Selling straddles can be a great marketing tool in a sideways market. Jon Scheve explains how a recent straddle trade resulted in a $1.90 per bushel profit on 10% of his production.

The snowpack is rapidly melting and the Upper Mississippi River levels are rising. The flooding is impacting barge transportation and some farm ground. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says the worst is yet to come.

“Since the first of the year, there haven’t been many highs made in the land market in the Midwest,” says Doug Hensley, president of Hertz Farm Management. “Whether you’re in Illinois, Iowa, southern Minnesota or Nebraska, it’s all the same story — strong land values but no new highs.”