Ledger Provision in Hog Marketing Contracts

Price-dependent loan agreements at low interest rates have sometimes been included in North American hog sector long-term marketing contracts. We show that a general form of this stipulation can be viewed as a hybrid between a forward rate agreement and a bundle of commodity spot options. In some cases, the provision amounts to a commodity swap. These observations provide an approach to valuing the provision. Historical data are used to estimate expected payouts to the producer under the contract feature.