A late harvest has local elevators searching for grain supplies. That is a bright sport for farmers looking to market this year’s crop. NDSU Extension crops economist and marketing specialist Frayne Olson says basis levels are stronger than normal for this time of the year. “When there were export sales, elevators made those sale commitments knowing that delivery will be coming sometime during harvest,” says Olson. “However, the harvest timeline got stretched out a lot more than expected because farmers are having a hard time getting the crop out of the field. As a result, the inflow of grain to the local markets is a bit slow.” There marketing tools farmers can use to lock in basis. Most processors and local elevators offer a basis fixed contract. Olson adds trade also remains a critical piece to the market puzzle. “There haven’t been any major market swings lately,” says Olson. “That’s because future market traders are looking for firmer news from the trade front. They would like to see some U.S. sales into China before initiating upward price movement.” Listen to the story.