UT Makes New Video Series to Help Tennessee Grain Producers
Aug 25, 2025
To help farmers understand a complex grain market, the University of Tennessee will release a video series to assist producers this next year.
“Grain markets are increasingly volatile, and contract decisions play a critical role in managing that risk,” said Aaron Smith, professor and Extension specialist. “These resources are designed to help producers understand how different contract strategies can protect profitability while still allowing flexibility to capture market opportunities.”
This will be in conjunction with the University of Tennessee Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and the Institute of Agriculture to help corn, soybean and wheat producers in Tennessee.
The video series explains common types of grain marketing contracts, including cash sales, forward contracts, basis contracts, hedge-to-arrive (HTA) contracts and more.
Each video provides practical information to help producers understand how these contracts function, when they might be useful and how they fit into an overall grain marketing plan. The goal is to equip producers with the knowledge needed to confidently evaluate contract alternatives, communicate with grain buyers and manage price volatility to protect farm profitability.
This video series is part of a comprehensive grain marketing curriculum. The entire curriculum will become available in 2026.
For assistance in utilizing any of the budgets or decision aid tools for your farm, contact your farm management specialist at manage.tennessee.edu.
“Grain markets are increasingly volatile, and contract decisions play a critical role in managing that risk,” said Aaron Smith, professor and Extension specialist. “These resources are designed to help producers understand how different contract strategies can protect profitability while still allowing flexibility to capture market opportunities.”
This will be in conjunction with the University of Tennessee Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and the Institute of Agriculture to help corn, soybean and wheat producers in Tennessee.
The video series explains common types of grain marketing contracts, including cash sales, forward contracts, basis contracts, hedge-to-arrive (HTA) contracts and more.
Each video provides practical information to help producers understand how these contracts function, when they might be useful and how they fit into an overall grain marketing plan. The goal is to equip producers with the knowledge needed to confidently evaluate contract alternatives, communicate with grain buyers and manage price volatility to protect farm profitability.
This video series is part of a comprehensive grain marketing curriculum. The entire curriculum will become available in 2026.
For assistance in utilizing any of the budgets or decision aid tools for your farm, contact your farm management specialist at manage.tennessee.edu.