www.commoditychallenge.com
2015 Women in Agriculture Educators National Conference
The New Game for Feed Buyers
sponsored by…
Edward Usset
usset001@umn.edu
Center for Farm Financial Management
University of Minnesota
www.cffm.umn.edu
• A premier on-line trading game, features
real time cash, futures and options quotes
• Unlike other trading websites, Commodity
Challenge highlights marketing decisions and
risk management tools (not speculation)
• Educational and free!
Learn about…
• agricultural markets
• marketing terms
• pricing tools
• risk management
Commodity Challenge is growing!
Commodity Challenge Games Started, 2004-2015
220
200
Projected
180
160
140
New CC
77
Old CC
CFFM site management began in September 2010.
Figures do not include open games created for general public participation.
New CC was launched in early April, 2013.
120
84
100
80
74
60
55
40
41
20
17
0
17
20
13
23
29
3
©2013 Regents of the University of Minnesota.
All rights reserved.
130
123
The New Commodity Challenge: Games by State, 2013-15
80
74
70
63
60
50
47
40
30
20
10
0
29
346 games in 22 states and 4 countries,
and nearly 10,000 players!
26
17
15 14
12
10
8
7
5
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
Who uses Commodity Challenge?
Commodity Challenge: 123 games thru April 20, 2015
Other, 19
Universities, 12
Community/Tech.
Colleges, 21
High
Schools/FFA ,
71
Why use Commodity Challenge?
1. Learning by experience
2. Complement curriculum
3. End of year fun
The game can be played from
three different perspectives.
(1) Producer selling “old crop” grain
(grain harvested and held in storage)
(2) Producer pricing “new crop” grain
(grain to be harvested in the fall)
(3) Livestock or dairy buying corn
(grain needed for feeding)
Let’s start a buyers game!
As an educator, I prefer the buyers game.
Players learn by making decisions.
• Sellers can easily choose NOT to decide.
• Corn buyers MUST make purchasing
decisions, to feed animals.
Tips
Tip #1
Ask players to get join an open game
to learn how to navigate the system,
place orders, read market quotes, etc.
Tip #2
Start two games; one for competition
and another for practice, assignments,
and learning.
Tip #3
Don’t grade according to performance.
I ask “Why?” on the pricing decisions.
Price objective? Breaking news? Expert
opinion? Chart formation?
Tip #4
Use your power as the game leader.
• We used the game last year and really
enjoyed it.
• My students have really learned a lot from
your activity.
• The game is really interesting and helpful to
understand trades in the real world.
• Commodity Challenge project was the single
best way to learn this information.
How can I start a game?
Email to… usset001@umn.edu
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Group name
Location
Game Leader
Start date
End date