INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING AND FILING REPORTS ON CFTC FORM 204
(See Regulations Under the Commodity Exchange Act)
WHO SHOULD REPORT: (1) All persons (individuals, partnerships, associations, corporations,
or trusts) holding or controlling positions for future delivery that are reportable pursuant to regulation
15.00(b)(1)(ii) and any part of which constitute bona fide hedging positions as defined in regulation 1.3(z).
(2) All persons holding or controlling positions for future delivery that are reportable pursuant to regulation
15.00(b)(1)(i) who have received a special call from the Commission or its designee, as specified in
regulation 19.00(a)(3).
WHEN TO REPORT: Report monthly as of the close of business on the last Friday of the month.
Reports must be received in the Commission’s Chicago office not later than the third business day
following the Friday date of the report. To ensure receipt of the report by its due date, either transmit the
report by facsimile or report the information contained on the form to the Commission by telephone and
mail the report, post-marked not later than midnight of its due date. Filings made in response to a special
call under regulation 19.00(a)(3) shall be made within one business day of that call unless otherwise
specified in the call.
WHERE TO REPORT: The CFTC Central Region, Market Information, 525 West Monroe Street,
Suite 1100, Chicago, Illinois 60661 (telephone: (312) 596-0700, facsimile: (312) 596-0711), unless
otherwise specifically authorized by the Commission or its designee.
WHAT TO REPORT: For each commodity futures contract in which you hold a position as
specified above, you must report the following:
Part I. Report in thousands of bushels the entire quantity of cash stocks owned and open fixed-
price cash purchases and cash sales of the commodity and its products and byproducts. (Report
products and byproducts in terms of 1000-bushel equivalents.) When reportable in soybean futures,
soybean oil futures, or
soybean meal futures, show the cash positions of soybeans, soybean oil, and
soybean meal. If it is your practice to exclude certain source commodities, products, or byproducts in
determining your cash positions for bona fide hedging, they should be excluded from the CFTC Form 204
report.
If you are “cross hedging,” report the cash commodity hedged in 1000-bushel equivalents in the
space labeled “Other” under the futures market used for hedging (for example, if you are cross hedging
cash milo in corn futures, convert your milo cash position to 1000-bushel equivalents of corn and report it
on the “Other” line of the CORN section.) If you are cross hedging, you must also complete Part II of this
report.
Part II. If you included “cross-hedged” cash commodities in Part 1 of this report, you must also
report the entire quantity of stocks owned and open fixed-price purchases and sales of the commodity
you are cross hedging in terms of the actual commodity (for example, show your milo cash position in
terms of actual quantities of milo). Specify the futures market in which you are hedging.
GENERAL PROVISIONS: Use standards and conversion factors usual and common to your
business.
If you own no stocks and have no fixed-price cash position, indicate by writing “None.”
If inter-company or inter-office purchases and sales of cash grain are included in your fixed-price
cash grain positions, they must be separately identified as such in a footnote at the bottom of the report,
showing for each related company or office the quantities of grain or grain products involved.
