Max Armstrong looks back on when he first started covering the commodity markets in Chicago. In those days, there were more than 5,000 traders jamming the trading floors. Max recalls the elbow-to-elbow, face-to-face work of making trades and moving commodities across the market. Max shares insight on just what happened to those traders back in the day.

Farm Progress America is a daily look at key issues in agriculture. It is produced and presented by Max Armstrong, veteran farm broadcaster and host of This Week in Agribusiness.

Photo: Jonathan Kirn/iStock/Getty Images Plus