Posts by Guest Author
Let’s make a marketing plan (Part 2)
This article continues our marketing plan discussion from the February 2026 issue of Wheat Life. The next step in making a marketing plan is to form a market outlook. It is hard to do this objectively because our natural inclination is one of hope — for higher prices — but hope is not part of…
Read MoreThe Catch (Part 2)
Editor’s Note: Part 1 of “The Catch” ran in the February 2026 issue of Wheat Life. That last day of harvest was marked by the cutting of the border between the families’ two fields. It was very early in the morning, earlier than usual, when Buck fired up his combine and started cutting, without even…
Read MoreThe Catch, Part 1
“Slow down, son. We want to get there in one piece,” John said to his grandson. “But Gramps, I’m barely going the speed limit,” replied Tommy, the driver of the old Buick. “We are getting close, and I don’t want to miss any of the sights,” John replied. “Johnny, nothing has changed here in 60…
Read MoreLet’s make a marketing plan, Part 1
The articles that I’ve been writing this past year have all been leading up to this one — making a marketing plan (broken into two parts). I’ve covered the basic principles and some of the marketing tools that you need to understand and know how to use. The first thing we should do is establish…
Read MoreThe next chapter: Planning for retirement
You have a unique vision for your retirement. Whatever that vision is, proactive planning is the first step toward helping bring it to life. Unfortunately, more than half of adults feel they’re behind on retirement planning. The truth is, the sooner you start planning and saving for your retirement, the better. Envisioning your retirement lifestyle…
Read MoreOptions to market grain
This article is my last one covering marketing basics before we put everything together to develop a marketing plan. Unfortunately, it covers a difficult subject that is hard to cover in a short article. First, what is a minimum pricing contract (MPC)? It is a marketing tool that combines a cash sale with the purchase…
Read MoreThe trend is your friend?
The title of this article is one of those catch phrases that you may have heard over the years. It relays the fact that to make money trading commodities, you will make money as long as your trades align with the trend: selling short in a downtrend and being long in an uptrend. The difference…
Read MorePlanting the seeds of ag literacy
Understanding where our food comes from is something every person should know — and something every child should be taught. That’s the heart of the mission behind Washington Ag in the Classroom (WAIC), a program I’m honored to be a part of. My name is Alisha Klein, and I serve as the public relations and…
Read MoreMarketing friend or foe?
I was asked if I would write an article explaining the basis relationship between soft white wheat (SWH) and CBOT wheat futures, so here we go! I felt that this relationship could be best explained if I compared/contrasted the hard red winter wheat (HRW) KCBOT basis relationship with the SWH CBOT relationship. The market class…
Read MoreKeeping the river highway open
Washington’s thriving wheat industry relies heavily on a critical, often unseen, transportation artery: the Columbia-Snake River System. This “river highway” is the backbone of the state’s agricultural export system, efficiently moving millions of bushels of wheat from inland grain elevators to ocean ports at Vancouver, Portland, and beyond. The efficiency of barging is unparalleled; a…
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