Grain Marketing Survey for TAPS Participants
This survey is designed to understand how participation in TAPS influences decision-making around grain marketing, crop insurance, and profitability. You will complete the same short self-assessment at the beginning and end of the competition to measure changes in knowledge, confidence, and approach. Your responses are anonymous and will help improve TAPS resources, support research and publications, and demonstrate program impact to maintain continued funding. Please take 10 minutes to fill out this survey.
Articles
Helpful Reports
USDA Reports
| Report | Frequency | Description |
| Crop Progress | Weekly | Tracks how the crop is developing relative to expectations. Used with weather to assess whether yield assumptions are becoming more or less realistic. Trend over time determines whether supply risk is increasing or decreasing. |
| Quarterly Grain Stocks | Quarterly | Validates actual usage by reconciling supply and disappearance. Confirms whether prior demand signals (exports, crush, ethanol) were accurate. |
| Prospective Planting | Annual | Sets initial acreage expectations and defines the starting point for supply. |
| Acreage Report | Annual | Presents acreage by planted and/or harvested areas by state for a variety of crops. |
| WASDE Report | Monthly | Establishes the baseline supply–demand balance (production, demand, stocks). |
| Weekly
| Indicates forward demand through export commitments. When consistently strong or weak, it signals whether global demand is exceeding or falling short of expectations. Must be compared with inspections to confirm execution. |
| Weekly
| Reflects actual shipments and confirms whether export demand is materializing. Persistent divergence from sales signals execution issues or demand shifts. |
| Monthly
| Indicates current and near-term feed demand. Larger placements and inventories support demand for corn and soybean meal. Useful for confirming strength in the feed component of demand. |
| Monthly
| Provides forward-looking insight into pork production and feed demand. Helps assess whether demand from the livestock sector is expanding or contracting. |
| Monthly
| Reflects dairy sector feed demand. Sustained growth supports stable consumption of corn and soybean meal; declines suggest softening demand. |
| Monthly
| Tracks poultry production, a key driver of soybean meal demand. Expansion supports feed demand; contraction signals weakening usage. |
| Grain Crushing and Co-Products Production | Monthly | The report covers dry and wet mill consumption of agricultural commodities and production of products and co-products. |
| Fats and Oils: Oilseed Crushings, Production, Consumption and Stocks Monthly | Monthly | Covers the crush of oilseeds and production of crude oil as well as production and consumption of selected fats and oils for edible and inedible uses. |
Other Reports
| Report | Frequency | Description |
| NOPA Crush Report | Monthly | Provides a real-time measure of soybean demand through actual processing. Used to track whether domestic demand is running ahead of or behind WASDE projections. |
CFTC (Commodity Futures Trade Commission) Commitment of Traders (COT) Report
| Weekly
| Provides insight into market positioning. |
EIA (Energy Information Administration) Weekly Ethanol Plant Production
| Weekly
| Direct indicator of corn demand from ethanol. Strong production confirms demand strength; declines may signal weakening usage. |
| Weekly
| Indicates whether production is outpacing demand. Rising stocks suggest demand is lagging, which may lead to reduced corn usage. Declining stocks indicate stronger demand conditions. |
Biophysical Conditions
| Report | Frequency | Description |
| Weather | Hourly/Daily | Primary driver of short-term production risk. Should be interpreted with crop progress to assess whether yield expectations are improving or deteriorating. |
| Drought Monitor | Weekly | Tracks moisture stress trends over time. Expanding drought increases supply risk. |
| Soil Moisture | Every 6 hours | Provides near real-time crop water availability. Helps refine yield expectations beyond rainfall data and supports assessment of emerging stress conditions. |
| Ground Water and Soil Moisture Levels | Weekly | Groundwater and soil moisture drought indicators generated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center |
Video
How to Read the WASDE Report
Jeff Peterson, assistant professor of practice in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Nebraska, covers the basics of accessing and understanding the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report from USDA and its role in grain marketing decisions.
An Overview of Multi-Peril Crop Insurance
Ishani Lal, TAPS economic analyst, and Matt Stockton, professor in agricultural economics, discuss the basics of understanding Multi-Peril Crop Insurance decisions.
The Testing Ag Performance Solutions program (TAPS) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers dynamic farm management competitions for participants to hone their agricultural management skills while leveraging cutting-edge technology, vying for top prizes emphasizing profitability and efficiency. These competitions will bring together scientists, extension professionals, producers, industry leaders, agriculture students, government regulators and agency personnel to become a highly engaged network focused on evolving profitability and input-use efficiency, especially irrigation and water-use efficiency, through practical testing. Join us as we cultivate a collaborative ecosystem dedicated to pushing the boundaries of agricultural crop profitability in a limited water environment.