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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the marketing performance of wheat farmers in Illinois
and Kansas over 1982–2004. The results show that farmer benchmark prices for wheat
in Illinois and Kansas fall in the middle third of the price range about half to three-quarters of
the time. Consistent with previous studies, this refutes the contention that Illinois and Kansas
wheat farmers routinely market the bulk of their wheat crop in the bottom portion of the price
range. Tests of the average difference between farmer and market benchmark prices are
sensitive to the market benchmark considered. The marketing performance of wheat farmers
in Illinois and Kansas is about equal to the market if a 24- or 20-month market benchmark is
used, slightly above the market if a 12-month price benchmark is used, and significantly less
than the market if the harvest benchmark is used. The sensitivity of marketing performance to
the market benchmark considered is explained by the seasonal pattern of prices. While Illinois
producers performed slightly better than their counterparts in Kansas, notable differences
in performance across these two geographic areas is not observed.