The Elevator’s Cut Podcast

Latest Episodes:

How Commercial Elevators ACTUALLY Make Money Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

S2E10 - Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, your hosts Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler are joined by the CEO of White Commercial, Phil Luce. Today, we dive into the harvest hours debate and the limitations of autonomous grain handling, then pivot to a deep analysis of farm bin profitability, arguing that the widely cited 25-cent return often neglects the vital cost of carry and quality risk.

What is Going on with Harvest?!: Tariffs, Trade, and the Truth About Prices Nov 06, 2025

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S2E9 Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, your hosts Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler are analyzing the intense harvest season, from viral videos of collapsing grain bins to the serious economic impact of bad crop quality. They look at the fundamental issues plaguing the rice and soybean markets. Is the talk about low prices and tariffs justified? They dig into the numbers to give you the real cash price picture.

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Disclaimer: There is a risk of loss in futures and options trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

The Truth About Grain Markets: Why You Can't Blame the Elevators Oct 02, 2025

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S2E8 Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut! In this episode, your hosts Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler are joined by special guest Scott Hansen, a grain business legend with decades of experience. In this candid discussion, we dive into the frustrations many farmers are facing this harvest season, particularly with the historically low soybean basis. Scott shares a fascinating story about a conversation he had at church with some farmers who were concerned the market was "trying to steal their soybeans." We tackle common misconceptions about grain markets, explain why basis is a market signal (not a conspiracy), and reveal what really happens when an elevator's bids drop to "no bid."

Your Harvest Time Companion - Navigating Big Yields and Low Prices Sep 04, 2025

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S2E7 Join Roger and Jason on "The Elevator's Cut Podcast" as they dive into the current harvest landscape. Why are farmers selling even when prices are low? We'll discuss the massive yields emerging from the Southeast and how they’re affecting the market. We'll also break down the importance of harvest ownership for elevators and discuss why some grain is being sold "across the scale" despite low prices.

The Banker's Cut 2025: Redone, Reborn, Resomething - Featuring Jeff Reardon Aug 06, 2025

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S2E6 Join Roger and Jason on "The Elevator's Cut Podcast" as they welcome back industry legend, Jeff Reardon! In this insightful episode, Jeff, a financial expert and CPA, dives deep into the current financial landscape for grain merchandisers and elevators. Discover why the industry is seeing impressive profits, even with changing market dynamics. Jeff shares his unique "dollars per bushel of space" metric for evaluating financial health, discusses the critical importance of harvest ownership, and explains why raising price later fees in a carry market is essential.

What Position My Position Was In - Featuring Michael Kaeb Jun 25, 2025

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S2E5 Join hosts Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler on this episode of The Elevator's Cut as they welcome back old friend and former grain elevator manager, Michael Kaeb of White Commercial. Michael, now a consultant for grain elevators across the western U.S. and Canada, shares his surprising observations about the vast diversity of crops—from milo and sunflowers to various wheat types—and the unique hedging strategies employed in these regions, including using corn futures to hedge barley.

The conversation then dives into common, often misused, phrases in the agriculture industry. Michael helps demystify expressions like "the way the market is right now" and "out of position," offering a candid look at what these colloquialisms truly mean (or don't mean!) in the fast-paced world of grain trading. Plus, get a behind-the-scenes peek at elevator life, including the unexpected challenges of painting wood paneling and hilarious college student excuses. Tune in for insightful discussions, industry anecdotes, and a few laughs!

The Grain Elevator's Secret Sauce (Spoiler: It's NOT Price!) May 22, 2025

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S2E4 Welcome back to The Elevator's Cut, where Roger Gattis and Jason Wheeler cut through the misconceptions and complexities of the grain industry with a healthy dose of humor and pragmatism. This episode, they tackle the "joys" of corn planting season, dissecting USDA numbers and the ever-predictable weather chaos. They then dive into the wild world of grain spreads and basis trading, revealing why the math might make your head spin (and why your elevator isn't making a killing on price). Plus, get the inside scoop on why grain elevators actually make their money, and why co-op retirements are causing such a stir. And for the record, the internet has spoken: ranch is NOT a spread! Tune in for straight talk, funny takes, and maybe a few eye-rolls, all aimed at shedding light on the real challenges and opportunities in the grain business.

What's The Market Really Saying? Apr 30, 2025

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S2E03 What is the market really saying? Probably “good luck,” but we’re listening anyway. In this episode, Roger and Jason decode how merchandisers respond to spread structures, why everyone’s suddenly in love with averager contracts, and what to do when every farmer within 100 miles decides to grow corn. As always, no financial advice—just sarcasm, strategy, and survival tips from the merchandiser trenches.

Spreads, Basis, and Risk—What Merchandisers Miss Most Mar 21, 2025

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S2E2 In this episode, Jason and Roger return from the road to unpack what they’re hearing across the industry—from farmer frustrations to merchandiser game plans. They dig into summer inversions, spread behavior that defies expectations, and the silent chaos of full bins before harvest. Also: co-op board decisions, pricing deadlines, and how bureaucratic policies somehow helped basis. If you’re in grain merchandising or AG logistics, this one’s for you.

The Grain Mafia, Market Myths, and the Art of Being Wrong Feb 14, 2025

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S2E1 Who’s really pulling the strings in the grain market? The Grain Mafia? The speculators? The deep state? In this episode, Roger and Jason break down the latest rally, debunk some classic misconceptions, and take a closer look at why some folks think only farmers should be allowed to trade futures. Plus, we explore why certain pricing myths just won’t die and how elevators actually manage risk (hint: it’s not by guessing the top). Tune in for the usual mix of hard truths, sarcasm, and a few hot takes that might just get us canceled on grain Twitter.

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