Think ‘Beyond the Bin’ at this free grain marketing workshop on December 4

Nicolle Ritchie<ritchi67@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension - October 23, 2025

The Beyond the Bin Grain Marketing workshop will take a hands-on approach to covering foundational marketing principles. One RUP credit is available.

A farm grain storage system with several large silver metal silos labeled “Brock,” connected by tall conveyors and a central vertical structure used for transferring grain. The silos stand on a grassy area under a clear blue sky, with a leafless tree on the right and a white propane tank on the left. — Photo by Nicolle Ritchie, MSU Extension.

There’s more to farming than successfully growing a crop, but navigating grain marketing can be overwhelming. Where do you begin? What drives your decisions? What choices are available? Learn answers to questions like these and more at the Beyond the Bin Grain Marketing Workshop on Dec. 4, 2025, at the Van Buren County Michigan State University Extension Office, 57418 CR 681, Suite A, Hartford MI 49057. This workshop will take a hands-on approach to covering foundational marketing principles such as goal setting, price targets, decision deadlines and more. One restricted use pesticide (RUP) credit (Private and Commercial Core, 1A) will be available.

The program will start at 9 a.m. and officially end with lunch. However, there will be an optional back-of-the-envelope style practice session immediately following lunch until 2 p.m. This is a good opportunity to get answers to more individualized questions and apply what you learned in the morning using real information from your own operation.

Thanks to funding from Project GREEEN, this program is offered to participants free of charge. Lunch and light refreshments will be provided. Please pre-register for the Beyond the Bin Grain Marketing Workshop to give an accurate count for lunch and materials. Register online here, or call the Van Buren County Michigan State University Extension Office at 269-657-8213 to register over the phone.

Agenda

8:30 a.m. Registration/check-in
9:00 a.m. Market Planning 101, Jonathan LaPorte, MSU Extension

Goal Settings
Price Targets

9:50 a.m. Break
10:00 a.m. Market Planning 101, Jonathan LaPorte, MSU Extension

Bushel Objectives
Pricing Tools
Decision Deadlines

10:50 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. Pesticide ROI and Profitability (RUP), Nicolle Ritchie, MSU Extension
12:00 p.m. Wrap-up and Adjourn Morning Session
Lunch
1:00 p.m. Optional: Back-of-the-Envelope Market Plan Practice Session
2:00 p.m. Wrap-up and Adjourn Optional Afternoon Session

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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