and have been called on to talk at more than I have in the past couple of years. There have been courses and seminars […] Read more

Supply and demand charts can give you some useful insight into future crop prices. Learn how to read them

Beside day-to-day commodity prices, there are other types of information that you should pay attention to. Some of these are supply and demand, carry forward stocks and stocks to use ratio. Supply and demand charts Supply and demand charts (S&Ds) are kept for every commodity imaginable by many different groups and organizations around the world […] Read more

Let’s continue where we left off with regards to non-commercial speculation in the futures markets. Some terms you’ll hear are “volume” and “open interest.” Volume is the total number of trades made on a futures or options contract, usually on a daily basis. Open interest is the number of futures or options contracts for a […] Read more

I read a climate research article that was tracking solar activity such as sun spots. The conclusion was that, on average, the North American hemisphere will cool by about 9 C. Another report suggests we could see the continued spread of the U.S. drought, north into the Canadian Prairies. How reliable are the weather models […] Read more

Risk management isn’t all about crop pricing and stock markets. 
There are lots of ways to manage many different types of risk

Spring is approaching and with it comes the anticipation of a hectic and sometimes stressful time of year: seeding! I want to take some time to talk about other aspects of farm risk management that you can deal with now that can and will save you time and money come the busy time of spring […] Read more

First, a quick review of new pooling options offered by CWB. CWB pooling options The winter pool will operate like traditional pools, and features a six-month pooling period (Feb. – July) that enables farmers to capture late-season prices, without risking the daily volatility of the cash market. Sign up is from December 12 to February 15 or […] Read more

You’re still selling your 2012 crop, but it’s already time to start making 
decisions about your pricing strategies for 2013

Winter is a good time to make marketing decisions. Not just for the crop you already have in the bin, but for the crops you’re planning to seed in the coming spring. This is the time to consider your alternatives and decide how much risk you want to take. Cash grains For “cash grains” that […] Read more

Choosing futures/basis contracts for your grain sales can be a challenge. The right answers depend on the timing and your situation

If you want to manage your own pricing risk for wheat in your own way, grain handing companies, including the CWB, offer futures/basis contracts that enable you to fix a price and delivery period for your wheat when you want. A word of caution: very few grain companies are willing to handle wheat that has […] Read more

The popular quote is “Change can be a good thing.” That’s only true if you can figure out how to benefit from the change

Delivering to the Cana-dian Wheat Board has changed. You need to figure out if delivering to the new CWB can benefit you, and how (or if) you can use CWB in your marketing plan. Admin Changes 2. An important change has been made to contracts for landlords and interested parties. Separate contracts must be signed […] Read more

This summer marks the start of major changes to western Canadian grain marketing. Get ready to make the most of new market conditions

In 50 years will 2012 be remembered as the year that forever changed the grain marketing industry for the better? Or the worse? Will the Grain Marketing Freedoms Act taking the Monopoly powers away from the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) on July 31, 2012, and the imminent take over of Viterra by a multinational marketing company, Glencore, be […] Read more