🌾 Cash Grain Bids — Elevator Finder
Live prices from WI & MN elevators — updated every 2 hours
Data: Farmbucks + Barchart · Scraped every 2 hrs during market hours · Open source
📊 USDA Daily Grain Reports (Free Government Data)
Official USDA AMS regional cash bids updated daily. Public domain — no paywall, no API key.
📈 Understanding Cash Bids & Basis
Cash Bid = the price a local elevator pays you for grain today.
Basis = difference between local cash price and CBOT futures.
Example: March corn futures at $4.50 + local basis of −$0.35 = $4.15/bu cash bid
📈 Narrow Basis = Better Price
−$0.20 beats −$0.40. Watch for basis to narrow (move toward zero) before selling.
📅 Seasonal Patterns
Basis widens at harvest (more supply) and narrows in spring/summer. Historical patterns help predict moves.
🚚 Location Matters
Elevators near ethanol plants, river terminals, or processors often have stronger basis than remote country elevators.
💰 Compare Multiple Buyers
10¢ better basis on 10,000 bu = $1,000 more income. This tool shows every buyer within your radius.
📝 Basis Contracts
Lock in a strong basis now, set futures price later. Useful when basis is unusually narrow but you think futures will rally.
🏭 Processor Premium
Ethanol plants and soy crushers often pay stronger basis than country elevators because they need constant supply.