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Marketing expert says profitable sales beat perfect timing

A grain merchandiser says having a marketing plan can help farmers take advantage of rallies.

Mathew Burkey with Ag Valley Co-Op, based in western Nebraska, says producers often overthink their strategies, which can create stress. “If it is a profitable sale, then it’s a good one and then you have to move on to the next one. It’s hard to do, but if you don’t make yourself have targets and know your cost of production, sometimes you get paralyzed by emotion and not doing something is still doing something and then nothing gets done.”

He tells Brownfield there is always price volatility, but farmers could regret holding out for the perfect price. “Weather rallies typically last 2 to 5 days. We’ve got world events that move markets up and down. Reports come out. We can’t predict the market. Just have some targets working. Reward the rally. When it rallies, sell some grain, then reboot and then set your next target higher.”

Burkey says producers should work with a marketing expert because they can help identify opportunities and keep producers focused on their goals.

Mathew Burkey: