Bryan Doherty

There is certainly no shortage of big-picture variables that may have a major impact in the year ahead. As we look at the marketing perspective, we encourage producers to be open-minded.

Price rallies will occur, however, an alignment of the stars to keep both end users and speculator buying at higher prices is not the most likely path.

The bottom line is that the crops are late, beneficial weather is required to hold yield projections, and price volatility remains high.

The key is being prepared for the market to move rapidly, perhaps in either direction.

Using a variety of tools to shift risk helps develop a well-rounded and balanced approach to marketing.

In the futures market, what is sometimes misunderstood are the different types of buyers or sellers and how this can influence market movement.