Grain market news and reports exist to help investors understand what's happening with grain and oilseed products. As a grain futures market investor you can use these reports to make informed decisions about the commodities you choose to invest in and how much money you can risk.

Commodity markets are those that exchange raw or primary products with standardized contracts for the future delivery of physical raw materials. In a sense, you're investing in the prospect of a good crop and intelligent new ways of using that crop. Trading in oilseed and grain markets can be risky if you don't stay in tune with the market happenings.

Consider researching the grain and oilseed markets to:

1. Find the trends in the grain and oilseed market. Research firms make sure you're ahead of or following market trends.

2. See how consumers view products on the market and see what farmers and engineers are proposing for the future.

3. Use the grain market prices and projections to create a profitable investment plan.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Search for grain and oilseed market research online

You can pay a research company to create a costly report telling you about the latest in grain market research but chances are you can find everything you want online without paying a dime. By reading commodity market news and futures trends you can spend more money on trading and less on research.

I recommend: Visit agriculture and trading websites like Ag-Central.com and GrainNet to read daily grain market news and commentary and view yesterday's closing numbers. DTN Trading News and the USDA ag market grain and oilseed reports use government, industry journals and mainstream press to give you the latest agriculture challenges and findings nationally or by state.

Use information about grain markets and oilseed markets to create an investment plan

Look at your investment budget closely to decide how much you want to use towards the grain market. Price futures using online indexes and prediction charts and begin to create your investment trade plan. Look at the industry as a whole or at individual pieces--corn, oats, rice, wheat, canola and soybeans.

I recommend: View free commodity charts and quotes from Grain Guide and TradingCharts.com. Look at the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service market and data reports and The Commodity Report to find detailed charts, graphs and written information about the prices, trends and predictions for the grain and oilseed market.

Implement your grain market investment plan on your own or with a stock and futures broker

If you feel your research has prepared you enough to trade on your own, forgo the broker and start grain futures market trading according to your investment plan. If you need more help or lack the time needed to continually update price information and news, consider a broker to take care of the continuing research and hard work.

I recommend: Download free grain forecasts and planning software from Market Technologies. Continue to receive news and grain market report information by signing up for the free newsletter from the Mound Report. When you're ready to start trading, consider using a free trial from GFT Futures to see if online trading works for you.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Stick to your budget throughout your grain futures market research and investment process. If you pay too much in research and broker fees you don't have much left for investing, so plan accordingly.