November 20, 2020

Welcome to our Strategic Crop Marketing Video Series

by Nathanael Thompson and James Mintert

We’ve recorded a series of short videos to help you improve your crop marketing skills. The first two videos review the importance of understanding basis when marketing crops and how to use historical data to forecast basis. Subsequent videos detail how storage hedging can work to your advantage, provide a comparison of historical returns to both unpriced storage and storage returns and discuss using knowledge of seasonal patterns in corn futures prices and corn futures price spreads to improve returns.

ARTICLES WITHIN PUBLICATION:

TAGS:

basis

TEAM LINKS:

James Mintert

Nathanael Thompson

RELATED RESOURCES

August brings late-summer weakening while Iowa soybean basis surges

August 21, 2026

Corn basis has weakened across much of the Eastern Corn Belt since late July, while soybean basis has taken a very different path. The biggest surprise? Iowa, where soybean basis strengthened sharply despite seasonal trends that pointed toward weakening.

July Crop Basis Update: Strengthening Continues, But Seasonal Decreases Loom

July 20, 2026

Corn and soybean basis continued strengthening across much of the Eastern Corn Belt through mid-July, although some local markets have already begun to soften. See where basis is strongest, where it’s weakening, and what seasonal trends suggest for the weeks ahead.

Corn Basis Is Doing Something Unusual This Summer

June 30, 2026

Corn and soybean basis strengthened across much of the Eastern Corn Belt over the past month — a surprising shift from the typical seasonal pattern of basis weakening heading into June. Josh Strine breaks down the latest corn and soybean basis trends, how current basis levels compare with historical averages, and what strengthening basis could mean for grain marketing decisions heading into July.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Weathering Water Extremes: Connecting Soil Health, Drainage, Irrigation, and Farm Resilience

Join educators from across the Midwest to build skills for communicating soil health concepts on Nov. 4-5, 2026. In the field, we’ll evaluate the relationship between soil health and water management focusing on irrigation and edge of field practices. The in-service will have both classroom and on farm demonstrations.

Land of Opportunity: A Conference for Farmland Owners!

The Land of Opportunity: A Conference for Farmland Owners will be held at two locations on October 5 and October 6, providing farmland owners with valuable information and resources to help them make informed decisions about their land. The conference will feature keynote presentations, educational breakout sessions, and networking opportunities designed specifically for those who own, manage, or have an interest in farmland.

POPULAR RESOURCES

2026 Crop Cost and Return Guide

September 16, 2025

The 2026 Purdue Crop Cost and Return Guide provides estimated costs and net returns for planting, growing, and harvesting corn, soybeans, and wheat in the upcoming year. Cost and return information presents information for low, average, and high productivity soils. Early projections point to slightly higher breakeven prices.

2025 Farmland Values & Market Trends

September 9, 2025

Purdue ag economists Todd Kuethe and Michael Langemeier as they discuss Indiana farmland values on this, the first of two episodes reviewing the 2025 Purdue Farmland Values and Cash Rental Rates survey results. The survey shows Indiana land prices continue to rise and are anticipated to continue a modest increase for the rest of 2025 for most of the state.

Farmland Prices Increase Despite Downward Pressure, Purdue Ag Econ Report August 2025

August 19, 2025

Indiana farmland prices have continued the trend of record highs in 2025, according to the latest Purdue Farmland Value and Cash Rents Survey results. The average price of top-quality farmland reached $14,826 per acre, a 3.0% increase from June 2024. Statewide, cash rents increased from 1.5 to 1.7% for poor-, average-, and top-quality land.

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