Surveys show that many grain producers aren't comfortable with using options; however, options can be a helpful tool for managing risk and trying to enhance profit.
Dana Mantini
Senior Market Analyst
Dana Mantini is a senior market analyst for DTN, and has 30-plus years of experience in the commodity futures industry.
Dana began as a wheat buyer and cash grain merchandiser for major flour millers, General Mills and International Multifoods. He was an independent member of the Kansas City Board of Trade, and spent 15 years as a broker/trader there. He has been hedge desk manager at Koch Industries (Koch Ag), and a commodity broker for Prudential Securities in Kansas City. He joined DeBruce Grain in 2001 as the Hedge Desk Manager, and did all of the futures/options trading, all of the hedging, spreading and initiated and managed a new farm contract program. Facilitated multiple farmer outlook meetings each year. DeBruce Grain managed 140 million bushels of storage capacity, and had 10-consecutive record-profit years before Gavilon acquired DeBruce in late 2010. Dana moved to Omaha in July 2012 to join Gavilon, first as a proprietary futures/options trader and then worked with Gavilon Producer Solutions, writing three times daily market wires, and advising producers on marketing.
It was the love of analyzing, interpreting, educating and writing that drove me to the open analyst position at DTN.
Dana graduated from Amherst College with a major in Economics, where he played baseball and basketball.
He is married to Ruthanne -- a certified pilates instructor -- and has two daughters -- Anna, 19 (sophomore at UNL), and Maggie, 16, (junior at Marian HS).
Recent Blogs by Author
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If you are looking for a way to market some of your corn and still leave room for upside price appreciation, you might want to consider a Minimum Average Price contract.
More From This Author
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DTN Before The Bell Grains
7:45 a.m. CST prices at CME Globex: December corn is up 3 1/4 cents, November soybeans are up 5 cents, December KC wheat is up 4 3/4 cents, December Chicago wheat is up 6 3/4 cents and December Minneapolis wheat is up 3 cents...
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USDA Reports Review
The USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report for October featured higher than expected corn yield and production numbers than many had expected.
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DTN Before The Bell Grains
December corn is down 1/2 cent, November soybeans are up 2 1/4 cents, December KC wheat is up 2 1/2 cents, December Chicago wheat is up 3 1/2 cents and December Minneapolis wheat is up 4 3/4 cents per bushel.
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USDA Grain Reports Review
Taking a deeper look at what was learned from the Sept. 30 quarterly Grain Stocks and Small Grains Summary reports.
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USDA Reports Review
The Sept. 12 USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report for September held little fanfare for traders who had already expected lower yield and production numbers.
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USDA Reports Review
The USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report for August had its fair share of bearish surprises. What were those surprises, exactly? DTN Senior Analyst Dana Mantini breaks it down.
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Best Blog of the Week
Minimum Average Contract: A Smart Marketing Move
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DTN Before The Bell Grains
7:45 a.m. CST prices at CME Globex: September corn is up 4 cents, August soybeans are up 5 3/4 cents, September KC wheat is up 7 1/4 cents, September Chicago wheat is up 8 cents and September Minneapolis wheat is up 3 1/4 cents.
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DTN Before The Bell Grains
7:45 a.m. CST prices at CME Globex: September corn is up 3/4 cent, August soybeans are down 3 1/4 cents, September KC wheat is up 3 1/2 cents, September Chicago wheat is up 3 1/4 cents and September Minneapolis wheat is up 3...