Meet the Expert
Michael Cordonnier PhD
- Involved in global crop production for 40 years, his experience in South America started in the early 1970s when he conducted agricultural experiments in central Brazil.
- A keen observer of the development of the soybean industry in South America. Fluent in Portuguese and travels regularly to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay to inspect soybean and corn crops.
- Appears frequently on national television and radio programs to discuss world agricultural issues; conducts numerous seminars dealing with agricultural production for regional and national audiences.
- President of Soybean And Corn Advisor, Inc., a consulting firm that works with Fortune 500 companies and the agricultural trading community specializing in fundamental analysis of soybean and corn production with special emphasis on South America.
- Worldwide client base includes: Investment companies, banks, grain merchants, food manufacturers, agricultural processors, information and advice services, commodity traders, agricultural co-ops, chemical companies, fertilizer companies, livestock feed companies, large-scale farming, and governments.
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Soybean and Corn Production - North and South America
Owner, Soybean and Corn Advisor, Inc.
Defined Terms
- CONAB
- The National Supply Co. of Brazil – Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento in Portuguese – is a public company that operates under the Ministry of Agriculture. It prepares and releases significant reports on Brazilian agriculture and agriculture statistics.
- Forward contracting
- A private agreement in which one party is obligated to sell and deliver – and the other party to buy – a set amount of a commodity at a set price at an agreed future date. A farmer, for instance, may agree to sell a portion of an anticipated harvest to a local grain elevator or to a processing company before harvest.
- Futures
- A financial contract that obligates one to either buy or sell a set amount of a commodity at a set price at a future time. Such contracts generally are traded on the floors of such exchanges as the Chicago Board of Trade.
- GMO
- Genetically Modified Organism. A term used to indicate plants or animals with traits introduced through genetic engineering. GMOs are significant in the marketplace because of resistance to buying such products in some countries.
- Hedging
- A strategy used by commodity producers or buyers to "lock in" prices with the intent of ensuring adequate margins while minimizing risk. This is done by taking a position in the futures market to offset anticipated cash sales or purchases.
A producer, for instance, might sell futures contracts of corn for part of the expected production. If the cash price for corn at harvest is low, the higher price has been locked in by the futures contracts. Should the cash price rise, the producer may be limited on the total that can be earned, but is secure in knowing that a profit was, at least, guaranteed and that the higher price may be received for a portion of the crop. - Mato Grosso
- A major soybean-producing state in Brazil.
Soybean and Corn Production - North and South America:
Defined Terms
Expert Topic