Don't under value the importance of the final step - cash marketing. Timely cash marketing isn't a cure for all ills, and long-term strategic planning with the use of price protection tools, such as cash contracts, futures and options, is important. But I view long-term marketing plans and the employment of the various marketing tools as the strategic implementation. Those are war-room duties with an overall, big picture outlook. In reality it is a game of gaining inches.
Most producers view marketing in the context of dollars per hundred.
In reality, we're fighting for pennies on a daily basis. A pet peeve of mine is that economists and analysts offer many grandiose suggestions to be a low-cost producer, such as selling in the upper third of the market. But there's been little direction on how to accomplish those lofty goals. Making those objectives become realities requires hard work. Let's concentrate here on selecting the best day of the week for cash sales.