For nearly 28 years, farmers across Nebraska have started their mornings with the familiar voice of market analyst Mark Gold.
Each weekday at 8:10 a.m., Gold joined the Rural Radio Network from Chicago to break down the overnight trade and the key factors expected to influence the grain markets before the opening bell.
Now, after more than five decades in the commodity business, Gold is retiring.
“I think it’s been the better part of 28 years we’ve been talking on the radio with you folks,” Gold said during a recent interview with the Rural Radio Network. “I’ve been in the business 53 years now and 72 years old, and it’s just time to hang up the old trading coat.”
Gold’s path into agriculture wasn’t conventional. A Chicago native who initially planned to become a doctor, he found his calling after a summer job at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He later earned a degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois before spending more than two decades trading in the soybean pit at the Chicago Board of Trade.
After leaving floor trading in the mid-1990s, Gold transitioned into helping farmers manage marketing risk. He founded Top Third Ag Marketing, developing a disciplined marketing approach centered on helping producers consistently market grain in the top third of available prices rather than trying to pick market highs. The company was later acquired and became part of StoneX Financial.
Gold said his connection to Nebraska began with an invitation to join the Rural Radio Network after broadcasters heard his market commentary elsewhere. Through daily radio reports and marketing seminars at Husker Harvest Days, he built lasting relationships with producers.
“Nebraska has been very good to me over the years, have a lot of good friends,” Gold said. “I’ve heard from a couple of them since I’m retiring.”
Looking back, Gold said helping farmers improve their marketing decisions stands as one of his greatest accomplishments.
“I would say us helping the American farmer do a better job of marketing,” he said. “The people that adapted to our program did pretty well.”
He also takes pride in mentoring the next generation of commodity brokers, passing along a principle that guided his own career.
“My motto was always something that a friend of mine told me many years ago: ‘You can’t buy integrity,’” Gold said. “Do the right thing, and you’ll continue to grow your client base.”
As Gold concludes his final market reports on the Rural Radio Network, listeners are invited to leave a message of congratulations and thanks. Messages will be compiled and shared with Gold in recognition of his nearly three decades of daily service to Nebraska agriculture. Click on the link below to share your message.