Weather and Politics Lead to Market Volatility

The grain markets are on a roller coaster ride to start 2025. “There’s just a lot of moving parts here,” said NDSU Extension Economist Frayne Olson. “I always remind everybody that the two biggest things we don’t know are weather and politics and it sure seems like both of those are taking front and center stage here.” There is some reason for optimism. “Our U.S. balance sheets are a little tighter, our ending stocks are down a little bit from what we thought they were going to be before our export pace has been pretty good, in particular for corn.” Olson’s advice for farmers during such volatile times is simple; know your break-evens and the price points where you’d be willing to sell and “put the orders in ahead of time.”