University of Missouri Extension conducted the Extension Top-Third Online Grain Marketing Games project to teach grain and oilseed farmers to manage MARKETING and PRODUCTION RISKS. The project adopted the name, "Show-Me Market Showdown," and consisted of two online grain marketing simulation games. Each game lasted 10 weeks and was accompanied by instructional & evaluation components. The simulation tool was the CommodityChallenge.com website that is linked to the Chicago Board of Trade and other US markets.
The first simulation was conducted in the summer of 2014 and the second one during the spring of 2015. Players received endowments of corn, soybeans, and wheat, and sought to finish the game with the highest value. Players were ranked on a game tote board and could compare their own progress to their game peers.
In the two games, we reached 149 players across the state of Missouri (84 players in Game 1 & 65 in game 2). Some played both games, so there were 130 unique individuals in total. Interesting subgroups were formed such as family members and FFA teams. Player audience reached grain traders, agribusinesses, farmers, seniors, men, women, and youth. This platform provided a great tool for market risk education.