Turmoil and Opportunities in Minnesota Grain Marketing

Ed Usset, Grain Marketing Economist at the Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota, joins us for this milestone 50th episode of Minnesota CropCast, recorded on September 12, 2025.Working with colleagues at the Center for Farm Financial Management and in Extension, Ed developed the acclaimed Winning the Game workshop series and manages Commodity Challenge, an online marketing education game that uses real-time cash and futures data. At the University, he also teaches Commodity Markets to undergraduate and graduate students.In this episode, Ed stresses the economic importance for grain growers to complete final marketing of any 2024 crop still in storage by this fall. He shares suggestions and target prices to help producers forward-price grain, drawing on seasonal post-harvest market patterns—especially critical during times of lower prices and weakened demand under current trade policies. He also reviews the potential financial impacts of economic constraints on U.S. feed grain exports, particularly corn in 2025.Finally, Seth Naeve, University of Minnesota Soybean Extension Specialist, discusses soybean export needs across Asian markets and what shifting demand means for Upper Midwest producers.