Office for Futures and Options Research (OFOR)

Workshop	Dates	Description	Instructor
World Agricultural Marketplace and Risk Management Workshop CLICK TO REGISTER	April 20 - 21, 2009 June 15-16, 2009 November 16 - 17, 2009	The world agricultural marketplace, grain flow, transportation, regulation, hedging, basis trading, spreads, market reports, and options.	Ag consultant and speaker Sue Goll

First Day

9:00 World Marketplace Overview
Major producing areas, players (importers/exporters), policy changes & effects on trade

10:00 Production Agriculture
Growing stages of corn, soybeans, and wheat
Key growing concerns and effects on market prices

10:30   Break

10:45   Processing 
Corn, soybeans, and wheat
Uses of products
Competing products

11:15   Grain Flow/Transportation
Flow of grain from producer to end user
Major modes of transportation
Evolution of railroads
Elements of transportation that affect the market

12:00   Lunch

12:45   CBOT Visitors Center
Observe trading and the close of the Ag futures and option markets

1:30     Questions & Answers regarding the trading floor

2:00     History & Development of Agricultural Futures
What are futures?
Economic function
Key terms.    

2:30     Break

2:45     History & Development of Agricultural Futures (continued)

3:45    Regulation & the Clearing System of futures markets
No debt system
Checks & balances
Margin
Delivery process
Economic purpose

4:30     Adjourn

Second Day

9:00 Hedging Fundamentals & Basis Trading
basis fundamentals
negotiating tools
practical hedge applications

10:30   Break

10:45   Spreads
How they work
The significance to hedgers, spread applications
Calculating the Cost of Carry

12:00   Lunch

1:00     Contracts
Elevator to farmer contracts, pros, cons, how to build them
Merchandiser to Merchandiser contracts
Exchange for Physicals/Versus Cash

1:45     Major Market Reports
Effects on the market
USDA Supply & Demand Reports
Basic points of fundamental analysis

2:45     Break 

3:00     Introduction to Options & basic hedge strategies

4:30     Adjourn

 

Registration:

The cost for the full two days is $650 and includes lunch, refreshments, and the opportunity to observe from the CBOT Visitors Center trading in the Exchange’s Ag futures and options markets. CLICK TO REGISTER