AE 300 - Grain, Oilseeds and Pulse Crop Marketing

3 Credits
Outline Effective Date: 2017 Winter Version 17
Revised: Jan 4, 2017
Approved: Jan 20, 2017

Lecture Hours: 42 Lab Hours: 28

Course Description:
This course provides an in-depth analysis of both the pricing and delivery options available to the farm manager. Students learn how to analyze the grain, oilseed, and pulse crop markets.

Rationale:
This is a required course for the Crops Concentration and Production and Finance Concentration of Agribusiness and Crop Technology students. Marketing is an important and complex task for the farm manager. It is important that the farm manager and agri-business personnel have a sound knowledge of the marketing options and how to take advantage of these options. This course is very useful for those students who wish to do the following:

Participate in marketing on farms that have a grain enterprise.
Seek employment in grain merchandising or related agri-business industries.
Understand how the domestic and international grain marketing system works.
Operate a livestock enterprise, which buys grain.

Prerequisites: AE 100
Corequisites: None

Course Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to

access, calculate, and compare open market grain prices for immediate and deferred delivery.
explain the commodity trading process.
utilize hedging as a risk management strategy.
utilize business speculation as a risk management/cash flow management strategy.
utilize open market contracts as a risk management strategy.
utilize options on commodity futures contracts as a risk management/cash flow management strategy.
utilize the decision tree as an aid in delivery and pricing decisions.
utilize fundamental analysis as an aid to pricing.
utilize technical analysis as an aid to pricing.
develop a marketing plan.

Required Resource Materials:
Class handouts.

Access to DTN and Internet.

Optional Resource Materials:
None

Conduct of Course:
This course involves approximately 42 hours of classroom lecture that is a blend of notes, discussion and video. The laboratory sessions are approximately 28 hours. This course includes lectures, labs, case studies and assignments.

Classroom and laboratory attendance is considered vital to the learning process and as significant to the students’ evaluation as examinations and reports.

Students having a combination of excused and/or unexcused absence of 20 percent or higher for the scheduled course hours will be required to withdraw and will automatically receive a “RW” (required withdrawal) for the course, regardless of any other evaluation results. (RW is a failing grade.).
An excused absence is one that is verified with your instructor. Verification should be prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence. Verification of the absence may take the form of a note from your doctor/College nurse regarding illness, or a note from another instructor regarding a field trip or other activity, or authorization by your instructor. An unexcused absence is anything NOT verified by the instructor prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence.

NOTE: Any exceptions to the above attendance policy (e.g. timetable conflicts, work-related issues) must be approved in writing by the Department Chair prior to the beginning of the course.

It is the students’ responsibility to know their own absentee record.

Normal hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with potential for evening courses, exams or extended field trips. Students are expected to be available for classes during these times.

Content of Course:

Grain Prices
Commodity Futures Trading
Hedging
Business Speculation
Open Market Contracts
Options on Futures Contracts
Decision Tree
Fundamental Analysis
Technical Analysis
Marketing Plan

Course Assessments:

Test 1	25%
Test 2	25%
Test 3	25%
Assignments, Projects	25%
Total	100%

Official final grades will be available on My Lakeland. Grades posted in D2L should be considered interim grades.
“Lakeland College is committed to the highest academic standards. Students are expected to be familiar with Lakeland College policies and to abide by these policies. Violations of these policies are considered to be serious and may result in suspension or expulsion from the College.”

Course Pass Requirements:
A minimum grade of D (50%) (1.00) is required to pass this course.

Letter	F	D	D+	C-	C	C+	B-	B	B+	A-	A	A+
Percent Range	0-49	50-52	53-56	57-59	60-64	65-69	70-74	75-79	80-84	85-89	90-94	95-100
Points	0.00	1.00	1.30	1.70	2.00	2.30	2.70	3.00	3.30	3.70	4.00	4.00

Students must maintain a cumulative grade of C (GPA - Grade Point Average of 2.00) in order to qualify to graduate.

Every effort has been made to ensure that information in this course outline is accurate at the time of publication. Lakeland College reserves the right to change courses if it becomes necessary so that course content remains relevant.

In such cases, the instructor will give students clear and timely notice of changes.

No part of this course outline may be reproduced in any form or resold without written permission from Lakeland College.

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Here at Lakeland College, we acknowledge that the land we gather on is the traditional homeland, hunting, and ceremonial gathering places of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit. The Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, Dene, and Nakota Sioux people have practiced their culture and languages on Treaty 6 and Métis Region 2 territories for generations and were the original caretakers of this land. Many First Nation, Métis and Inuit peoples call this land home today and have done so for millennia. We would like to acknowledge the history we have created together on this land, and to be thankful for the opportunity to walk together side-by-side in friendship, learning from our past, and promoting positive relationships for the past, present and future.