Grain Report (continued)

February and March are quickly filling up for anyone wanting us to help move grain during these timeframes.  Once April and May come around, you become busier and don't have the time you'd like to move grain to market.  If you haven't already, give us a call for either delivered or picked up bids.  You'll find our prices to be competitive and as always, payment for your grain is quick.  Plus, knowing who you're doing business with remains an important factor.
Finally, many of you have probably noticed basis has widened a bit.  Don't try to relate recent basis to past history.  End-users short grain do not like having to pay these types of prices due to negative returns, plus margin calls are becoming a quite costly part of doing business for all of us.  To put this into perspective, interest charges alone on purchased $12 soybeans stored just one month at 8% money will cost us over 8 cents in interest.  While it may appear to some of you that price gouging may be going on, in reality our bankers, just like yours, are demanding we keep a watchful eye on our bottom line too.
For more insight into what's going on and maybe what we can expect, we've invited a market analyst with Country Hedging to come out and talk.  Please plan to attend one or more of our grain marketing meetings being held February 20^th and 21^st.  We'll start things off in     Arapahoe Wednesday morning, February 20^th at 10:00 a.m. at the Ella Missing Center.  We'll then travel to Norton for a 2:00 p.m. afternoon meeting at the Prairieland Electrical Cooperative.  One final meeting will be held the following morning in North Platte at 10:00 am at the McKinley Education Center. Give us a call for more information.
Keep yourself buckled in; more grain price volatility is ahead.  Thank you in advance for the opportunity to earn your business.