Yesterday we hosted an exciting CPN Livestream Session featuring Kellee James, CEO at Mercaris, and Michael Browne, Head of Commodities at Barchart. The livestream provided attendees with an in-depth look into the cmdty Pricing Network (CPN) and the data being provided by Mercaris, a leader in organic and non-GMO data, analysis, and trading. Justin Bruch, President and Founder of Clear Frontier Agriculture Management, also joined in on this exclusive webinar. Don’t worry if you weren’t able to attend - we’ll fill you in now!

Kelle James started the webinar with an overview of Mercaris and what inspired her to start the company. Kelle explained how the consumer has spoken and said “we want different attributes from our food.” The market has answered and has provided these options. For example, when you go to the grocery store for milk there is now an abundance of options besides just 2% or skim milk. There’s almond milk, oat milk, pea protein milk, etc. The organic food market is a growing area, but is still considered a niche market. As Kelly explains, it’s hard to understand what’s going in the market due to a lack of available information. Mercaris seeks to solve this issue by providing market access and services tailored to the needs of the identity-preserved agriculture industry. 

Kelle also touched on her personal interest in the organic food market and how we can use agriculture to solve some of our environmental problems. She believes that the organic and non-GMO markets are necessary to help solve some of the systemic environmental problems we face.  

Kelle then passed it over to Justin Bruch who discussed the growth of organic food sales. While the organic market is a niche market, it is still a $50 billion dollar business which is significant. Justin explained that as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic people may be more likely to look at the food they're eating and where it’s coming from.

Kelle then dove deeper into Mercaris and what they have planned for the future. Depending on where you are in the supply chain you might look at Mercaris in different ways. On the supply side, they track things such as acreage, yield and trade. On the demand side, they track where organic grain is going, who processes it and for what purpose. They also try to pilot new initiatives. For example, Kelle worked with Justin to test a theory that organic farmland would be valued differently than conventional farmland.  

Justin then discussed Clear Frontier and the services they offer. Clear Frontier guides the implementation of sustainable farming practices which enables farmers to still grow food in an efficient way. These practices create a business that is mutually beneficial to investors, the environment, and family farmers alike.They use data and prices from Mercaris to look at the markets and find the most economical crops in the long term as well as what’s happening in the markets short term. Having a clear picture of what the market trends look like and where they are going is very important, which is why Justin turns to Mercaris, the leader in this field. As Justin states, “There’s no one else out there that can provide this type of information.” 

Michael then facilitated a great Q&A which provided insights on transitional lending programs, the benefits of having transparency in the organic foods market, and much more! Watch the full livestream here to learn more! To learn more about the data available from Mercaris please visit our website. Sign up for product updates here to stay in the loop on upcoming CPN webinars!