The person who buys and sells grain on behalf of producers, processors, or trading firms — tracking markets, negotiating prices, managing logistics, and matching buyers with sellers in a commodity that moves in real-time global markets.
Day-to-day tends to involve monitoring grain markets and weather, communicating with producers and buyers, executing trades, managing logistics for delivery, and tracking positions and exposure. The work happens against fast-moving market data — prices shift on weather news, USDA reports, or geopolitical events, and timing matters.
Coordination tends to happen with farmers and producers, processors and end users, transportation providers (rail, barge, truck), and sometimes traders at other firms. Relationships are foundational — many farmers prefer working with brokers they trust over chasing the absolute best price, and earned trust is the durable asset of the role.
People who tend to thrive here are comfortable with risk, fast-thinking, and energized by the relational side of commodity trading. If volatility rattles you or you need stable predictable work, the role can be intense. If you find satisfaction in being the person who connects what farmers grow with where it needs to go, at fair prices, the work can be both intellectually engaging and rooted in the real economy of agriculture.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Business Operations roles →The person who buys and sells grain on behalf of producers, processors, or trading firms — tracking markets, negotiating prices, managing logistics, and matching buyers with sellers in a commodity that moves in real-time global markets.
Median pay for a Grain Broker is about $78K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $47K to $215K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Active Listening.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3.3% through 2034, with roughly 472,300 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Prime Broker, Support Broker, and Business Broker.
Truest gives you tools to understand your strengths, explore roles that fit, and plan your next move.
Explore Truest career tools