AECN 435: Advanced Ag Marketing Management


Dr. Mark AECN 435 is an integrative studies course and a capstone course in the Department of Agricultural Economics. AECN 435 is the second class of the commodity marketing sequence that starts with AECN 325 (you must have completed AECN 325 to enroll in AECN 435).

One of the unique projects in AECN 435 is the design and development of a comprehensive marketing plan for a case farm. This project, completed by teams of students, focuses on making production and marketing decisions and hedging risks for a case farm under current market conditions.

If you have an interest in AECN 435, please contact me.

Course Meeting Times:
Spring Semesters
10:00-10:50 Food Industry Complex 042



Course Objectives:
This course is an advanced study of agricultural marketing concepts, tools, and strategies as they relate to risk management for agricultural producers, commodity merchandisers, processors, and other traders. Focus will be on integrating the topics from this course and AECN 325 to design marketing plans to meet specific criteria. Specific objectives of the course are to:

  • Develop market-entry level price using cost of production
  • Understand crop insurance (e.g., MPCI, CRC, RA, GRP, GRIP) and how to integrate it into a marketing plan
  • Understand Livestock Risk Protection insurance and its use in hedging price risk
  • Understand inter- and intra-commodity price spreads and how to hedge price spreads using futures, options, and insurance (e.g., Livestock Gross Margin insurance)
  • Learn technical analysis tools and strategies for timing market entry & exit
  • Learn advanced option hedging and trading strategies (e.g., bull and bear spreads, straddles, etc.)
Syllabus (Available Spring 2008)

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