Table of contents

    1. Seven Steps to Better Marketing
    2. Understanding supply factors for agricultural products
    3. How demand and supply determine market price
    4. How exchange rates affect agricultural markets
    5. How interest rates affect agricultural markets
    6. How to use charting to analyse commodity markets
    7. Agriculture marketing clubs
    8. Commodity futures markets
    1. Economics and Marketing – Choosing a Commodity Broker
    2. Margin on futures contracts
    3. Options on futures – an introduction
    4. Using hedging to protect farm product prices
    5. Canola futures contract
    1. Introduction to crop marketing
    2. Basis – How cash grain prices are established
    3. Grain marketing decision grid
    4. Price pooling – How it works
    5. Crop contracts
    6. Grain storage as a marketing strategy
    7. Using producer cars to ship prairie grain
    8. Using frequency charts for marketing decisions
    9. Western Canadian grain catchment
    10. Barley and wheat marketing resources
    11. Wheat basis levels
    12. Wheat quality and protein matters
    13. Wheat pricing considerations
    14. Marketing oats in Canada
    15. US Crops – Where Are They Grown?
    1. Introduction to livestock marketing
    2. Understanding and using basis levels in cattle markets
    3. Forward contracting of cattle
    4. Understanding dressing percentage of slaughter cattle
    5. Understanding the cattle market sliding scale
    6. Predicting feeder cattle prices
    7. Breakeven analysis for feeder cattle
    8. Farm gate values for farm-raised vs purchased calves
    9. Wool marketing in Canada
    10. Marketing feeder lambs
    1. Turf and forage seed trade companies active in the Peace Region
    2. History of creeping red fescue production in the Peace River Region
    3. Alfalfa seed marketing in Canada
    4. Forage seed marketing
    5. Marketing creeping red fescue
    6. Faba bean
    7. Marketing compressed hay
    1. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – A, B
    2. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – C
    3. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – D, E
    4. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – F, G
    5. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – H, I, J, K
    6. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – L, M
    7. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – N, O
    8. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – P, Q, R
    9. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – S
    10. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – T, U
    11. Agricultural Marketing Glossary – V, W
    12. Other Marketing Related Glossaries

Producers recognize the advantages of checking wheat prices for their representative samples with various buyers. A challenge that producers have encountered in comparing wheat prices among buyers is inconsistency in what the wheat price quotes represent.

The first step in wheat pricing is finding out what grades of wheat you have to market. Take representative samples while the grain is being binned at harvest, and then take those samples to buyers for grading opinion. Most wheat is still judged on appearance and then protein content. Falling number is another characteristic that is becoming more commonly measured and valued for certain markets. It may also be useful to send representative samples of your wheat to the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). For a small fee, the CGC will provide an unofficial, but impartial grade. This CGC grade can then be used as a base from which to market your wheat to the buyers.

Forward contract prices bid by grain companies are listed by grade and protein. Contracts for some specific wheat (i.e., type, grade and protein) may be offered for one forward delivery month and not for others. These forward delivery opportunities indicate that the company wants to assemble delivery commitments for a specific sale that they have made.

Grain companies may differ in how they quote prices. For a wheat type, there can be quote variations between companies on the grade or protein level that they use as their base grade. A company may even use a different base grade for pricing at different locations. Some grain companies may quote a price which excludes some of the costs, such as rail freight to be deducted at settlement. It is within a company's discretion to sometimes offer a trucking allowance.

In summary, it is important to know the quality characteristics of grain that you have to market. Then, be diligent in understanding what the net price will be for the grain that you are gathering quotes on. Finally, before signing a contract, read and understand all the terms of that contract, considering all possibilities that may arise.

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