Course Details:
Dates: September 9 - 18, 2024
Location: Northern Crops Institute
Registration Fee: $2,200.00
Registration Deadline: August 9, 2024
Course Overview:
This eight-day course focuses on the mechanics of grain merchandising, and is designed to educate individuals who are responsible for purchasing grain. Academic and commodity trade authorities lecture on cash and futures markets, and grain merchandisers guide you through the full complexity of the international grain markets. The course provides an overview of the U.S. grain handling and marketing system and the risk management tools available to assists buyers in purchasing U.S. grain that meets their quality needs at the best value. This course is led by William Wilson, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, AES Agribusiness and Applied Economics and an expert in commodity futures trading and consultant to the international grain and food processing industries.
Daily lectures and exercises will be held both at NCI and in the NDSU Commodity Trading Room, a world-class training facility of the Agribusiness and Applied Economics Department at North Dakota State University (NDSU). The high-tech room has 32 seats, each with a computer that receives live information feeds for financial information including equities and credit, plus commodity market information such as agriculture, energy and biofuels.
The group travels to Duluth, Minnesota to meet with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority and tour the CHS Export Grain Terminal, and then to Minneapolis to meet with experts in the grain trade, and tour the CHS barge loading facility.
Objectives:
Learn from experts from both academic and commodity industry professionals on cash and futures markets.
Meet with grain merchandisers and hear of their experiences in dealing with the complexity of the international grain markets.
Share day-to-day experiences with colleagues from other countries and U.S. grain merchants.
Experience the U.S. grain handling system through tours of a farm, a country elevator, and export grain terminal.
Participate in trading exercises in the world-class, NDSU Commodity Trading Room.
Major Topics:
U.S. grain export handling and logistics
Commodity analysis: fundamental and technical factors
Basis: implications for grain importing decisions
Grain hedging principles
U.S. grain grading standards
International grain contracts
World and U.S. grain market outlook
Developing purchasing strategies
Supplier-customer relationships
Purchase quality specifications for importers
Risk management strategies
Managing ocean freight risks
Who Should Attend:
International grain buyers associated with private trading companies, milling, feed manufacturing and food processing. Anyone with interest in importing grain from the United States.
How Do I Register?
All seats for this course have already been reserved. If you are interested in attending, please fill out the form below to be added to our wait list. We will contact you if any seats become available before the August 9 deadline.
Hotel Information:
Information on hotels for the course will be provided to you upon registration. A valid credit card is required upon check-in at each hotel to cover your room expenses. Hotel rooms ARE NOT included in the course registration fee.
Transportation:
Attention: Please book flights to arrive at Fargo International Airport, Fargo, North Dakota, USA, and return flights to depart from Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
NCI will provide transportation from the Fargo International Airport and the course hotel, and daily to the attend the course. At the conclusion of the course at 4:00 PM on September 18, 2024, NCI will also provide transportation to the Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport.
General Information.
Northern Crops Institute
NDSU Dept. 7400
P.O. Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050 USA
Phone: 701-231-7736
Fax: 701-231-7235
Email: ndsu.nci@ndsu.edu
Website: www.northern-crops.com
About the Northern Crops Institute.
Northern Crops Institute is an international center for meeting and learning about crops produced in the four-state region of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana. Situated on the campus of North Dakota State University, Northern Crops Institute exists as a forum to bring together customers, commodity traders, technical experts, processors and producers from all points of the globe for discussion, education and technical service programs. Since 1983, the Institute has hosted visitors from more than 135 countries.
North Dakota State University is an Equal Opportunity Institution. This publication will be made available in alternative formats upon request (701-231-7736).