What marketing tool is used in the futures market by someone who owns a commodity like milk?

In the context of managing risk in the futures market, a short hedge contract is utilized by someone who owns a commodity like milk. A short hedge allows the owner to lock in a sale price for their commodity to protect against the risk of price declines in the future. By selling futures contracts, the producer can set a price today for the milk they expect to sell later, which mitigates the uncertainty associated with future market prices. This is particularly important in agriculture, where commodity prices can fluctuate significantly due to various factors like supply and demand, seasonality, and market changes.

While long hedge contracts are used for purchasing situations, where a buyer of a commodity wants to hedge against rising prices, the context here specifically involves a commodity owner seeking to protect their current asset. A future pricing agreement and options contracts may serve different roles in risk management strategies and aren't typically categorized as straightforward hedging mechanisms like the short hedge is in this case.