Aiden Hamm, University of Arizona

​My first job shadow experience took place at the downtown Chicago office of CIH (Commodity & Ingredient Hedging, LLC). During my time at CIH, I had the opportunity to learn from the members of the Hog Team. I sat in on multiple calls with the company’s clients, where I learned what commodity hedging is, how it works, and why it is important. On one call, an Account Executive advised a client on what to do with their current positions and what potential positions they might consider taking in the future. The Account Executive explained how weather conditions in Brazil and Argentina could affect the market, and in turn, the client’s business. What I found most intriguing was that the client was based in Canada, yet they had to worry about weather and planting conditions in South America. Before this call, I had no idea how significantly global events could influence the U.S. grain market.
I also participated in the weekly market briefing, where company analysts reviewed their research on various aspects of the hedging market and discussed how they planned to position their clients for success. Commodity hedging was a completely new industry for me, and although I found it challenging, I also found it incredibly interesting. After this experience, I am definitely interested in exploring this field further in the future.