Issue 31
Marketing Guide 2000
 

Prairie Grains is the official publication of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, North Dakota Grain Growers Association, South Dakota Wheat, Inc. and the Minnesota Barley Growers Association.

Copyright
Prairie Grains Marketing Guide 2000

MARKETEER software helps producers make marketing plans

Producers can navigate the ups and downs of volatile prices with a tailored marketing approach using MARKETEER, a new software program jointly developed by the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management and Country Hedging, Inc. "MARKETEER was developed based on real-world experience in putting together marketing plans," says Bob Craven, Center director and economist with the U of M Extension Service. "It's designed to cover a wide range of crops and marketing strategies, and is as useful for a 200-acre farm as it is for 3,000 acres."

Dan Brandt, who produces about 70,000 bushels of corn and 18,000 bushels of soybeans near Plainview, Minn., says until recently he felt uncomfortable doing more than some limited forward contracting. That changed after he used MARKETEER and worked with an advisor to develop and implement a plan. "This past May I sold corn and bought calls," he says. "Given current prices, I figure I netted a solid $30,000 on the transactions."

The program walks you through the process of writing a plan, using a menu of marketing tools. It's available for $295 plus $20.65 sales tax for Minnesota residents. A 10-day trial version is available for download at www. cffm.umn.edu, e-mail cffm@cffm. agecon.umn.edu. Or, call (800) 234-1111 (Center for Farm Financial Management) or (800) 378-5056 (Country Hedging) for more information.

System requirements include Windows 95, 98, 2000 or NT 4.0, with 32 MB of RAM; 100 MB of free hard drive space, and at least a 180 MHZ Pentium processor. If you've purchased a computer in the last two years, you'll be in good shape.