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Craig Haugaard

While working toward his Agricultural Economics degree at South Dakota State University in 1977, Craig Haugaard decided to divert his student loan money before paying his tuition one semester. He bought a contract of oat futures, pocketed a quick $300, then settled up with SDSU billing. “It was magic,” Haugaard says. “At that stage of my life I didn’t think through the consequences of my actions very well. If it had gone the other way I suppose I would have had to go hat in hand to my folks and tell them that if they wanted me in college they were going to have to pony up some cash.” Investing in agricultural futures at age 20 was more than a shot in the dark for Haugaard. His father owned a futures brokerage firm, where Craig hung out and developed a passion for charting in high school. As a teenager, Craig rented a small farm where he maintained a flock of 225 sheep and half a dozen steers. It was also the home base for a commercial crop spraying business he developed. Futures trading has remained in Craig’s bloodstream ever since. He is Grain Marketing Manager at a large grain cooperative that has elevators in 15 locations, two of which house shuttle loaders capable of loading up to 110 rail cars at a time. The coop has basis traders, a hedge desk, grain accountants, grain originators, and keeps more than 30 trucks moving on a normal day. Haugaard manages it all while writing a daily commodity comments column covering corn, soybeans and wheat future for the coop. He also conducts about 20 marketing seminars a year for farmers looking for new strategies. Craig uses technical indicators (moving averages, stochastic and MACD) within a seasonal trend context to help him enter and exit trades, but fundamentals – which he lives and breathes at his day job – dominate his trading. “I am heavily involved in that world and so can’t help but have my view on a given market colored by the underlying fundamentals,” he says.

Grain Market Chatter Closing Comments 11/25/15

Posted by Craig Haugaard on Nov 25, 2015 8:26:09 PM

Closing Comments

Lynn Miller

November 25^th, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you. Enjoy your day with family and friends and be thankful for all that is around you. (And for green markets!)

Free DP on Soybeans – effect immediately for all new deliveries. So be sure to take advantage of the nice weather for hauling!

Reminder: No overnight markets tonight. No markets tomorrow. We reopen for a short session on Friday from 8:30 – 12:05.

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Morning Grain Outlook 11/25/15

Posted by Craig Haugaard on Nov 25, 2015 8:31:07 AM

Overnight action is mixed with Corn +1 ¼, Beans -1, Spring Wheat +3 ½ and Winter Wheat +2 ½. Most traders are playing to the same old tune this morning as the dollar is higher and crude is again under pressure. Corn and soybeans probably have a small sense of euphoria going with the EPA biofuels mandates about to be released with rumors they will raise the ethanol mandate. Expect this out on Friday (or maybe Monday). Brazil weather continues to bring rains. US Winter Wheat country continues to see rains. Egypt bidding for wheat today, France is the lowest bid but Russia is still competitive.

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Grain Market Chatter Closing Comments 11/24/15

Posted by Craig Haugaard on Nov 24, 2015 6:18:17 PM

Lynn Miller

Closing Comments

Lynn Miller

November 24th, 2015

Total disappointment on my part that there was zero follow through on the key reversals we say yesterday. Although, none of the price actions today totally voided the signal either. Just because, I’m going to blame this one on Turkey having the guts to shoot a Russian war plane out of the sky last night and then kill one of the pilots after they ejected. You just know there isn’t anything else fundamentally negative out there … (cough, cough)

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Morning Grain Outlook 11/23/15

Posted by Craig Haugaard on Nov 23, 2015 9:15:19 AM

Lynn Miller

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Grain Market Chatter Closing Comments 11/20/15

Posted by Craig Haugaard on Nov 20, 2015 10:38:25 PM

Closing Comments

Lynn Miller

November 20^th, 2015

South Dakota Holiday tomorrow – Opening East River Deer Season.

You all hunt safe – and get a big one!

Corn:

Another 2-sided trade today that managed to end near unchanged. Farmer selling remains absent as the futures refuse to rally. The trade is already looking forward and expecting at least two more weeks of light sales due to strong competition and the upcoming holiday.

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Grain Market Chatter Closing Comments 11/19/15

Posted by Craig Haugaard on Nov 19, 2015 4:56:33 PM

Closing Comments

Lynn Miller

November 19^th, 2015

Corn:

Finally – one decent week of export sales. 779.80 tmt was the number for exports this morning, coming in at 80 tmt above expectations! Mexico was the biggest buyer. Add a lower dollar to the mix and I would have thought we’d get a better bounce, but the market knows we have a lot of corn to sell to catch up so this is just good news.

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Grain Market Chatter Closing Comments 11/18/15

Posted by Craig Haugaard on Nov 18, 2015 8:02:20 PM

Closing Comments

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Grain Market Chatter Closing Comments 11/13/15

Posted by Craig Haugaard on Nov 13, 2015 7:42:08 PM

Closing Comments

Lynn Miller

November 13^th, 2015

Do you suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia? What is this tongue- twister you say? Well its fear of Friday the 13^th. Research says, it affects 17 – 21 million Americans.

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Grain Market Chatter Closing Comments 11/12/15

Posted by Craig Haugaard on Nov 12, 2015 5:44:31 PM

Closing Comments

Lynn Miller

November 12^th, 2015

Outside factors working against us today: the Dow has fallen 1%, pressured by equities on the consensus the Fed will raise interest rates, the dollar is slightly lower and crude is down over $1 on a weekly building of stocks.

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