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Teucrium Commodity Trust - Quarter Report: 2015 March (Form 10-Q)


 

  

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

 

x Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2015.

OR

o Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the transition period from                     to                     .

 

 

 

Commission File Number: 001-34765

Teucrium Commodity Trust

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware 61-1604335
(State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization) Identification No.)

 

232 Hidden Lake Road, Building A

Brattleboro, Vermont 05301

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

(802) 257-1617

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

N/A

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

 

x Yes     o  No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

x Yes     o No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer    o   Accelerated filer    x
Non-accelerated filer    o   Smaller reporting company    o
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

 

o Yes     x No



Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the last practicable date.

 

 

 

Total Number of Outstanding

Shares as of May 7, 2015

 

Teucrium Corn Fund 3,200,004
Teucrium Sugar Fund 275,004
Teucrium Soybean Fund 325,004
Teucrium Wheat Fund 2,375,004
Teucrium Agricultural Fund 50,002

 

 

 




Part I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1.   Financial Statements.

 

Index to Financial Statements

 

 
Documents   Page
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST   1
     
Combined Statements of Assets and Liabilities at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   1
     
Combined Schedule of Investments at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   2
     
Combined Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   4
     
Combined Statements of Changes in Net Assets (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   5
     
Combined Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   6
     
Notes to Combined Financial Statements   7
     
TEUCRIUM CORN FUND   19
     
Statements of Assets and Liabilities at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   19
     
Schedule of Investments at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   20
     
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   22
     
Statements of Changes in Net Assets (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   23
     
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   24
     
Notes to Financial Statements   25
     
TEUCRIUM SOYBEAN FUND   33
     
Statements of Assets and Liabilities at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   33
     
Schedule of Investments at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   34
     
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   36
     
Statements of Changes in Net Assets (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   37
     
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   38
     
Notes to Financial Statements   39
     
TEUCRIUM SUGAR FUND   47
     
Statements of Assets and Liabilities at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   47
     
Schedule of Investments at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   48
     
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   50
     
Statements of Changes in Net Assets (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   51
     
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   52
     
Notes to Financial Statements   53
     
TEUCRIUM WHEAT FUND   62
     
Statements of Assets and Liabilities at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   62
     
Schedule of Investments at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   63
     
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   65
     
Statements of Changes in Net Assets (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   66
     
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   67
     
Notes to Financial Statements   68
     
TEUCRIUM AGRICULTURAL FUND   77
     
Statements of Assets and Liabilities at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   77
     
Schedule of Investments at March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014   78
     
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   80
     
Statements of Changes in Net Assets (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   81
     
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014   82
     
Notes to Financial Statements   83
     

TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST

COMBINED STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

March 31, 2015

December 31, 2014

(Unaudited)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 106,768,606 $ 142,423,637
Interest receivable 7,312 9,995
Other assets 798,548 592,812
Equity in trading accounts:
Commodity futures contracts 98,775 4,381,263
Due from broker 8,407,323 2,966,006
Total equity in trading accounts 8,506,098 7,347,269
Total assets $ 116,080,564 $ 150,373,713
Liabilities
Management fee payable to Sponsor 95,300 131,827
Other liabilities 175,538 138,906
Payable for shares redeemed - 1,996,185
Equity in trading accounts:
Commodity futures contracts 6,814,979 2,694,018
Due to broker - 60,805
Total equity in trading accounts 6,814,979 2,754,823
Total liabilities 7,085,817 5,021,741
Net assets $ 108,994,747 $ 145,351,972

 


The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements.


 

TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST

COMBINED SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)

Description: Assets Fair Value Percentage of
Net Assets
Shares
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $106,768,606) $ 106,768,606 97.96 % 106,768,606
Notional Amount
(Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts
United States wheat futures contracts
CBOT wheat futures SEP15 (241 contracts) $ 98,775 0.09 % $ 6,296,125
 Percentage   Notional Amount 
Description: Liabilities Fair Value   of Net Assets   (Long Exposure) 
Commodity futures contracts
United States corn futures contracts
CBOT corn futures JUL15 (1,441 contracts) $ 1,793,150 1.65 % $ 27,685,213
CBOT corn futures SEP15 (1,213 contracts) 770,638 0.71 23,774,800
CBOT corn futures DEC15 (1,386 contracts) 1,737,325 1.59 27,771,975
United States soybean futures contracts
CBOT soybean futures JUL15 (45 contracts) 70,850
0.07 2,199,938
CBOT soybean futures NOV15 (40 contracts) 125,763 0.12 1,910,500
CBOT soybean futures NOV16 (47 contracts) 23,462 0.02 2,248,950
United States sugar futures contracts
ICE sugar futures JUL15 (62 contracts) 304,158 0.28 837,446
ICE sugar futures OCT15 (50 contracts) 114,240 0.10 710,080
ICE sugar futures MAR16 (54 contracts) 303,968 0.28 841,277
United States wheat futures contracts

CBOT wheat futures JUL15 (286 contracts)

793,675 0.73 7,350,200
CBOT wheat futures DEC15 (274 contracts) 777,750 0.71 7,360,325
Total commodity futures contracts $ 6,814,979 6.26 % $ 102,690,704
 Shares
Exchange-traded funds*
Teucrium Corn Fund $ 373,368 0.34 % 15,083
Teucrium Soybean Fund 380,187 0.35 19,381
Teucrium Wheat Fund 362,153 0.33 33,187
Teucrium Sugar Fund 341,407 0.31 35,724
Total exchange-traded funds (cost $2,320,922) $ 1,457,115 1.33 %

 

*
The Trust eliminates the shares owned by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund from its combined statements of assets and liabilities due to the fact that these represent holdings of the Underlying Funds owned by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund, which are included as shares outstanding of the Underlying Funds.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements.

 

 

TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST

COMBINED SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

December 31, 2014


        Percentage    
Description: Assets   Fair Value   of Net Assets   Shares
         
Cash equivalents          
Money market funds            
Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $142,419,068)   $ 142,419,068   97.98 %   142,419,068
     
      Notional Amount
      (LongExposure)
Commodity futures contracts      
United States corn futures contracts      
CBOT corn futures MAY15 (1,868 contracts)   $ 3,492,987   2.40 %   $ 37,897,050
CBOT corn futures JUL15 (1,579 contracts)   158,650   0.11   32,566,875
     
United States wheat futures contracts      
CBOT wheat futures MAY15 (262 contracts)   687,450   0.47   7,787,950
CBOT wheat futures JUL15 (223 contracts)   42,176   0.03   6,662,125
Total commodity futures contracts   $ 4,381,263   3.01 %   $ 84,914,000
     
    Percentage of   Notional Amount
Description: Liabilities      Fair Value    Net Assets   (LongExposure)
     
Commodity futures contracts      
United States corn futures contracts      
CBOT corn futures DEC15 (1,808 contracts)   $ 1,899,925   1.31 %   $ 38,058,400
     
United States soybean futures contracts      
CBOT soybean futures MAR15 (82 contracts)   7,612   0.01   4,196,350
CBOT soybean futures MAY15 (69 contracts)   126,663   0.09   3,555,225
CBOT soybean futures NOV15 (83 contracts)   142,738   0.10   4,172,825
     
United States sugar futures contracts      
ICE sugar futures MAY15 (55 contracts)   241,953   0.17   919,072
ICE sugar futures JUL15 (47 contracts)   98,930   0.07   802,760
ICE sugar futures MAR16 (51 contracts)   163,072   0.11   937,910
     
United States wheat futures contracts      
CBOT wheat futures DEC15 (254 contracts)   13,125   0.01   7,807,325
Total commodity futures contracts   $ 2,694,018   1.87 %   $ 60,449,867
     

      Shares
 Exchange-traded funds*                        
Teucrium Corn Fund   $ 413,423   0.28 %   15,533
Teucrium Soybean Fund   418,586   0.29   20,131
Teucrium Sugar Fund   414,243   0.28   35,024
Teucrium Wheat Fund   394,850   0.27   31,037
Total exchange-traded funds (cost $2,392,877)   $ 1,641,102   1.12 %  


* The Trust eliminates the shares owned by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund from its combined statements of assets and liabilities due to the fact that these represent holdings of the Underlying Funds owned by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund, which are included as shares outstanding of the Underlying Funds.


The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST

COMBINED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended

Three months ended

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2014

Income
Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on trading of commodity futures contracts:
   Realized (loss) gain on commodity futures contracts $ (1,222,298 ) $ 1,750,805
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts (8,403,449 ) 13,197,508
Interest income 8,352 12,347
Total (loss) income (9,617,395 ) 14,960,660
Expenses
Management fees 303,383 246,328
Professional fees 376,844 152,932
Distribution and marketing fees 252,599 356,561
Custodian fees and expenses 46,456 40,131
Business permits and licenses fees 25,676 109,180
General and administrative expenses 61,751 91,904
Brokerage commissions 26,958 15,958
Other expenses 10,071 15,455
Total expenses 1,103,738 1,028,449
Expenses waived by the Sponsor  (100,556 ) (131,904 )
Reimbursement of expenses previously waived -
211,667

Total expenses, net  1,003,182 1,108,212
Net (loss) income $ (10,620,577 ) $ 13,852,448

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements.

 

 

TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST

COMBINED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended  Three months ended     
March 31, 2015  March 31, 2014     
Operations
Net (loss) income $ (10,620,577 ) $ 13,852,448
Capital transactions
   Issuance of Shares 4,465,610 92,757,348
Redemption of Shares (30,202,027 ) (14,654,518 )
Net change in the cost of the Underlying Funds (231 ) (595 )
Total capital transactions (25,736,648 ) 78,102,235
   
Net change in net assets (36,357,225 ) 91,954,683
Net assets, beginning of period 145,351,972 64,866,910
Net assets, end of period $ 108,994,747 $ 156,821,593

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST

COMBINED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended  Three months ended     
March 31, 2015  March 31, 2014     
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net (loss) income $ (10,620,577 ) $ 13,852,448
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts 8,403,449 (13,197,508 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Due from broker (5,441,317 ) 2,559,832
Interest receivable 2,683 (4,449 )
Other assets (205,973 ) (43,147 )
Due to broker (60,805 ) 29,913
Management fee payable to Sponsor (36,528 ) 66,456
Other liabilities 36,870 29,575
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (7,922,198 ) 3,293,120
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from sale of Shares 4,465,610 92,757,348
Redemption of Shares (32,198,212 ) (12,926,072 )
   Net change in cost of the Underlying Funds (231 ) (595 )
Net cash (used in) provided by  financing activities (27,732,833 ) 79,830,681
Net change in cash and cash equivalents (35,655,031 ) 83,123,801
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 142,423,637 58,707,245
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 106,768,606 $ 141,831,046

 

 

 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements.

 

 

NOTES TO COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)

Note 1 – Organization and Operation


Teucrium Commodity Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 11, 2009, is a series trust consisting of five series: Teucrium Corn Fund (“CORN”), Teucrium Sugar Fund (“CANE”), Teucrium Soybean Fund (“SOYB”), Teucrium Wheat Fund (“WEAT”), and Teucrium Agricultural Fund (“TAGS”). All these series of the Trust are collectively referred to as the “Funds” and singularly as the “Fund.” Each Fund is a commodity pool that is a series of the Trust. The Funds issue common units, called the “Shares,” representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in a Fund.  The Trust and the Funds operate pursuant to the Trust’s Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”).  Two additional series, the Teucrium Natural Gas Fund (“NAGS”) and the Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund (“CRUD”) commenced operations in 2011; these, however, ceased trading and were deregistered effective with the close of trading on December 18, 2014.  Liquidation of NAGS and CRUD was completed prior to December 31, 2014 and the Form 15 was filed on January 9, 2015.

 

On June 5, 2010, the initial Form S-1 for CORN was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). On June 8, 2010, four Creation Baskets for CORN were issued representing 200,000 shares and $5,000,000. CORN began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) Arca on June 9, 2010.  On April 30, 2013, a subsequent registration statement for CORN was declared effective by the SEC.

  

On June 17, 2011, the initial Forms S-1 for CANE, SOYB, and WEAT were declared effective by the SEC. On September 16, 2011, two Creation Baskets were issued for each Fund, representing 100,000 shares and $2,500,000, for CANE, SOYB, and WEAT.  On September 19, 2011, CANE, SOYB, and WEAT started trading on the NYSE Arca. On June 30, 2014, subsequent registration statements for CANE, SOYB and WEAT were declared effective by the SEC.

On February 10, 2012, the Form S-1 for TAGS was declared effective by the SEC. On March 27, 2012, six Creation Baskets for TAGS were issued representing 300,000 shares and $15,000,000. TAGS began trading on the NYSE Arca on March 28, 2012. On April 30, 2015, a subsequent registration statement for TAGS was declared effective by the SEC.

The specific investment objective of each Fund and information regarding the organization and operation of each Fund are included in each Fund’s financial statements and accompanying notes, as well as in other sections of this Form 10-K filing. In general, the investment objective of each Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of its Shares’ Net Asset Value (“NAV”) reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for certain Futures Contracts for the commodity specified for that Fund.  The investment objective of TAGS is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of NAV of its common units (“Shares”) reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average (the “Underlying Fund Average”) of the NAVs per share of four other commodity pools that are series of the Trust and are sponsored by the Sponsor: CORN, WEAT, SOYB, and CANE (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”).  The Underlying Fund Average will have a weighting of 25% to each Underlying Fund, and the Fund’s assets will be rebalanced to maintain the approximate 25% allocation to each Underlying Fund.

The accompanying unaudited combined financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC and, therefore, do not include all information and footnote disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, such financial information reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the Trust’s financial statements for the interim period. It is suggested that these interim financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as applicable. The operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2015, are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2015.

Subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement,  the Sponsor may terminate a Fund at any time, regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses, including, for instance, if it determines that the Fund’s aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses make the continued operation of the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. However, no level of losses will require the Sponsor to terminate a Fund.


Note 2Liquidation of Funds

On December 18, 2014 the Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund ("CRUD") and the Natural Gas Fund ("NAGS"), both series of the Trust ceased trading on the NYSE Arca and the Sponsor liquidated all commodity futures contracts held by these funds. All positions were sold through an exchange to unrelated parties.  On December 22, 2014 the Administrator and Custodian proceeded to distribute cash to all shareholders in an amount equal to each shareholder’s pro rata interest in the respective fund. On December 30, 2014, the Sponsor completed the liquidation of all of the assets of NAGS and CRUD. CRUD and NAGS did not recognize any subscriptions or redemptions during the three months ended March 31, 2014. There were zero assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2014. The Form 15 was filed with the SEC on January 9, 2015.

The following summarized financial information presents the results of operations for NAGS and other data for the three months ended March 31, 2014, which have been included in continuing operations for the 2014 periods presented.

Three months ended

 

March 31, 2014

 

Total Income

$ 235,527  

Total Expenses

$ 41,027  

Total Expenses, net                                                    

  $ 7,186  

Net Income

  $ 228,341  

The following summarized financial information presents the results of operations for CRUD and other data for the three months ended March 31, 2014, which have been included in continuing operations for the 2014 periods presented.

 

Three months ended

 

March 31, 2014

 

Total Income

$ 54,844  

Total Expenses

$ 46,381  

Total Expenses, net                                                    

  $ 10,022  

Net Income

  $ 44,822  

Note 3 – Principal Contracts and Agreements

In its capacity as the Custodian for the Funds, the Custodian, currently the Bank of New York Mellon, holds for each Fund its Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents pursuant to a custodial agreement.  The Custodian is also the registrar and transfer agent for each Fund’s Shares.  In addition, the Custodian also serves as Administrator for each Fund, performing certain administrative and accounting services and preparing certain Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) reports on behalf of the Fund. The Custodian also acts as a broker for some, but not all, of the equity transactions related to the purchase and sale of the Underlying Funds for TAGS. For these services, the Custodian receives: for custody services:  0.0075% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, and 0.0050% of average gross assets over $1 billion, annually, plus certain per-transaction charges; for transfer agency services:  0.0075% of average gross assets annually; and for administrative services:  0.05% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, 0.04% of average gross assets between $1 billion and $3 billion, and 0.03% of average gross assets over $3 billion, annually. A combined minimum annual fee of up to $125,000 for custody, transfer agency and administrative services per Fund can be assessed. The Funds recognized $46,456 in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $40,131 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in custodian fees and expenses on the combined statements of operations; of this expense $5,600 in 2015 and $5,889 in 2014 was waived by the Sponsor.

 

The Sponsor and the Trust employ Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside” or the “Distributor”) as the Distributor for the Funds. The Distribution Services Agreement among the Distributor, the Sponsor and the Trust calls for the Distributor to work with the Custodian in connection with the receipt and processing of orders for Creation Baskets and Redemption Baskets and the review and approval of all Fund sales literature and advertising materials. The Distributor and the Sponsor have also entered into a Securities Activities and Service Agreement (the “SASA”) under which certain employees and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as registered representatives or registered principals of the Distributor, under Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) rules. For its services as the Distributor, Foreside receives a fee of 0.01% of the Fund’s average daily net assets and an aggregate annual fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds, along with certain expense reimbursements. For its services under the SASA, Foreside receives a fee of $5,000 per registered representative and $1,000 per registered location. The Funds recognized $41,091 in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $39,717 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in distribution and marketing fees on the combined statements of operations; of this expense $3,380 in 2015 and $1,893 in 2014 was waived by the Sponsor.

In 2014, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) served as the Funds’ futures commission merchant (“FCM”) and primary clearing broker to execute and clear the Funds’ futures transactions and provide other brokerage-related services.  In 2014, the Funds introduced the use of Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), for the execution and clearing of the Funds’ futures and options, if any, on futures transactions. On January 2, 2015, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) merged with and into SG Americas Securities, LLC (“SG”), with the latter as the surviving entity. On February 6, 2015 Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) became the Funds’ FCM and primary clearing broker. All futures contracts held by SG were transferred to Jefferies on that date. As of February 23, 2015 all residual cash balances held at SG had been transferred to Jefferies and the balance in all SG accounts was $0.

 

Jefferies is a futures commission merchant and broker dealer registered with the CFTC and the SEC, and is a member of FINRA. Jefferies is a clearing member of all principal futures exchanges located in the United States as well as a member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, International Securities Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, Options Clearing Corporation, and Government Securities Clearing Corporation.  For Corn, Soybean, Sugar and Wheat Futures Contracts Jefferies was paid $8.00 per round turn, and WTI Crude Oil and Natural Gas Futures Contracts Newedge was paid $6.00 per round turn. The Funds recognized $26,958 in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $15,958 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in brokerage commissions on the combined statements of operations and was paid by the Funds.

The sole Trustee of the Trust is Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation.  The Trustee will accept service of legal process on the Trust in the State of Delaware and will make certain filings under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. For its services, the Trustee receives an annual fee of $3,300 from the Trust. The Funds did not recognize any expense for these services in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and during the same period in 2014. This expense is recorded in business permits and licenses fees on the combined statements of operations.


Note 4 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation


The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a combined basis in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) as detailed in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification and include the accounts of the Trust, CORN, CANE, SOYB, WEAT and TAGS. Refer to the accompanying separate financial statements for each Fund for more detailed information. For the periods represented by the financial statements herein the operations of the Trust contain the results of CORN, NAGS, CRUD, SOYB, CANE, WEAT, and TAGS except for eliminations for TAGS as explained below for the months during which each Fund was in operation. CRUD and NAGS were in operation for the full three month period presented in 2014, the results are presented in the Trust combined financial statements.

Given the investment objective of TAGS as described in Note 1 above, TAGS will buy, sell and hold, as part of its normal operations, shares of the four Underlying Funds. The Trust eliminates the shares of the other series of the Trust owned by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund from its combined statements of assets and liabilities. The Trust eliminates the net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on securities owned by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund from its combined statements of operations. The combined statements of changes in net assets and cash flows present a net presentation of the purchases and sales of the Underlying Funds of TAGS.

Correction of immaterial errors in previously issued financial statements

Effective with the period ended June 30, 2014, expenses for the current and comparative periods are presented both gross and net of any expenses waived by or paid by the Sponsor that would have been incurred by the Funds (“expenses waived by the Sponsor”). In addition, certain expenses paid by the Sponsor on behalf of the Funds for the year ended December 31, 2013 that were subject to possible recovery from the Funds in the following year, as had been previously disclosed in aggregate for the Trust in the Form 10-K for 2013, have also been included in expenses and waived/reimbursed expenses in the period incurred by the Sponsor. These expenses, if reimbursed by the Funds to the Sponsor in 2014 are then presented as a reimbursement of expenses previously waived. “Total expenses, net”, which is after the impact of any expenses waived by or reimbursed to the Sponsor, are presented in the same manner as previously reported. There is, therefore, no impact to, or change in the Net gain or Net loss in any period for the Trust and each Fund as a result of this change in presentation.

Effective with the year-ended December 31, 2014, a revision was made to the combined statements of cash flows for amounts associated with the purchase and sales of the Underlying Funds by TAGS in the combined statements of cash flows have been reclassified from changes in operating assets and liabilities to cash flows from financing activities. There is no impact to, or change in cash and cash equivalents for the period ended March 31, 2014. Management believes this revision is immaterial to the combined financial statements.

 

Revenue Recognition


Commodity futures contracts are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts are reflected in the statements of assets and liabilities as the difference between the original contract amount and the fair market value as of the last business day of the year or as of the last date of the financial statements. Changes in the appreciation or depreciation between periods are reflected in the statements of operations. Interest on cash equivalents and deposits with the Futures Commission Merchant are recognized on the accrual basis. The Funds earn interest on its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the Futures Commission Merchant. In addition, the Funds earn interest on funds held at the custodian at prevailing market rates for such investments.

 

Brokerage Commissions


Brokerage commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on the trade date and on a full-turn basis.

 

Income Taxes


The Trust, as a Delaware statutory trust, is considered a trust for federal tax purposes and is, thus, a pass through entity. For tax purposes, the Funds will be treated as partnerships. Therefore, the Funds do not record a provision for income taxes because the shareholders report their share of a Fund’s income or loss on their income tax returns. The financial statements reflect the Funds’ transactions without adjustment, if any, required for income tax purposes.

The Funds are required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. The Funds file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax returns in various U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. For all tax years 2012 to 2014, the Funds remain subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized results in the Funds recording a tax liability that reduces net assets. Based on their analysis, the Funds have determined that they have not incurred any liability for unrecognized tax benefits as of the three months ended March 31, 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. However, the Funds’ conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, ongoing analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations, and interpretations thereof.

The Funds recognize interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax fees payable, if assessed. No interest expense or penalties have been recognized as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

The Funds may be subject to potential examination by U.S. federal, U.S. state, or foreign jurisdictional authorities in the area of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions, and compliance with U.S. federal, U.S. state and foreign tax laws. The Funds’ management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

Creations and Redemptions

 

Authorized Purchasers may purchase Creation Baskets from each Fund. The amount of the proceeds required to purchase a Creation Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Creation Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create the basket is properly received.

Authorized Purchasers may redeem shares from each Fund only in blocks of shares called “Redemption Baskets.” The amount of the redemption proceeds for a Redemption Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Redemption Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to redeem the basket is properly received.

Each Fund receives or pays the proceeds from shares sold or redeemed within three business days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption. The amounts due from Authorized Purchasers are reflected in the statements of assets and liabilities as receivable for shares sold. Amounts payable to Authorized Purchasers upon redemption are reflected in the combined statements of assets and liabilities as payable for shares redeemed.

There are a minimum number of baskets and associated shares specified for each Fund in the Fund’s respective prospectus, as amended from time to time. Once the minimum number of baskets is reached, there can be no more redemptions until there has been a creation basket. These minimum levels are as follows:

CORN: 50,000 shares representing 2 baskets
SOYB: 50,000 shares representing 2 baskets
CANE: 50,000 shares representing 2 baskets
WEAT: 50,000 shares representing 2 baskets
TAGS: 50,000 shares representing 2 baskets (at minimum level as of March 31, 2015 and 2014)

 

Cash Equivalents


Cash equivalents are highly-liquid investments with maturity dates of 90 days or less when acquired. The Trust reported its cash equivalents in the statements of assets and liabilities at market value, or at carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their highly-liquid nature and short-term maturities. Each Fund is a series of the Trust, which has the balance of its assets on deposit with banks. Assets deposited with the bank may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. The Trust had a balance of $106,768,606 and $142,419,068 in money market funds at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively; these balances are included in cash and cash equivalents on the combined statements of assets and liabilities.

 

Due from/to Broker


The amount recorded by the Trust for the amount due from and to the clearing broker includes, but is not limited to, cash held by the broker, amounts payable to the clearing broker related to open transactions and payables for commodities futures accounts liquidating to an equity balance on the clearing broker’s records.

Margin is the minimum amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest trader with the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position in futures contracts. A margin deposit acts to assure the trader’s performance of the futures contracts purchased or sold. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on initial margin that represents a very small percentage of the aggregate purchase or sales price of the contract. Because of such low margin requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures markets may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount invested, are greater than are customary in other forms of investment or speculation. As discussed below, adverse price changes in the futures contract may result in margin requirements that greatly exceed the initial margin. In addition, the amount of margin required in connection with a particular futures contract is set from time to time by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Funds’ clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in commodity interest contracts generally require higher amounts of margin as a matter of policy to further protect themselves. Over-the-counter trading generally involves the extension of credit between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to require the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit exposure.

When a trader purchases an option, there is no margin requirement; however, the option premium must be paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other hand, he or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in addition, an amount substantially equal to the current premium for the option. The margin requirements imposed on the selling of options, although adjusted to reflect the probability that out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can in fact be higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader acquires a mixture of options positions and positions in the underlying interest.

Ongoing or “maintenance” margin requirements are computed each day by a trader’s clearing broker. When the market value of a particular open futures contract changes to a point where the margin on deposit does not satisfy maintenance margin requirements, a margin call is made by the broker. If the margin call is not met within a reasonable time, the broker may close out the trader’s position. With respect to the Funds’ trading, the Funds (and not their shareholders personally) are subject to margin calls.

Finally, many major U.S. exchanges have passed certain cross margining arrangements involving procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held in an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated, and margin requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis, measuring the total risk of the combined positions.

 

Payable/Receivable for Securities Purchased/Sold

Due from/to broker for investments in securities are securities transactions pending settlement. The Trust and the Funds are subject to credit risk to the extent any broker with whom it conducts business is unable to fulfill contractual obligations on its behalf. The management of the Trust and the Funds monitors the financial condition of such brokers and does not anticipate any losses from these counterparties. Since the inception of the Fund, the principal broker through which the Trust and TAGS clear securities transactions for TAGS is the Bank of New York Mellon Capital Markets.

 

Sponsor Fee, Allocation of Expenses and Related Party Transactions

The Sponsor is responsible for investing the assets of the Funds in accordance with the objectives and policies of each Fund. In addition, the Sponsor arranges for one or more third parties to provide administrative, custodial, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary services to the Trust and the Funds. In addition, the Sponsor elected not to outsource services directly attributable to the Trust and the Funds such as accounting, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading activities. In addition, the Funds, except for TAGS which has no such fee, are contractually obligated to pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum.

 

The Funds pay for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the SEC, FINRA, formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent Shares, after its initial registration, and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated therewith. The Funds also pay the fees and expenses associated with the Trust’s tax accounting and reporting requirements. Certain aggregate expenses common to all Funds within the Trust are allocated by the Sponsor to the respective Fund based on activity drivers deemed most appropriate by the Sponsor for such expenses, including but not limited to relative assets under management and creation and redeem order activity.

 

These aggregate common expenses include, but are not limited to, legal, auditing, accounting and financial reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory compliance, trading activities, and insurance costs, as well as fees paid to the Distributor, which are included in the related line item in the combined statements of operations. A portion of these aggregate common expenses are related to the Sponsor or related parties of principals of the Sponsor; these are necessary services to the Trust and the Funds, which are primarily the cost of performing accounting and financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and trading activities that are directly attributable to the Trust and the Funds. For the three months ended March 31, such expenses, which are primarily included as distribution and marketing fees, totaled $492,442 in 2015 and $365,757 in 2014; of these amounts, $33,060 in 2015 and $16,729 in 2014 were waived by the Sponsor. All asset-based fees and expenses for the Funds are calculated on the prior day’s net assets.

The Sponsor has the ability to elect to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Funds or waive the management fee. This election is subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. Expenses paid by the Sponsor and Management fees waived by the Sponsor are, if applicable, presented as waived expenses in the statements of operations for each Fund.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 there were $100,556 of expenses that were on the combined statements of operations of the Trust as expenses that were waived by the Sponsor. These were specifically: $49,150 for SOYB, $16,416 for CANE, $14,300 for WEAT, and $20,690 for TAGS. The Sponsor has determined that there would be no recovery sought for these amounts in any future period.

For the three months ended March 31, 2014 there were $131,904 of expenses that were on the combined statements of operations of the Trust as expenses that were waived by the Sponsor. These were specifically: $33,841 for NAGS, $36,359 for CRUD, $36,935 for CANE, and $24,769 for TAGS. The Sponsor has determined that there would be no recovery sought for these amounts in any future period.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, there were $590,000 of expenses recorded in the financial statements of the Sponsor which were subject to reimbursement by the Funds in 2014. At that time, the Sponsor had determined that recovery of the expense amounts was not probable. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, asset growth and other changes experienced by certain Funds enabled the Sponsor to claim reimbursement of $211,667 from the Funds, specifically, $162,860 from CORN, $20,090 from SOYB and $28,717 from WEAT. These amounts are reflected in the combined statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as a reimbursement of a previously waived expense for the Funds from which there was recovery in 2014. There was no recovery of amounts from the other Funds.

 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the combined financial statements, and the reported amounts of the revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

In determining fair value, the Trust uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, a fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Trust. Unobservable inputs reflect the Trust’s assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as follows:

 

Level 1 - Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Trust has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of judgment.

Level 2 - Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

The availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Those estimated values do not necessarily represent the amounts that may be ultimately realized due to the occurrence of future circumstances that cannot be reasonably determined. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Trust and the Funds in determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3. In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy, within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls, is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Fair value is a market-based measure considered from the perspective of a market participant rather than an entity-specific measure. Therefore, even when market assumptions are not readily available, the Trust’s own assumptions are set to reflect those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. The Trust uses prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date, including periods of market dislocation. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many securities. This condition could cause a security to be reclassified to a lower level within the fair value hierarchy. For instance, when Corn Futures Contracts on the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”) are not actively trading due to a “limit-up” or ‘limit-down” condition, meaning that the change in the Corn Futures Contracts has exceeded the limits established, the Trust and the Fund will revert to alternative verifiable sources of valuation of its assets. When such a situation exists on a quarter close, the Sponsor will calculate the NAV on a particular day using the Level 1 valuation, but will later recalculate the NAV for the impacted Fund based upon the valuation inputs from these alternative verifiable sources (Level 2 or Level 3) and will report such NAV in its applicable financial statements and reports.

On March 31, 2015 and 2014, in the opinion of the Trust, the reported value at the close of the market for each commodity contract fairly reflected the value of the futures and no alternative valuations were required. The determination is made as of the settlement of the futures contracts on the last day of trading for the reporting period. In making the determination of a Level 1 or Level 2 transfer, the Funds consider the average volume of the specific underlying futures contracts traded on the relevant exchange for the three months being reported.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Funds did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2014, Soybean Futures Contracts traded on the CBOT which will settle on November 13, 2015 (the “NOV15 Soybean Contracts”) did not, in the opinion of the Trust and SOYB, trade in an actively traded futures market as defined in the policy of the Trust and SOYB for the entire period during which they were held. Accordingly, the Trust and SOYB have classified these as a Level 2 liability for the period ended March 31, 2014. The NOV15 Soybean Contracts were, in the opinion of the Trust and SOYB, fairly valued at settlement on March 31, 2014. These transferred back to a Level 1 liability for the quarter ended June 30, 2014.

The Funds and the Trust record their derivative activities at fair value. Gains and losses from derivative contracts are included in the statements of operations. Derivative contracts include futures contracts related to commodity prices. Futures, which are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the CBOT and the ICE, or reported on another national market, are generally categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. OTC derivatives contracts (such as forward and swap contracts), which may be valued using models, depending on whether significant inputs are observable or unobservable, are categorized in Levels 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

Investments in the securities of the Underlying Funds are freely traded and listed on the NYSE Arca. These investments are valued at the NAV of the Underlying Fund as of the valuation date as calculated by the administrator based on the exchange-quoted prices of the commodity futures contracts held by the Underlying Fund.


Expenses

Expenses are recorded using the accrual method of accounting.


New Accounting Pronouncements

 

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Updated (“ASU”) No, 2014-08, “Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity.” The amendments in this update change the requirements for reporting discontinued operations in Subtopic 2015-20.  A significant provision of ASU 2014-08 calls for reporting as discontinued operations only those disposals that represent a strategic shift or have a major impact on the an entity’s financial results and operations. The Company elected to early adopt this ASU for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the adoption did not have a significant impact on the financial statements and disclosures of the Trust or the Funds.

 

The FASB issued ASU No, 2014-11, “Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860): Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financing, and Disclosures.” The amendments in this update require changes to the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions and enhances the required disclosures for repurchase agreements and other similar transactions. The amendments are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The adoption did not have a significant impact on the financial statements and disclosures of the Trust or the Funds.


Note 5 – Fair Value Measurements


The Trust’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy as described in the Trust’s significant accounting policies in Note 3. The following table presents information about the Trust’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014:

 

March 31, 2015

 

                Balance as of 
Assets: Level 1     Level 2     Level 3    

March 31, 2015

Cash equivalents $ 106,768,606     $ -     $ -     $ 106,768,606  
Commodity futures contracts                              
Wheat futures contracts     98,775       -       -       98,775  
Total   $ 106,867,381     $ -     $ -     $ 106,867,381  
                         
                      Balance as of  
Liabilities:   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3    

March 31, 2015

Commodity futures contracts                                
Corn futures contracts   $ 4,301,113     $ -     $ -     $ 4,301,113  
Soybean futures contracts     220,075       -       -       220,075  
Sugar futures contracts     722,366       -       -       722,366  
Wheat futures contracts     1,571,425       -       -       1,571,425  
Total   $ 6,814,979     $ -     $ -     $ 6,814,979  
                         

December 31, 2014

                       
                      Balance as of  
Assets:   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3    

December 31, 2014

Cash equivalents   $ 142,423,637     $ -     $ -     $ 142,423,637  
Commodity futures contracts                                
Corn futures contracts     3,651,637       -       -       3,651,637  
Wheat futures contracts     729,626       -       -       729,626  
Total   $ 146,804,900     $ -     $ -     $ 146,804,900  

 

              Balance as of 
Liabilities: Level 1   Level 2     Level 3    

December 31, 2014

Commodity futures contracts                          
Corn futures contracts $ 1,899,925     $ -     $ -     $ 1,899,925  
Soybean futures contracts     277,013       -       -       277,013  
Sugar futures contracts     503,955       -       -       503,955  
Wheat futures contracts     13,125       -       -       13,125  
Total   $ 2,694,018     $ -     $ -     $ 2,694,018  

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Funds did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

 

Transfers into and out of each level of the fair value hierarchy for the NOV15 Soybean Contracts for the three months ended March 31, 2014 were as follows:


 Transfers  Transfers      Transfers      Transfers      Transfers      Transfers  
 into  out of       into      out of      into      out of  
 Level 1  Level 1      Level 2      Level 2      Level 3      Level 3  
Liabilities (at fair value)                                                
Derivative contracts                                                          
Soybean future contracts   $ -     $ 12,075
    $ 12,075     $ -     $ -     $ -
                                   

See the Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy section in Note 4 above for an explanation of the transfers into and out of each level of the fair value hierarchy.

 

Note 6 – Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

 

In the normal course of business, the Funds utilize derivative contracts in connection with its proprietary trading activities. Investments in derivative contracts are subject to additional risks that can result in a loss of all or part of an investment. The Funds’ derivative activities and exposure to derivative contracts are classified by the following primary underlying risks: interest rate, credit, commodity price, and equity price risks. In addition to its primary underlying risks, the Funds are also subject to additional counterparty risk due to inability of its counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Funds invested only in commodity futures contracts specifically related to each Fund. Cleared Swaps have standardized terms similar to, and are priced by reference to, a corresponding Benchmark Component Futures Contract. Additionally, Other Commodity Interests that do not have standardized terms and are not exchange-traded, referred to as “over-the-counter” Interests, can generally be structured as the parties to the Commodity Interest contract desire. Therefore, each Fund might enter into multiple Cleared Swaps and/or over-the-counter Interests intended to exactly replicate the performance of each of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts for the Fund, or a single over-the-counter Interest designed to replicate the performance of the Benchmark as a whole. Assuming that there is no default by a counterparty to an over-the-counter Interest, the performance of the Interest will not necessarily correlate exactly with the performance of the Benchmark or the applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract.

 

Futures Contracts


The Funds are subject to commodity price risk in the normal course of pursuing their investment objectives. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future purchase or sale of an asset at a specified price on a specified date.

The purchase and sale of futures contracts requires margin deposits with a FCM. Subsequent payments (variation margin) are made or received by each Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the value of the contract, and are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by each Fund. Futures contracts may reduce the Funds’ exposure to counterparty risk since futures contracts are exchange-traded; and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as the counterparty to all exchange-traded futures, guarantees the futures against default.

The Commodity Exchange Act requires an FCM to segregate all customer transactions and assets from the FCM’s proprietary activities. A customer’s cash and other equity deposited with an FCM are considered commingled with all other customer funds subject to the FCM’s segregation requirements. In the event of an FCM’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to each Fund’s pro rata share of segregated customer funds available. It is possible that the recovery amount could be less than the total of cash and other equity deposited.

 

The following table discloses information about offsetting assets and liabilities presented in the combined statements of assets and liabilities to enable users of these financial statements to evaluate the effect or potential effect of netting arrangements for recognized assets and liabilities. These recognized assets and liabilities are presented as defined in FASB ASU No. 2011-11 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” and subsequently clarified in FASB ASU 2013-01 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.”

The following table also identifies the fair value amounts of derivative instruments included in the combined statements of assets and liabilities as derivative contracts, categorized by primary underlying risk and held by the FCM, Jefferies for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and Newedge USA for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

Offsetting of Financial Assets and Derivative Assets as of March 31, 2015

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
 Gross Amount Not Offset in the
 Statement of Assets and
 Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount
Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of
of Recognized Assets and Assets and Futures Contracts  Collateral, Due
Description Assets Liabilities Liabilities Available for Offset to Broker Net Amount
Commodity price
   Wheat futures contracts $ 98,775 $ - $ 98,775 $ 98,775 $ - $ -

 

Offseting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of March 31, 2015

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
     
 Gross Amount Not Offset in the
 Statement of Assets and
 Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount
Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of
of Recognized Assets and Assets and Futures Contracts  Collateral, Due
Description Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Available for Offset from Broker Net Amount
Commodity price
   Corn futures contracts $ 4,301,113 $ - $ 4,301,113 $ - $ 4,301,113 $ -
   Soybean futures contracts 220,075 - 220,075 - 220,075 -
   Sugar futures contracts 722,366 - 722,366 - 722,366 -
   Wheat futures contracts 1,571,425 - 1,571,425 98,775 1,472,650 -

 

Offsetting of Financial Assets and Derivative Assets as of December 31, 2014

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
     
 Gross Amount Not Offset in the
 Statement of Assets and
 Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount
Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of
of Recognized Assets and Assets and Futures Contracts  Collateral, Due
Description Assets Liabilities Liabilities Available for Offset to Broker Net Amount
Commodity price
   Corn futures contracts $ 3,651,637 $ - $ 3,651,637 $ 1,899,925 $ - $ 1,751,712
   Wheat futures contracts 729,626 - 729,626 13,125 60,805 655,696

 

Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of December 31, 2014

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
     
 Gross Amount Not Offset in the
 Statement of Assets and
 Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount
Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of
of Recognized Assets and Assets and Futures Contracts  Collateral, Due
Description Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Available for Offset from Broker Net Amount
Commodity price
   Corn futures contracts $ 1,899,925 $ - $ 1,899,925 $ 1,899,925 $ - $ -
   Soybean futures contracts 277,013 - 277,013 - 277,013 -
   Sugar futures contracts 503,955 - 503,955 - 503,955 -
   Wheat futures contracts 13,125 - 13,125 13,125 - -

The following is a summary of realized and net change in unrealized gains (losses) of the derivative instruments utilized by the Trust:

 

Three months ended March 31, 2015

   Net Change in Unrealized  
Realized Gain (Loss) on Appreciation or Depreciation on
 
Primary Underlying Risk Commodity Futures Contracts
Commodity Futures Contract
 
Commodity price
Corn futures contracts $ 401,862 $ (6,052,825 )
Soybean futures contracts (583,375 ) 56,938
Sugar futures contracts (333,547 ) (218,411 )
Wheat futures contracts (707,238 ) (2,189,151 )
Total commodity futures contracts $ (1,222,298 ) $ (8,403,449 )

 

Three months ended March 31, 2014

   Net Change in Unrealized
Realized Gain (Loss) on Appreciation or Depreciation on
Primary Underlying Risk Commodity Futures Contracts Commodity Futures Contracts
Commodity price
Corn futures contracts $ 1,283,346 $ 11,085,413
Natural gas futures contracts 214,190 21,160
WTI crude oil futures contracts - 54,650
Soybean futures contracts 26,100 325,351
Sugar futures contracts (3,281 ) 224,246
Wheat futures contracts 230,450 1,486,688
Total commodity futures contracts $ 1,750,805 $ 13,197,508


Volume of Derivative Activities


The average notional market value categorized by primary underlying risk for all futures contracts held was $116.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $114.3 million for the same period in 2014.

 

Note 7 - Organizational and Offering Costs

 

Expenses incurred in organizing of the Trust and the initial offering of the shares, including applicable SEC registration fees, were borne directly by the Sponsor for the Funds and will be borne directly by the Sponsor for any series of the Trust which is not yet operating or will be issued in the future. The Trust will not be obligated to reimburse the Sponsor.


  

Note 8 – Detail of the net assets and shares outstanding of the Funds that are a series of the Trust

 

The following are the net assets and shares outstanding of each Fund that is a series of the Trust and, thus, in total, comprise the combined net assets of the Trust:

 

March 31, 2015

 

 

  Outstanding Shares     Net Assets    

Teucrium Corn Fund

  3,200,004     $ 79,213,767    

Teucrium Soybean Fund

  325,004       6,375,443    

Teucrium Sugar Fund

  250,004       2,389,260    

Teucrium Wheat Fund

    1,925,004       21,006,788    

Teucrium Agricultural Fund:

                 

   Net assets including the investment in the Underlying Funds

    50,002       1,466,604    

   Less: Investment in the Underlying Funds

            (1,457,115 )  

   Net for the Fund in the combined net assets of the Trust

            9,489    

Total

          $ 108,994,747    

 

December 31, 2014

 

 

  Outstanding Shares     Net Assets    

Teucrium Corn Fund

  4,075,004     $ 108,459,507    

Teucrium Soybean Fund

  575,004       11,956,149    

Teucrium Sugar Fund

  225,004       2,661,212    

Teucrium Wheat Fund

    1,750,004       22,263,457    

Teucrium Agricultural Fund:

                 

   Net assets including the investment in the Underlying Funds

    50,002       1,652,749    

   Less: Investment in the Underlying Funds

            (1,641,102 )  

   Net for the Fund in the combined net assets of the Trust

            11,647    

Total

          $ 145,351,972    

 

The detailed information for the subscriptions and redemptions, and other financial information for each Fund that is a series of the Trust are included in the accompanying financial statements of each Fund.

 

Note 9 – Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated the three months ended March 31, 2015 financial statements for subsequent events through the date of this filing and noted no material events requiring either recognition through the date of the filing or disclosure herein for the Trust and Funds other than noted below:

 

From April 1, 2015 through May 11, 2015, the following change of 20% or greater occurred in Shares Outstanding for the Teucrium Wheat Fund: the shares for the Fund increased from 1,925,004 to 2,375,004.



 

TEUCRIUM CORN FUND

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

March 31, 2015

December 31, 2014

(Unaudited)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 77,982,630 $ 106,858,496
Interest receivable 5,358 7,329
Other assets 619,311 437,996
Equity in trading accounts:
Commodity futures contracts - 3,651,637
Due from broker 5,125,750 1,613,775
Total equity in trading accounts 5,125,750 5,265,412
Total assets $ 83,733,049 $ 112,569,233
Liabilities
Management fee payable to Sponsor 71,520 98,798
Other liabilities 146,649 114,818
Payable for shares redeemed - 1,996,185
Equity in trading accounts:
Commodity futures contracts 4,301,113 1,899,925
Total liabilities 4,519,282 4,109,726
Net assets $ 79,213,767 $ 108,459,507
Shares outstanding 3,200,004 4,075,004
Net asset value per share $ 24.75 $ 26.62
Market value per share $ 24.74 $ 26.64

 


The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


 

TEUCRIUM CORN FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)

     Percentage of  
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
 Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $77,982,630) $ 77,982,630 98.45 % 79,982,630
Percentage of Notional Amount
Description: Liabilities Fair Value Net Assets (Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts
United States corn futures contracts
CBOT corn futures JUL15 (1,441 contracts) $ 1,793,150 2.27 % $ 27,685,213
CBOT corn futures SEP15 (1,213 contracts) 770,638 0.97 23,774,800
CBOT corn futures DEC15 (1,386 contracts) 1,737,325 2.19
27,771,975
Total commodity futures contracts $ 4,301,113 5.43 % $ 79,231,988

 

 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.



TEUCRIUM CORN FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

December 31, 2014

 

     Percentage of  
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
Dreyfus Cash Management -  Institutional (cost $106,858,496) $ 106,858,496 98.52 % 106,858,496
  Notional Amount
  (Long Exposure)
 Commodity futures contracts
 United States corn futures contracts
CBOT corn futures MAY 15 (1,868 contracts) $ 3,492,987 3.22 % $ 37,897,050
CBOT corn futures JUL15 (1,579 contracts) 158,650 0.15
32,566,875
Total commodity futures contracts $ 3,651,637 3.37 % $ 70,463,925
          Percentage of        Notional Amount   
Description: Liabilities   Fair Value       Net Assets       (Long Exposure)  
Commodity futures contracts
United States corn futures contracts
CBOT corn futures DEC15 (1,808 contracts) $ 1,899,925 1.75 % $ 38,058,400

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.




TEUCRIUM CORN FUND

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited) 

 

Three months ended

Three months ended

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2014

Income
Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on trading of commodity futures contracts:
Realized gain on commodity futures contracts $ 401,862 $ 1,283,346
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts (6,052,825 ) 11,085,413
Interest income 6,813 10,201
Total (loss) income (5,644,150 ) 12,378,960
Expenses
Management fees 225,318 196,425
Professional fees 270,000 90,940
Distribution and marketing fees 168,065 282,510
Custodian fees and expenses 31,856 31,857
Business permits and licenses fees 13,102 20,700
General and administrative expenses 38,800 76,050
Brokerage commissions 23,250 12,150
Other expenses 2,663 10,170
Total expenses 773,054 720,802
Expenses waived by the Sponsor - -
Reimbursement of expenses previously waived - 162,860
Total expenses, net 773,054 883,662
Net (loss) income $ (6,417,204 ) $ 11,495,298
Net (loss) income per share $ (1.87 ) $ 3.93
Net (loss) income per weighted average share $ (1.82 ) $ 4.61
Weighted average shares outstanding 3,529,448 2,491,393

 

  The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


TEUCRIUM CORN FUND

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended

Three months ended

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2014

Operations
Net (loss) income $ (6,417,204 ) $ 11,495,298
Capital transactions
Issuance of Shares - 83,865,158
Redemption of Shares (22,828,536 ) (14,090,684 )
Total capital transactions (22,828,536 ) 69,774,474
Net change in net assets (29,245,740 ) 81,269,772
Net assets, beginning of period $ 108,459,507 $ 47,499,620
Net assets, end of period $ 79,213,767 $ 128,769,392
Net asset value per share at beginning of period $ 26.62 $ 30.64
Net asset value per share at end of period $ 24.75 $ 34.57
Creation of Shares - 2,600,000
Redemption of Shares 875,000 425,000

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


TEUCRIUM CORN FUND

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended

Three months ended

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2014

Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income (loss) $ (6,417,204 ) $ 11,495,298
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts 6,052,825 (11,085,413 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
 Due from broker (3,511,975 ) 981,275
 Interest receivable 1,971 (3,951 )
 Other assets (181,315 ) (42,008 )
 Management fee payable to Sponsor (27,278 ) 62,085
 Other liabilities 31,831 19,257
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (4,051,145 ) 1,426,543
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from sale of Shares - 83,865,158
Redemption of Shares (24,824,721 ) (12,362,238 )
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (24,824,721 ) 71,502,920
Net change in cash and cash equivalents (28,875,866 ) 72,929,463
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 106,858,496 42,405,220
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 77,982,630 $ 115,334,683

  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)

Note 1 – Organization and Operation

Teucrium Corn Fund (referred to herein as “CORN,” or the “Fund”) is a commodity pool that is a series of Teucrium Commodity Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust formed on September 11, 2009. The Fund issues common units, called the “Shares,” representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in the Fund. The Fund continuously offers Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares at their Net Asset Value (“NAV”) to “Authorized Purchasers” through Foreside Fund Services, LLC, which is the distributor for the Fund (the “Distributor”). Authorized Purchasers sell such Shares, which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) Arca under the symbol “CORN,” to the public at per-Share offering prices that reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Fund at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets and the NAV at the time of the offer of the Shares to the public, the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the markets for corn interests. The Fund’s Shares trade in the secondary market on the NYSE Arca at prices that are lower or higher than their NAV per Share.

The investment objective of CORN is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for corn (“Corn Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”), specifically (1) the second-to-expire CBOT Corn Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Corn Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Corn Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

The Fund commenced investment operations on June 9, 2010 and has a fiscal year ending on December 31. The Fund’s sponsor is Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Sponsor is responsible for the management of the Fund. The Sponsor is a member of the National Futures Association (the “NFA”) and became a commodity pool operator registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) effective November 10, 2009.

On June 5, 2010, the Fund’s initial registration of 30,000,000 shares the Form S-1 was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). On June 9, 2010, the Fund listed its shares on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “CORN.” On the day prior to that, the Fund issued 200,000 shares in exchange for $5,000,000 at the Fund’s initial NAV of $25 per share. The Fund also commenced investment operations on June 9, 2010 by purchasing commodity futures contracts traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”). On April 30, 2013, a subsequent registration statement for CORN was declared effective by the SEC.

The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC and, therefore, do not include all information and footnote disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, such financial information reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the Trust’s financial statements for the interim period. It is suggested that these interim financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as applicable. The operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2015.

Subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement,  the Sponsor may terminate a Fund at any time, regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses, including, for instance, if it determines that the Fund’s aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses make the continued operation of the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. However, no level of losses will require the Sponsor to terminate a Fund.


Note 2 – Principal Contracts and Agreements

In its capacity as the Custodian for the Fund, the Custodian, currently the Bank of New York Mellon, holds for the Fund its Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents pursuant to a custodial agreement.  The Custodian is also the registrar and transfer agent for the Fund’s Shares.  In addition, the Custodian also serves as Administrator for the Fund, performing certain administrative and accounting services and preparing certain SEC and CFTC reports on behalf of the Fund. For these services, the Custodian receives: for custody services:  0.0075% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, and 0.0050% of average gross assets over $1 billion, annually, plus certain per-transaction charges; for transfer agency services:  0.0075% of average gross assets annually; and for administrative services:  0.05% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, 0.04% of average gross assets between $1 billion and $3 billion, and 0.03% of average gross assets over $3 billion, annually. A combined minimum annual fee of up to $125,000 for custody, transfer agency and administrative services per Fund can be assessed. The Fund recognized $40,856 in the three months ended 2015 and $31,857 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in custodian fees and expenses on the statements of operations and was paid by the Fund.

The Sponsor and the Trust employ Foreside Fund Services, LLC as the Distributor for the Funds. The Distribution Services Agreement among the Distributor, the Sponsor and the Trust calls for the Distributor to work with the Custodian in connection with the receipt and processing of orders for Creation Baskets and Redemption Baskets and the review and approval of all Fund sales literature and advertising materials. The Distributor and the Sponsor have also entered into a Securities Activities and Service Agreement (the “SASA”) under which certain employees and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as registered representatives or registered principals of the Distributor, under FINRA rules. For its services as the Distributor, Foreside receives a fee of 0.01% of the Fund’s average daily net assets and an aggregate annual fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds, along with certain expense reimbursements. For its services under the SASA, Foreside receives a fee of $5,000 per registered representative and $1,000 per registered location. The Fund recognized $30,360 in the three months ended 2015 and $32,616 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in distribution and marketing fees on the statements of operations and was paid by the Fund.

In 2014, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) served as the Funds’ futures commission merchant (“FCM”) and primary clearing broker to execute and clear the Funds’ futures transactions and provide other brokerage-related services.  In 2014, the Funds introduced the use of Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), for the execution and clearing of the Funds’ futures and options, if any, on futures transactions. On January 2, 2015, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) merged with and into SG Americas Securities, LLC (“SG”), with the latter as the surviving entity. On February 6, 2015 Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) became the Funds’ FCM and primary clearing broker. All futures contracts held by SG were transferred to Jefferies on that date. As of February 23, 2015 all residual cash balances held at SG had been transferred to Jefferies and the balance in all SG accounts was $0.

Jefferies is a futures commission merchant and broker dealer registered with the CFTC and the SEC, and is a member of FINRA. Jefferies is a clearing member of all principal futures exchanges located in the United States as well as a member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, International Securities Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, Options Clearing Corporation, and Government Securities Clearing Corporation. For Corn Futures Contracts Newedge, SG and Jefferies were paid $8.00 per round turn. The Fund recognized $23,250 in the three months ended 2015 and $12,150 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in brokerage commissions on the statements of operations and was paid by the Fund.

The sole Trustee of the Trust is Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation.  The Trustee will accept service of legal process on the Trust in the State of Delaware and will make certain filings under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. For its services, the Trustee receives an annual fee of $3,300 from the Trust. The Fund did not recognize any expense for these services in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and during the same period in 2014. This expense is recorded in business permits and licenses fees on the statements of operations.

 

Note 3 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) as detailed in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification.

Correction of immaterial error in previously issued financial statements

Effective with the period ended June 30, 2014, expenses for the current and comparative periods are presented both gross and net of any expenses waived by or paid by the Sponsor that would have been incurred by the Funds (“expenses waived by the Sponsor”). In addition, certain expenses paid by the Sponsor on behalf of the Funds for the year ended December 31, 2013 that were subject to possible recovery from the Funds in the following year, as had been previously disclosed in aggregate for the Trust in the Form 10-K for 2013, have also been included in expenses and waived/reimbursed expenses in the period incurred by the Sponsor. These expenses, if reimbursed by the Funds to the Sponsor in 2014 are then presented as a reimbursement of expenses previously waived. “Total expenses, net”, which is after the impact of any expenses waived by or reimbursed to the Sponsor, are presented in the same manner as previously reported. There is, therefore, no impact to, or change in the Net gain or Net loss in any period for the Trust and each Fund as a result of this change in presentation.

 

Revenue Recognition

Commodity futures contracts are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts are reflected in the statements of assets and liabilities as the difference between the original contract amount and the fair market value as of the last business day of the year or as of the last date of the financial statements. Changes in the appreciation or depreciation between periods are reflected in the statements of operations. Interest on cash equivalents and deposits with the Futures Commission Merchant are recognized on the accrual basis. The Fund earns interest on its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the Futures Commission Merchant. In addition, the Fund earns interest on funds held at the custodian at prevailing market rates for such investments.

 

Brokerage Commissions

Brokerage commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on the trade date and on a full-turn basis.

 

Income Taxes

For tax purposes, the Fund will be treated as a partnership. The Fund does not record a provision for income taxes because the shareholders report their share of the Fund’s income or loss on their income tax returns. The financial statements reflect the Fund’s transactions without adjustment, if any, required for income tax purposes.

The Fund is required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. The Fund files an income tax return in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax returns in various U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. For all tax years 2012 to 2014, the Fund remains subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized results in the Fund recording a tax liability that reduces net assets. Based on its analysis, the Fund has determined that it has not incurred any liability for unrecognized tax benefits as of March 31, 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. However, the Fund’s conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, ongoing analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations, and interpretations thereof.

The Fund recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax fees payable, if assessed. No interest expense or penalties have been recognized as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

The Fund may be subject to potential examination by U.S. federal, U.S. state, or foreign jurisdictional authorities in the area of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions, and compliance with U.S. federal, U.S. state and foreign tax laws. The Fund’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

Creations and Redemptions

Authorized Purchasers may purchase Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 shares from CORN. The amount of the proceeds required to purchase a Creation Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Creation Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create the basket is properly received.

Authorized Purchasers may redeem shares from the Fund only in blocks of 25,000 shares called “Redemption Baskets.” The amount of the redemption proceeds for a Redemption Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Redemption Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to redeem the basket is properly received.

The Fund receives or pays the proceeds from shares sold or redeemed within three business days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption. The amounts due from Authorized Purchasers are reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as receivable for shares sold. Amounts payable to Authorized Purchasers upon redemption are reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as payable for shares redeemed.

As outlined in the most recent Form S-1 filing, 50,000 shares represents two Redemption Baskets for the Fund and a minimum level of shares.

 

Allocation of Shareholder Income and Losses

Profit or loss is allocated among the shareholders of the Fund in proportion to the number of shares each shareholder holds as of the close of each month.

 

Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents are highly-liquid investments with maturity dates of 90 days or less when acquired. The Fund reported its cash equivalents in the statements of assets and liabilities at market value, or at carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their highly-liquid nature and short-term maturities. The Fund has these balances of its assets on deposit with banks. Assets deposited with the bank may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. The Fund had a balance of $77,982,630 and $106,858,496 in money market funds at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively; these balances are included in cash and cash equivalents on the statements of assets and liabilities.

 

Due from/to Broker

The amount recorded by the Fund for the amount due from and to the clearing broker includes, but is not limited to, cash held by the broker, amounts payable to the clearing broker related to open transactions and payables for commodities futures accounts liquidating to an equity balance on the clearing broker’s records. 

Margin is the minimum amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest trader with the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position in futures contracts. A margin deposit acts to assure the trader’s performance of the futures contracts purchased or sold. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on initial margin that represents a very small percentage of the aggregate purchase or sales price of the contract. Because of such low margin requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures markets may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount invested, are greater than are customary in other forms of investment or speculation. As discussed below, adverse price changes in the futures contract may result in margin requirements that greatly exceed the initial margin. In addition, the amount of margin required in connection with a particular futures contract is set from time to time by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Fund’s clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in commodity interest contracts generally require higher amounts of margin as a matter of policy to further protect themselves. Over-the-counter trading generally involves the extension of credit between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to require the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit exposure.

When a trader purchases an option, there is no margin requirement; however, the option premium must be paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other hand, he or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in addition, an amount substantially equal to the current premium for the option. The margin requirements imposed on the selling of options, although adjusted to reflect the probability that out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can in fact be higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader acquires a mixture of options positions and positions in the underlying interest.

Ongoing or “maintenance” margin requirements are computed each day by a trader’s clearing broker. When the market value of a particular open futures contract changes to a point where the margin on deposit does not satisfy maintenance margin requirements, a margin call is made by the broker. If the margin call is not met within a reasonable time, the broker may close out the trader’s position. With respect to the Fund’s trading, the Fund (and not its shareholders personally) is subject to margin calls.

Finally, many major U.S. exchanges have passed certain cross margining arrangements involving procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held in an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated and margin requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis, measuring the total risk of the combined positions.

 

Calculation of Net Asset Value

The Fund’s NAV is calculated by:

Taking the current market value of its total assets and
Subtracting any liabilities.

The administrator, the Bank of New York Mellon, calculates the NAV of the Fund once each trading day. It calculates the NAV as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NAV for a particular trading day is released after 4:15 p.m. New York time.

In determining the value of Corn Futures Contracts, the administrator uses the CBOT closing price. The administrator determines the value of all other Fund investments as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The value of over-the-counter corn interests is determined based on the value of the commodity or futures contract underlying such corn interest, except that a fair value may be determined if the Sponsor believes that the Fund is subject to significant credit risk relating to the counterparty to such corn interest. For purposes of financial statements and reports, the Sponsor will recalculate the NAV where necessary to reflect the “fair value” of a Futures Contract when the Futures Contract closes at its price fluctuation limit for the day. Treasury securities held by the Fund are valued by the administrator using values received from recognized third-party vendors and dealer quotes. NAV includes any unrealized profit or loss on open corn interests and any other income or expense accruing to the Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund.

 

Sponsor Fee, Allocation of Expenses and Related Party Transactions

The Sponsor is responsible for investing the assets of the Fund in accordance with the objectives and policies of the Fund. In addition, the Sponsor arranges for one or more third parties to provide administrative, custodial, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary services to the Trust and the Funds. In addition, the Sponsor elected not to outsource services directly attributable to the Trust and the Funds such as accounting, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading activities. In addition, the Fund is contractually obligated to pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum. 

The Fund generally pays for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the SEC, FINRA, formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent Shares after its initial registration and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated therewith. The Fund also pays its portion of the fees and expenses associated with the Trust’s tax accounting and reporting requirements. Certain aggregate expenses common to all Funds within the Trust are allocated by the Sponsor to the respective funds based on activity drivers deemed most appropriate by the Sponsor for such expenses, including but not limited to relative assets under management and creation and redeem order activity.

These aggregate common expenses include, but are not limited to, legal, auditing, accounting and financial reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory compliance, trading activities, and insurance costs, as well as fees paid to the Distributor, which are included in the related line item in the statements of operations. A portion of these aggregate common expenses are related to the Sponsor or related parties of principals of the Sponsor; these are necessary services to the Funds, which are primarily the cost of performing accounting and financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and trading activities that are directly attributable to the Fund. For the three months ended March 31, such expenses, which are primarily included as distribution and marketing fees, totaled $364,571 in 2015 and $293,388 in 2014 and was paid by the Fund. All asset-based fees and expenses for the Funds are calculated on the prior day’s net assets.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, there were no expenses that were identified on the statements of operations of the Fund as expenses that were waived by the Sponsor.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, there were $426,248 of expenses recorded in the financial statements of the Sponsor which were subject to reimbursement by CORN in 2014. At that time, the Sponsor had determined that recovery of the expense amounts was not probable. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, asset growth and other changes experienced by CORN enabled the Sponsor to claim reimbursement of $162,860 from the Fund. This amount is reflected in the statements of operations as a reimbursement of previously waived expenses.

 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of the revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

In determining fair value, the Fund uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with GAAP, a fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Fund. Unobservable inputs reflect the Fund’s assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as follows:

Level 1 - Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Fund has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of judgment.

Level 2 - Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

The availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Those estimated values do not necessarily represent the amounts that may be ultimately realized due to the occurrence of future circumstances that cannot be reasonably determined. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Fund in determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3. In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy, within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls, is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Fair value is a market-based measure considered from the perspective of a market participant rather than an entity-specific measure. Therefore, even when market assumptions are not readily available, the Fund’s own assumptions are set to reflect those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. The Fund uses prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date, including during periods of market dislocation. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many securities. This condition could cause a security to be reclassified to a lower level within the fair value hierarchy. For instance, when Corn Futures Contracts on the CBOT are not actively trading due to a “limit-up” or limit-down” condition, meaning that the change in the Corn Futures Contracts has exceeded the limits established, the Trust and the Fund will revert to alternative verifiable sources of valuation of its assets. When such a situation exists on a quarter close, the Sponsor will calculate the Net Asset Value (“NAV”) on a particular day using the Level 1 valuation, but will later recalculate the NAV for the impacted Fund based upon the valuation inputs from these alternative verifiable sources (Level 2 or Level 3) and will report such NAV in its applicable financial statements and reports.

On March 31, 2015 and 2014, in the opinion of the Trust and the Fund, the reported value of the Corn Futures Contracts traded on the CBOT fairly reflected the value of the Corn Futures Contracts held by the Fund, and no adjustments were necessary. The determination is made as of the settlement of the futures contracts on the last day of trading for the reporting period. In making the determination of a Level 1 or Level 2 transfer, the Fund considers the average volume of the specific underlying futures contracts traded on the relevant exchange for the three months being reported.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Funds did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

The Fund records its derivative activities at fair value. Gains and losses from derivative contracts are included in the statements of operations. Derivative contracts include futures contracts related to commodity prices. Futures, which are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the CBOT and the ICE, or reported on another national market, are generally categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. OTC derivatives contracts (such as forward and swap contracts) which may be valued using models, depending on whether significant inputs are observable or unobservable, are categorized in Levels 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

Expenses

Expenses are recorded using the accrual method of accounting.

 

Net Income (Loss) per Share

Net income (loss) per Share is the difference between the NAV per unit at the beginning of each period and at the end of each period. The weighted average number of Shares outstanding was computed for purposes of disclosing net income (loss) per weighted average Share. The weighted average Shares are equal to the number of Shares outstanding at the end of the period, adjusted proportionately for Shares created or redeemed based on the amount of time the Shares were outstanding during such period.

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

The FASB issued ASU No, 2014-11, “Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860): Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financing, and Disclosures.” The amendments in this update require changes to the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions and enhances the required disclosures for repurchase agreements and other similar transactions. The amendments are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The adoption did not have a significant impact on the financial statements and disclosures of the Trust or the Funds.


Note 4 – Fair Value Measurements

 

The Fund’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy as described in the Fund’s significant accounting policies in Note 3. The following table presents information about the Fund’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014:

 

March 31, 2015

       
                          Balance as of   
Assets:         Level 1          Level 2         Level 3          March 31, 2015   
Cash equivalents   $ 77,982,630   $ -   $ -   $ 77,982,630
       
                                Balance as of   
Liabilities:   Level 1   Level 2    Level 3     March 31, 2015
Corn futures contracts   $ 4,301,113   $ -   $ -   $ 4,301,113
       

December 31, 2014

       
                                Balance as of   
Assets:   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3      December 31, 2014
Cash equivalents   $ 106,858,496   $ -   $ -   $ 106,858,496
Corn futures contracts   3,651,637   -   -   3,651,637
  $ 110,510,133   $ -   $ -   $ 110,510,133
       
                                 Balance as of   
Liabilities:   Level 1      Level 2      Level 3    December 31, 2014
Corn futures contracts   $ 1,899,925   $ -   $ -   $ 1,899,925

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Fund did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

See the Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy section in Note 3 above for an explanation of the transfers into and out of each level of the fair value hierarchy.


Note 5 -Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

In the normal course of business, the Fund utilizes derivative contracts in connection with its proprietary trading activities. Investments in derivative contracts are subject to additional risks that can result in a loss of all or part of an investment. The Fund’s derivative activities and exposure to derivative contracts are classified by the following primary underlying risks: interest rate, credit, commodity price, and equity price risks. In addition to its primary underlying risks, the Fund is also subject to additional counterparty risk due to inability of its counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Fund invested only in commodity futures contracts. Cleared Corn Swaps have standardized terms similar to, and are priced by reference to, the corresponding Benchmark Component Futures Contract. Additionally, Other Corn Interests that do not have standardized terms and are not exchange-traded, referred to as “over-the-counter” Corn Interests, can generally be structured as the parties to the Corn Interest contract desire. Therefore, the Fund might enter into multiple Cleared Swaps and/or over-the-counter Interests intended to exactly replicate the performance of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts for the Fund, or a single over-the-counter Interest designed to replicate the performance of the Benchmark as a whole. Assuming that there is no default by a counterparty to an over-the-counter Interest, the performance of the Interest will not necessarily correlate exactly with the performance of the Benchmark or the applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract.

Futures Contracts

The Fund is subject to commodity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future purchase or sale of an asset at a specified price on a specified date.

The purchase and sale of futures contracts requires margin deposits with a FCM. Subsequent payments (variation margin) are made or received by the Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the value of the contract, and are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by the Fund. Futures contracts may reduce the Fund’s exposure to counterparty risk since futures contracts are exchange-traded; and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as the counterparty to all exchange-traded futures, guarantees the futures against default.

The Commodity Exchange Act requires an FCM to segregate all customer transactions and assets from the FCM’s proprietary activities. A customer’s cash and other equity deposited with an FCM are considered commingled with all other customer funds subject to the FCM’s segregation requirements. In the event of an FCM’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to the Fund’s pro rata share of segregated customer funds available. It is possible that the recovery amount could be less than the total of cash and other equity deposited.

The following table discloses information about offsetting assets and liabilities presented in the statements of assets and liabilities to enable users of these financial statements to evaluate the effect or potential effect of netting arrangements for recognized assets and liabilities. These recognized assets and liabilities are presented as defined in FASB ASU No. 2011-11 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” and subsequently clarified in FASB ASU 2013-01 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.”

The following table also identifies the fair value amounts of derivative instruments included in the statements of assets and liabilities as derivative contracts, categorized by primary underlying risk and held by the FCM, Jefferies for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and Newedge USA for the year ended December 31, 2014.



Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of March 31, 2015

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
    
 Gross Amount Not Offset in the
 Statement of Assets and
 Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount
Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of
of Recognized Assets and Assets and Futures Contracts Collateral, Due
Description Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Available for Offset from Broker Net Amount
Commodity price
   Corn futures contracts $ 4,301,113 $ - $ 4,301,113 $ - $ 4,301,113 $ -

 

 

Offsetting of Financial Assets and Derivative Assets as of December 31, 2014

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
    
 Gross Amount Not Offset in the
 Statement of Assets and
 Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount
Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of
of Recognized Assets and Assets and Futures Contracts Collateral, Due
Description Assets
Liabilities Liabilities Available for Offset to Broker Net Amount
Commodity price
   Corn futures contracts $ 3,651,637
$ - $ 3,651,637 $ 1,899,925 $ - $ 1,751,712

 


Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of December 31, 2014

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
    
 Gross Amount Not Offset in the
 Statement of Assets and
 Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount
Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of
of Recognized Assets and Assets and Futures Contracts Collateral, Due
Description Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Available for Offset from Broker Net Amount
Commodity price
   Corn futures contracts $ 1,899,925 $ - $ 1,899,925 $ 1,899,925 $ - $ -

 

The following is a summary of realized and net change in unrealized gains (losses) of the derivative instruments utilized by the Fund:

 

Three months ended March 31, 2015

  Net Change in Unrealized 
Realized Gain on Appreciation or Depreciation on
Primary Underlying Risk Derivative Instruments Commodity Futures Contracts
Commodity Price
Corn futures contracts $ 401,862
$ (6,052,825)

 

Three months ended March 31, 2014

  Net Change in Unrealized 
Realized Gain on Appreciation or Depreciation on
Primary Underlying Risk Derivative Instruments Commodity Futures Contracts
Commodity Price
Corn futures contracts $ 1,283,346 $ 11,085,413

 


Volume of Derivative Activities

The average notional market value categorized by primary underlying risk for the futures contracts held was $86.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $92.0 million for the same period in 2014.


Note 6 – Financial Highlights

 

The following table presents per share performance data and other supplemental financial data for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. This information has been derived from information presented in the financial statements and is presented with total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and with total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor, as appropriate.

 

Three months ended   Three months ended 
Per Share Operation Performance March 31, 2015   March 31, 2014 
Net asset value at beginning of period $ 26.62     $ 30.64  
Income from investment operations:            
Investment income   0.00       0.00  
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain on commodity futures contracts   (1.65 )     4.28  
Total expenses   (0.22 )     (0.35 )
Net (decrease) increase in net asset value   (1.87 )     3.93  
Net asset value at end of period $ 24.75     $ 34.57  
Total Return   (7.02 )%     12.83 %
Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)            
Total expenses   3.44 %     3.62 %
Total expense, net   3.44 %     4.44 %
Net investment loss   (3.41 )%     (4.39 )%


Total returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An individual shareholder’s total return and ratios may vary from the above total returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals from the Fund. The ratios have been annualized.

The financial highlights per share data are calculated using the average of the daily shares outstanding for the reporting period, which is inclusive of the last day of the period under report. The asset-based per share data in the financial highlights are calculated using the prior day’s net assets consistent with the methodology used to calculate asset-based fees and expenses.

 

 

Note 7 – Organizational and Offering Costs 

 

Expenses incurred in organizing of the Trust and the initial offering of the Shares of the Fund, including applicable SEC registration fees were borne directly by the Sponsor. The Fund will not be obligated to reimburse the Sponsor.


Note 8 – Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated the three months ended March 31, 2015 financial statements for subsequent events through the date of this filing and noted no material events requiring either recognition through the date of the filing or disclosure herein for the Fund.

 

 

TEUCRIUM SOYBEAN FUND

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

March 31, 2015

December 31, 2014

(Unaudited)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 6,015,291 $ 11,505,788
Interest receivable 439 786
Other assets 47,384 41,812
Equity in trading accounts:
   Due from broker 549,000 702,100
Total assets 6,612,114 12,250,486
Liabilities
Management fee payable to Sponsor 5,779 10,446
Other liabilities 10,817 6,878
Equity in trading accounts:
    Commodity futures contracts                            220,075 277,013  
Total Liabilities 236,671 294,337
Net assets $ 6,375,443 $ 11,956,149
 
Shares outstanding 325,004 575,004
 
Net asset value per share $ 19.62 $ 20.79
 
Market value per share $ 19.63 $ 20.76

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


TEUCRIUM SOYBEAN FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2015

(Unaudited)


    Percentage of   
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
    Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $6,015,291) $ 6,015,291 94.35 % 6,015,291
Percentage of Notional Amount
Description: Liabilities Fair Value Net Assets (Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts
United States soybean futures contracts
    CBOT soybean futures JUL15 (45 contracts) $ 70,850 1.11 % $ 2,199,938
    CBOT soybean futures NOV15 (40 contracts)
125,763 1.97
1,910,500
    CBOT soybean futures NOV16 (47 contracts) 23,462 0.37 2,248,950
Total commodity futures contracts $ 220,075 3.45 % $ 6,359,388

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM SOYBEAN FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

December 31, 2014


    Percentage of   
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
    Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $11,505,788) $ 11,505,788 96.23 % 11,505,788
Percentage of Notional Amount
Description: Liabilities Fair Value Net Assets (Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts
United States soybean futures contracts
    CBOT soybean futures MAR15 (82 contracts) $ 7,612 0.06 % $ 4,196,350
    CBOT soybean futures MAY15 (69 contracts) 126,663 1.06 3,555,225
    CBOT soybean futures NOV15 (83 contracts) 142,738 1.19 4,172,825
Total commodity futures contracts $ 277,013 2.31 % $ 11,924,400

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


TEUCRIUM SOYBEAN FUND

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended Three months ended

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2014

Income
Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on trading of commodity futures contracts:
Realized (loss) gain on commodity futures contracts $ (583,375 ) $ 26,100
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts 56,938
325,351
Interest income 349 389
      Total (loss) income (526,088 ) 351,840
Expenses
   Management fees 21,452 9,812
   Professional fees 19,347 23,110
   Distribution and marketing fees 39,684 4,950
   Custodian fees and expenses 3,000 900
   Business permits and licenses fees 1,398 1,980
   General and administrative expenses 4,347 4,770
   Brokerage commissions 1,371 1,800
   Other expenses 2,240 1,400
        Total expenses 92,839 48,722
Expenses waived by the Sponsor (49,150 )  - 
Reimbursement of expenses previously waived -  20,090
Total expenses, net 43,689 68,812

Net (loss) income $ (569,777 ) $ 283,028
Net (loss) income per share $ (1.17 ) $ 1.72
Net (loss) income per weighted average share $ (1.33 ) $ 1.67
Weighted average shares outstanding 428,337 169,171

 

 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.



TEUCRIUM SOYBEAN FUND

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

(Unaudited)


Three months ended

Three months ended

 March 31, 2015

 March 31, 2014

Operations
Net (loss) income $ (569,777 ) $ 283,028
Capital transactions
Issuance of Shares -   581,644
Redemption of Shares (5,010,929 ) (563,834 )
Total capital transactions (5,010,929 ) 17,810
Net change in net assets (5,580,706 ) 300,838
Net assets, beginning of period $ 11,956,149 $ 4,016,972
Net assets, end of period $ 6,375,443 $ 4,317,810
Net asset value per share at beginning of period $ 20.79 $ 22.95
Net asset value per share at end of period $ 19.62 $ 24.67
Creation of Shares - 25,000
Redemption of Shares 250,000 25,000

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


TEUCRIUM SOYBEAN FUND

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended

Three months ended

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2014

Cash flows from operating activities:
Net (loss) income $ (569,777 ) $ 283,028
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts (56,938 ) (325,351 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
         Due from broker 153,100 282,739
         Interest receivable 347 (13 )
         Other assets (5,572 ) (10,475 )
         Management fee payable to Sponsor (4,667 ) 151
         Other liabilities 3,939 1,977
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (479,568 ) 232,056
Cash flows from financing activities:
        Proceeds from sale of Shares - 581,644
        Redemption of Shares (5,010,929 ) (563,834 )
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (5,010,929 ) 17,810
Net change in cash and cash equivalents (5,490,497 ) 249,866
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 11,505,788 3,765,791
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 6,015,291 $ 4,015,657

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)

Note 1 – Organization and Operation

Teucrium Soybean Fund (referred to herein as “SOYB” or the “Fund”) is a commodity pool that is a series of Teucrium Commodity Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust formed on September 11, 2009. The Fund issues common units, called the “Shares,” representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in the Fund. The Fund continuously offers Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares at their Net Asset Value (“NAV”) to “Authorized Purchasers” through Foreside Fund Services, LLC, which is the distributor for the Fund (the “Distributor”). Authorized Purchasers sell such Shares, which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) Arca under the symbol “SOYB,” to the public at per-Share offering prices that reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Fund at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets and the NAV at the time of the offer of the Shares to the public, the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the markets for soybean interests. The Fund’s Shares trade in the secondary market on the NYSE Arca at prices that are lower or higher than their NAV per Share.

The investment objective of SOYB is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for soybeans (“Soybean Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the CBOT. The three Soybean Futures Contracts will generally be: (1) second-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Soybean Futures Contract expiring in the November following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

The Fund commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011 and has a fiscal year ending December 31. The Fund’s sponsor is Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Sponsor is responsible for the management of the Fund. The Sponsor is a member of the National Futures Association (the “NFA”) and became a commodity pool operator registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) effective November 10, 2009.

On June 17, 2011, the Fund’s registration of 10,000,000 shares on Form S-1 was declared effective by the SEC. On September 19, 2011, the Fund listed its shares on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “SOYB.” On the business day prior to that, the Fund issued 100,000 shares in exchange for $2,500,000 at the Fund’s initial NAV of $25 per share. The Fund also commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011 by purchasing soybean commodity futures contracts traded on the CBOT. On December 31, 2010, the Fund had four shares outstanding, which were owned by the Sponsor. On June 30, 2014, a subsequent registration statement for SOYB was declared effective by the SEC.

The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC and, therefore, do not include all information and footnote disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, such financial information reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the Trust’s financial statements for the interim period. It is suggested that these interim financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as applicable. The operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2015.

Subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement,  the Sponsor may terminate a Fund at any time, regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses, including, for instance, if it determines that the Fund’s aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses make the continued operation of the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. However, no level of losses will require the Sponsor to terminate a Fund.

 

Note 2 – Principal Contracts and Agreements

In its capacity as the Custodian for the Fund, the Custodian, currently the Bank of New York Mellon, holds for the Fund its Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents pursuant to a custodial agreement.  The Custodian is also the registrar and transfer agent for the Fund’s Shares.  In addition, the Custodian also serves as Administrator for the Fund, performing certain administrative and accounting services and preparing certain SEC and CFTC reports on behalf of the Fund. For these services, the Custodian receives: for custody services:  0.0075% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, and 0.0050% of average gross assets over $1 billion, annually, plus certain per-transaction charges; for transfer agency services:  0.0075% of average gross assets annually; and for administrative services:  0.05% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, 0.04% of average gross assets between $1 billion and $3 billion, and 0.03% of average gross assets over $3 billion, annually. A combined minimum annual fee of up to $125,000 for custody, transfer agency and administrative services per Fund can be assessed. The Fund recognized $3,000 in the three months ended March 31 2015 and $900 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in custodian fees and expenses on the statements of operations; $3,000 in 2015 of this expense was waived by the Sponsor and $900 in 2014 and was paid for by the Fund.

The Sponsor and the Trust employ Foreside Fund Services, LLC as the Distributor for the Funds. The Distribution Services Agreement among the Distributor, the Sponsor and the Trust calls for the Distributor to work with the Custodian in connection with the receipt and processing of orders for Creation Baskets and Redemption Baskets and the review and approval of all Fund sales literature and advertising materials. The Distributor and the Sponsor have also entered into a Securities Activities and Service Agreement (the “SASA”) under which certain employees and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as registered representatives or registered principals of the Distributor, under FINRA rules. For its services as the Distributor, Foreside receives a fee of 0.01% of the Fund’s average daily net assets and an aggregate annual fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds, along with certain expense reimbursements. For its services under the SASA, Foreside receives a fee of $5,000 per registered representative and $1,000 per registered location. The Fund recognized $2,556 in the three months ended 2015 and $1,923 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in distribution and marketing fees on the statements of operations; $2,556 in 2015 of this expense was waived by the Sponsor and the full amount was paid by the Fund in 2014.

In 2014, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) served as the Funds’ futures commission merchant (“FCM”) and primary clearing broker to execute and clear the Funds’ futures transactions and provide other brokerage-related services.  In 2014, the Funds introduced the use of Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), for the execution and clearing of the Funds’ futures and options, if any, on futures transactions. On January 2, 2015, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) merged with and into SG Americas Securities, LLC (“SG”), with the latter as the surviving entity. On February 6, 2015 Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) became the Funds’ FCM and primary clearing broker. All futures contracts held by SG were transferred to Jefferies on that date. As of February 23, 2015 all residual cash balances held at SG had been transferred to Jefferies and the balance in all SG accounts was $0.

Jefferies is a futures commission merchant and broker dealer registered with the CFTC and the SEC, and is a member of FINRA. Jefferies is a clearing member of all principal futures exchanges located in the United States as well as a member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, International Securities Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, Options Clearing Corporation, and Government Securities Clearing Corporation.  For Soybean Futures Contracts Newedge, SG and Jefferies were paid $8.00 per round turn. The Fund recognized $1,371 in the three months ended 2015 and $1,800 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in brokerage commissions on the statements of operations and was paid by the Fund.

The sole Trustee of the Trust is Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation.  The Trustee will accept service of legal process on the Trust in the State of Delaware and will make certain filings under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. For its services, the Trustee receives an annual fee of $3,300 from the Trust. The Fund did not recognize any expense for these services in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and during the same period in 2014. This expense is recorded in business permits and licenses fees on the statements of operations.


Note 3 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) as detailed in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification.

Correction of immaterial error in previously issued financial statements.

Effective with the period ended June 30, 2014, expenses for the current and comparative periods are presented both gross and net of any expenses waived by or paid by the Sponsor that would have been incurred by the Funds (“expenses waived by the Sponsor”). In addition, certain expenses paid by the Sponsor on behalf of the Funds for the year ended December 31, 2013 that were subject to possible recovery from the Funds in the following year, as had been previously disclosed in aggregate for the Trust in the Form 10-K for 2013, have also been included in expenses and waived/reimbursed expenses in the period incurred by the Sponsor. These expenses, if reimbursed by the Funds to the Sponsor in 2014 are then presented as a reimbursement of expenses previously waived. “Total expenses, net”, which is after the impact of any expenses waived by or reimbursed to the Sponsor, are presented in the same manner as previously reported. There is, therefore, no impact to, or change in the Net gain or Net loss in any period for the Trust and each Fund as a result of this change in presentation.

 

Revenue Recognition

Commodity futures contracts are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts are reflected in the statements of assets and liabilities as the difference between the original contract amount and the fair market value as of the last business day of the year or as of the last date of the financial statements. Changes in the appreciation or depreciation between periods are reflected in the statements of operations. Interest on cash equivalents and deposits with the Futures Commission Merchant are recognized on the accrual basis. The Fund earns interest on its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the Futures Commission Merchant. In addition, the Fund earns interest on funds held at the custodian at prevailing market rates for such investments.

 

Brokerage Commissions

Brokerage commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on the trade date and on a full-turn basis.

 

Income Taxes

For tax purposes, the Fund will be treated as a partnership. The Fund does not record a provision for income taxes because the shareholders report their share of the Fund’s income or loss on their income tax returns. The financial statements reflect the Fund’s transactions without adjustment, if any, required for income tax purposes.

The Fund is required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. The Fund files an income tax return in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax returns in various U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. For all tax years 2012 to 2014, the Fund remains subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized results in the Fund recording a tax liability that reduces net assets. Based on its analysis, the Fund has determined that it has not incurred any liability for unrecognized tax benefits as of March 31, 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. However, the Fund’s conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, ongoing analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations, and interpretations thereof.

The Fund recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax fees payable, if assessed. No interest expense or penalties have been recognized as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

The Fund may be subject to potential examination by U.S. federal, U.S. state, or foreign jurisdictional authorities in the area of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions, and compliance with U.S. federal, U.S. state and foreign tax laws. The Fund’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

Creations and Redemptions

Authorized Purchasers may purchase Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 shares from the Fund. The amount of the proceeds required to purchase a Creation Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Creation Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create the basket is properly received.

Authorized Purchasers may redeem shares from the Fund only in blocks of 25,000 shares called “Redemption Baskets.” The amount of the redemption proceeds for a Redemption Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Redemption Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to redeem the basket is properly received.

The Fund receives or pays the proceeds from shares sold or redeemed within three business days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption. The amounts due from Authorized Purchasers are reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as receivable for shares sold. Amounts payable to Authorized Purchasers upon redemption are reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as payable for shares redeemed.

As outlined in the most recent Form S-1 filing, 50,000 shares represents two Redemption Baskets for the Fund and a minimum level of shares.

 

Allocation of Shareholder Income and Losses

Profit or loss is allocated among the shareholders of the Fund in proportion to the number of shares each shareholder holds as of the close of each month.

 

Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents are highly-liquid investments with maturity dates of 90 days or less when acquired. The Fund reported its cash equivalents in the statements of assets and liabilities at market value, or at carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their highly-liquid nature and short-term maturities. The Fund has these balances of its assets on deposit with banks. Assets deposited with the bank may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. The Fund had a balance of $6,015,291 and $11,505,788 in money market funds at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively; these balances are included in cash and cash equivalents on the statements of assets and liabilities.

 

Due from/to Broker

The amount recorded by the Fund for the amount due from and to the clearing broker includes, but is not limited to, cash held by the broker, amounts payable to the clearing broker related to open transactions and payables for commodities futures accounts liquidating to an equity balance on the clearing broker’s records. 

Margin is the minimum amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest trader with the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position in futures contracts. A margin deposit acts to assure the trader’s performance of the futures contracts purchased or sold. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on initial margin that represents a very small percentage of the aggregate purchase or sales price of the contract. Because of such low margin requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures markets may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount invested, are greater than are customary in other forms of investment or speculation. As discussed below, adverse price changes in the futures contract may result in margin requirements that greatly exceed the initial margin. In addition, the amount of margin required in connection with a particular futures contract is set from time to time by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Fund’s clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in commodity interest contracts generally require higher amounts of margin as a matter of policy to further protect themselves. Over-the-counter trading generally involves the extension of credit between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to require the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit exposure.

When a trader purchases an option, there is no margin requirement; however, the option premium must be paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other hand, he or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in addition, an amount substantially equal to the current premium for the option. The margin requirements imposed on the selling of options, although adjusted to reflect the probability that out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can in fact be higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader acquires a mixture of options positions and positions in the underlying interest.

Ongoing or “maintenance” margin requirements are computed each day by a trader’s clearing broker. When the market value of a particular open futures contract changes to a point where the margin on deposit does not satisfy maintenance margin requirements, a margin call is made by the broker. If the margin call is not met within a reasonable time, the broker may close out the trader’s position. With respect to the Fund’s trading, the Fund (and not its shareholders personally) is subject to margin calls.

Finally, many major U.S. exchanges have passed certain cross margining arrangements involving procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held in an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated and margin requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis, measuring the total risk of the combined positions.

 

Calculation of Net Asset Value

The Fund’s NAV is calculated by:

Taking the current market value of its total assets and
Subtracting any liabilities.

The administrator, the Bank of New York Mellon, calculates the NAV of the Fund once each trading day. It calculates the NAV as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NAV for a particular trading day is released after 4:15 p.m. New York time.

In determining the value of Soybean Futures Contracts, the administrator uses the CBOT closing price. The administrator determines the value of all other Fund investments as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The value of over-the-counter soybean interests is determined based on the value of the commodity or futures contract underlying such soybean interest, except that a fair value may be determined if the Sponsor believes that the Fund is subject to significant credit risk relating to the counterparty to such soybean interest. For purposes of financial statements and reports, the Sponsor will recalculate the NAV where necessary to reflect the “fair value” of a Futures Contract when the Futures Contract closes at its price fluctuation limit for the day. Treasury securities held by the Fund are valued by the administrator using values received from recognized third-party vendors and dealer quotes. NAV includes any unrealized profit or loss on open soybean interests and any other income or expense accruing to the Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund.

 

Sponsor Fee, Allocation of Expenses and Related Party Transactions

The Sponsor is responsible for investing the assets of the Fund in accordance with the objectives and policies of the Fund. In addition, the Sponsor arranges for one or more third parties to provide administrative, custodial, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary services to the Trust and the Funds. In addition, the Sponsor elected not to outsource services directly attributable to the Trust and the Funds such as accounting, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading activities. In addition, the Fund is contractually obligated to pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum. 

The Fund generally pays for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the SEC, FINRA, formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent Shares after its initial registration and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated therewith. The Fund also pays its portion of the fees and expenses associated with the Trust’s tax accounting and reporting requirements. Certain aggregate expenses common to all Funds within the Trust are allocated by the Sponsor to the respective funds based on activity drivers deemed most appropriate by the Sponsor for such expenses, including but not limited to relative assets under management and creation and redeem order activity.

These aggregate common expenses include, but are not limited to, legal, auditing, accounting and financial reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory compliance, trading activities, and insurance costs, as well as fees paid to the Distributor, which are included in the related line item in the statements of operations. A portion of these aggregate common expenses are related to the Sponsor or related parties of principals of the Sponsor; these are necessary services to the Funds, which are primarily the cost of performing accounting and financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and trading activities that are directly attributable to the Fund. For the three months ended March 31, such expenses, which are primarily included as distribution and marketing fees, totaled $30,318 in 2015 and $17,782 in 2014; of these amounts, $22,818 in 2015 and $0 in 2014 were waived by the Sponsor. All asset-based fees and expenses for the Funds are calculated on the prior day’s net assets.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, there were $49,150 of expenses that were identified on the statements of operations of the Fund as expenses that were waived by the Sponsor. The Sponsor has determined that there would be no recovery sought for these amounts in any future period. There were no expenses waived for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, there were $68,857 of expenses recorded in the financial statements of the Sponsor which were subject to reimbursement by the Fund in 2014. At that time, the Sponsor had determined that recovery of the expense amounts was not probable. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, asset growth and other changes experienced by the Fund enabled the Sponsor to claim reimbursement of $20,090 from the Fund.  This amount is reflected in the statements of operations as a reimbursement of previously waived expenses.

 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of the revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

In determining fair value, the Fund uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, a fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Fund. Unobservable inputs reflect the Fund’s assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as follows:

Level 1 - Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Fund has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of judgment.

Level 2 - Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

The availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Those estimated values do not necessarily represent the amounts that may be ultimately realized due to the occurrence of future circumstances that cannot be reasonably determined. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Fund in determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3. In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy, within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls, is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Fair value is a market-based measure considered from the perspective of a market participant rather than an entity-specific measure. Therefore, even when market assumptions are not readily available, the Fund’s own assumptions are set to reflect those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. The Fund uses prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date, including periods of market dislocation. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many securities. This condition could cause a security to be reclassified to a lower level within the fair value hierarchy. When such a situation exists on a quarter close, the Sponsor will calculate the NAV on a particular day using the Level 1 valuation, but will later recalculate the NAV for the impacted Fund based upon the valuation inputs from these alternative verifiable sources (Level 2 or Level 3) and will report such NAV in its applicable financial statements and reports.

On March 31, 2015 and 2014, in the opinion of the Trust and the Fund, the reported value of the Soybean Futures Contracts traded on the CBOT fairly reflected the value of the Soybean Futures Contracts held by the Fund, with no adjustments necessary. The determination is made as of the settlement of the futures contracts on the last day of trading for the reporting period. In making the determination of a Level 1 or Level 2 transfer, the Fund considers the average volume of the specific underlying futures contracts traded on the relevant exchange for the three months being reported.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Fund did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2014, Soybean Futures Contracts traded on the CBOT which will settle on November 13, 2015 (the “NOV15 Soybean Contracts”) did not, in the opinion of the Trust and SOYB, trade in an actively traded futures market as defined in the policy of the Trust and SOYB for the entire period during which they were held. Accordingly, the Trust and SOYB have classified these as a Level 2 liability for the period ended March 31, 2014. The NOV15 Soybean Contracts were, in the opinion of the Trust and SOYB, fairly valued at settlement on March 31, 2014. These transferred back to a Level 1 liability for the quarter ended June 30, 2014.

The Fund records its derivative activities at fair value. Gains and losses from derivative contracts are included in the statements of operations. Derivative contracts include futures contracts related to commodity prices. Futures, which are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the CBOT and the ICE, or reported on another national market, are generally categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. OTC derivatives contracts (such as forward and swap contracts) which may be valued using models, depending on whether significant inputs are observable or unobservable, are categorized in Levels 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

 

Expenses

Expenses are recorded using the accrual method of accounting.

 

Net Income (Loss) per Share

Net income (loss) per Share is the difference between the NAV per unit at the beginning of each period and at the end of each period. The weighted average number of Shares outstanding was computed for purposes of disclosing net income (loss) per weighted average Share. The weighted average Shares are equal to the number of Shares outstanding at the end of the period, adjusted proportionately for Shares created or redeemed based on the amount of time the Shares were outstanding during such period.

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

The FASB issued ASU No, 2014-11, “Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860): Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financing, and Disclosures.” The amendments in this update require changes to the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions and enhances the required disclosures for repurchase agreements and other similar transactions. The amendments are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The adoption did not have a significant impact on the financial statements and disclosures of the Trust or the Funds.

 

Note 4 – Fair Value Measurements

 

The Fund’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy as described in the Fund’s significant accounting policies in Note 3. The following table presents information about the Fund’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014:

 

March 31, 2015

   Balance as of
Assets: Level 1   Level 2 Level 3

March 31, 2015

Cash equivalents $  6,015,291 $  - $  - $ 6,015,291

 

Balance as of
Liabilities: Level 1
Level 2 Level 3 March 31, 2015
Soybean futures contracts $ 220,075
$ - $ - $ 220,075

 

December 31, 2014

Balance as of
Assets: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

December 31, 2014

Cash equivalents $ 11,505,788
$ - $ - $ 11,505,788

 

 

Balance as of
Liabilities: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

December 31, 2014

Soybean futures contracts $ 277,013 $ - $ - $ 277,013

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Fund did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

Transfers into and out of each level of the fair value hierarchy for the NOV15 Soybean Contracts for the three months ended March 31, 2014 were as follows:



Transfers Transfers Transfers Transfers Transfers Transfers
into out of into out of into out of
Level 1 Level 1 Level 2 Level 2 Level 3 Level 3
Liabilities (at fair value)
Derivative contracts
Soybean future contracts $ - $ 12,075 $ 12,075 $ - $ - $ -


See the Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy section in Note 3 above for an explanation of the transfers into and out of each level of the fair value hierarchy.

 

Note 5 -Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

In the normal course of business, the Fund utilizes derivative contracts in connection with its proprietary trading activities. Investments in derivative contracts are subject to additional risks that can result in a loss of all or part of an investment. The Fund’s derivative activities and exposure to derivative contracts are classified by the following primary underlying risks: interest rate, credit, commodity price, and equity price risks. In addition to its primary underlying risks, the Fund is also subject to additional counterparty risk due to inability of its counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Fund invested only in commodity futures contracts.

Futures Contracts

The Fund is subject to commodity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future purchase or sale of an asset at a specified price on a specified date.

The purchase and sale of futures contracts requires margin deposits with a FCM. Subsequent payments (variation margin) are made or received by the Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the value of the contract, and are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by the Fund. Futures contracts may reduce the Fund’s exposure to counterparty risk since futures contracts are exchange-traded; and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as the counterparty to all exchange-traded futures, guarantees the futures against default.

The Commodity Exchange Act requires an FCM to segregate all customer transactions and assets from the FCM’s proprietary activities. A customer’s cash and other equity deposited with an FCM are considered commingled with all other customer funds subject to the FCM’s segregation requirements. In the event of an FCM’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to the Fund’s pro rata share of segregated customer funds available. It is possible that the recovery amount could be less than the total of cash and other equity deposited.

The following table discloses information about offsetting assets and liabilities presented in the statements of assets and liabilities to enable users of these financial statements to evaluate the effect or potential effect of netting arrangements for recognized assets and liabilities. These recognized assets and liabilities are presented as defined in FASB ASU No. 2011-11 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” and subsequently clarified in FASB ASU 2013-01 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.”

The following table also identifies the fair value amounts of derivative instruments included in the statements of assets and liabilities as derivative contracts, categorized by primary underlying risk and held by the FCM, Jefferies for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and Newedge USA for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of March 31, 2015

 

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i)  (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii)  (iv)

Gross Amount Not Offset in the
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount

Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of Futures Contracts
Description of Recognized
Liabilities
Assets and
Liabilities
Assets and
Liabilities
Available for
Offset
Collateral, Due
from Broker

Net Amount
Commodity price
   Soybean futures contracts $ 220,075 $ - $ 220,075 $ - $ 220,075 $ -

 

Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of December 31, 2014

 

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i)  (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii)  (iv)
Gross Amount Not Offset in the
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount

Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of Futures Contracts
Description of Recognized
Liabilities
Assets and
Liabilities
Assets and
Liabilities
Available for 
Offset
Collateral, Due
from Broker
Net Amount
Commodity price
   Soybean futures contracts $ 277,013 $ - $ 277,013 $ - $ 277,013 $ -

 

The following is a summary of realized and net change in unrealized gains (losses) of the derivative instruments utilized by the Fund:

 

Three months ended March 31, 2015


Realized Loss on
Commodity Futures Contacts
 Net Change in Unrealized
Appreciation or Depreciation on
Commodity Futures Contacts
Primary Underlying Risk
Commodity price
Soybean futures contracts $ (583,375 ) $ 56,938

Three months ended March 31, 2014

  Realized Gain on
Commodity Futures Contracts
 Net Change in Unrealized
Appreciation or Depreciation on
Commodity Futures Contacts
Primary Underlying Risk
Commodity price
Soybean futures contracts $ 26,100 $ 325,351


Volume of Derivative Activities

 

The average notional market value categorized by primary underlying risk for all futures contracts held was $7.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $4.0 million for the same period in 2014.


Note 6Financial Highlights

 

The following table presents per share performance data and other supplemental financial data for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. This information has been derived from information presented in the financial statements and is presented with total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and with total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor, as appropriate.

 

Three months ended

   

Three months ended


 
Per Share Operation Performance

March 31, 2015

   

March 31, 2014


 
Net asset value at beginning of period $ 20.79     $ 22.95  
Income from investment operations:          
Investment income     0.00       0.00  
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain on commodity futures contracts     (1.07     2.13  
Total expenses     (0.10 )     (0.41 )
Net (decrease) increase in net asset value     (1.17     1.72
Net asset value at end of period   $ 19.62     $ 24.67  
Total Return     (5.63 )%     7.49 %
Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)      
Total expenses     4.37 %     4.96 %
Total expenses, net     2.06 %     7.00 %
Net investment loss     (2.04 )%     (6.96 )%

Total returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An individual shareholder’s total return and ratios may vary from the above total returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals from the Fund. The ratios have been annualized.

The financial highlights per share data are calculated using the average of the daily shares outstanding for the reporting period, which is inclusive of the last day of the period under report. The asset-based per share data in the financial highlights are calculated using the prior day’s net assets consistent with the methodology used to calculate asset-based fees and expenses.

 


Note 7 – Organizational and Offering Costs 

Expenses incurred in organizing of the Trust and the initial offering of the Shares of the Fund, including applicable SEC registration fees were borne directly by the Sponsor. The Fund will not be obligated to reimburse the Sponsor.


Note 8 – Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated the three months ended March 31, 2015 financial statements for subsequent events through the date of this filing and noted no material events requiring either recognition through the date of the filing or disclosure herein for the Fund.



TEUCRIUM SUGAR FUND

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

March 31, 2015

December 31, 2014


(Unaudited)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,206,075 $ 2,489,338
Interest receivable 162 173
Other assets 31,058 26,019
Equity in trading accounts:
Due from broker 874,355 650,131
Total assets 3,111,650 3,165,661

Liabilities
Other liabilities 24 494
Equity in trading accounts:
Commodity futures contracts 722,366 503,955
Total liabilities 722,390 504,449

Net assets $ 2,389,260 $ 2,661,212

Shares outstanding 250,004 225,004

Net asset value per share $ 9.56 $ 11.83

Market value per share $ 9.60 $ 11.88

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM SUGAR FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2015

(Unaudited)


Percentage of        
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $2,206,075) $ 2,206,075 92.33 % 2,206,075
Percentage of Notional Amount
Description: Liabilities Fair Value Net Assets (Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts
United States sugar futures contracts
ICE sugar futures JUL15 (62 contracts) $ 304,158 12.73 % $ 837,446
ICE sugar futures OCT15 (50 contracts) 114,240 4.78
710,080
 ICE sugar futures MAR16 (54 contracts) 303,968 12.72
841,277
Total commodity futures contracts $ 722,366 30.23 % $ 2,388,803

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM SUGAR FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

December 31, 2014

Percentage of       
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $2,484,769) $ 2,484,769 93.37 % 2,484,769
        Percentage of       Notional Amount
Description: Liabilities Fair Value       Net Assets       (Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts
United States sugar futures contracts
ICE sugar futures MAY15 (55 contracts) $ 241,953 9.09 % $ 919,072
ICE sugar futures JUL15 (47 contracts) 98,930 3.72 802,760
ICE sugar futures MAR16 (51 contracts) 163,072 6.13 937,910
Total commodity futures contracts $ 503,955 18.94 % $ 2,659,742

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM SUGAR FUND

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended
Three months ended 

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2014

Income
Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on trading of commodity futures contracts:
Realized loss on commodity futures contracts $ (333,547 ) $ (3,281 )
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts (218,411 ) 224,246
Interest income 182 257
Total (loss) income (551,776 ) 221,222
Expenses
Management fees 6,486 6,300
Professional fees 11,953 11,085
Distribution and marketing fees 7,280 16,652
Custodian fees and expenses 2,000 1,777
Business permits and licenses fees - 13,000
General and administrative expenses 302 643
Other expenses 496 636
Total expenses 28,517 50,093
Expenses waived by the Sponsor (16,416 ) (36,935 )
Reimbursement of expenses previously waived - -
Total expenses, net 12,101 13,158
Net (loss) income $ (563,877 ) $ 208,064

Net (loss) income per share $ (2.27 ) $ 1.14
Net (loss) income per weighted average share $ (2.34 ) $ 1.13
Weighted average shares outstanding 240,560 184,448

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM SUGAR FUND

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended

 

Three months ended

March 31, 2015

 

March 31, 2014

Operations
Net (loss) income $ (563,877 ) $ 208,064
Capital transactions
Issuance of Shares 291,925 372,307
Total capital transactions 291,925 372,307
Net change in net assets (271,952 ) 580,371
Net assets, beginning of period $ 2,661,212 $ 2,468,403
Net assets, end of period $ 2,389,260 $ 3,048,774
Net asset value per share at beginning of period $ 11.83 $ 14.10
Net asset value per share at end of period $ 9.56 $ 15.24
Creation of Shares 25,000 25,000
Redemption of Shares - -

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM SUGAR FUND

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended

 

Three months ended

March 31, 2014

March 31, 2015

 
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net (loss) income $ (563,877 ) $ 208,064
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts 218,411 (224,246 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
  Due from broker (224,224 ) 183,518
  Interest receivable 11
(34 )
  Other assets (5,039 ) 9,169
  Other liabilities (470 ) 3,228
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (575,188 ) 179,699
Cash flows from financing activities:
  Proceeds from sale of Shares 291,925 372,307
Net cash provided by financing activities 291,925 372,307
Net change in cash and cash equivalents (283,263 ) 552,006
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 2,489,338 2,366,377
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 2,206,075 $ 2,918,383

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)

Note 1 – Organization and Operation 


Teucrium Sugar Fund (referred to herein as “CANE” or the “Fund”) is a commodity pool that is a series of Teucrium Commodity Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust formed on September 11, 2009. The Fund issues common units, called the “Shares,” representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in the Fund. The Fund continuously offers Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares at their Net Asset Value (“NAV”) to “Authorized Purchasers” through Foreside Fund Services, LLC, which is the distributor for the Fund (the “Distributor”). Authorized Purchasers sell such Shares, which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) Arca under the symbol “CANE,” to the public at per-Share offering prices that reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Fund at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets and the NAV at the time of the offer of the Shares to the public, the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the markets for sugar interests. The Fund’s Shares trade in the secondary market on the NYSE Arca at prices that are lower or higher than their NAV per Share.

The investment objective of CANE is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for sugar (“Sugar Futures Contracts”) that are traded on ICE Futures US (“ICE Futures”), specifically: (1) the second-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract (a “Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract”), weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract expiring in the March following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

The Fund commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011 and has a fiscal year ending December 31. The Fund’s sponsor is Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Sponsor is responsible for the management of the Fund. The Sponsor is a member of the National Futures Association (the “NFA”) and became a commodity pool operator registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) effective November 10, 2009.

On June 17, 2011, the Fund’s registration of 10,000,000 shares on Form S-1 was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). On September 19, 2011, the Fund listed its shares on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “CANE.” On the business day prior to that, the Fund issued 100,000 shares in exchange for $2,500,000 at the Fund’s initial NAV of $25 per share. The Fund also commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011 by purchasing commodity futures contracts traded on ICE. On December 31, 2010, the Fund had four shares outstanding, which were owned by the Sponsor. On June 30, 2014, a subsequent registration statement for CANE was declared effective by the SEC.

The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC and, therefore, do not include all information and footnote disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, such financial information reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the Trust’s financial statements for the interim period. It is suggested that these interim financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as applicable. The operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2015.

 

Subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement,  the Sponsor may terminate a Fund at any time, regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses, including, for instance, if it determines that the Fund’s aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses make the continued operation of the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. However, no level of losses will require the Sponsor to terminate a Fund.

 

Note 2 – Principal Contracts and Agreements


In its capacity as the Custodian for the Fund, the Custodian, currently the Bank of New York Mellon, holds for the Fund its Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents pursuant to a custodial agreement.  The Custodian is also the registrar and transfer agent for the Fund’s Shares.  In addition, the Custodian also serves as Administrator for the Fund, performing certain administrative and accounting services and preparing certain SEC and CFTC reports on behalf of the Fund. For these services, the Custodian receives: for custody services:  0.0075% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, and 0.0050% of average gross assets over $1 billion, annually, plus certain per-transaction charges; for transfer agency services:  0.0075% of average gross assets annually; and for administrative services:  0.05% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, 0.04% of average gross assets between $1 billion and $3 billion, and 0.03% of average gross assets over $3 billion, annually. A combined minimum annual fee of up to $125,000 for custody, transfer agency and administrative services per Fund can be assessed. The Fund recognized $2,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2014 and $1,777 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in custodian fees and expenses on the statements of operations; $2,000 in 2015 and $1,777 in 2014 of this expense was waived by the Sponsor.

The Sponsor and the Trust employ Foreside Fund Services, LLC as the Distributor for the Funds. The Distribution Services Agreement among the Distributor, the Sponsor and the Trust calls for the Distributor to work with the Custodian in connection with the receipt and processing of orders for Creation Baskets and Redemption Baskets and the review and approval of all Fund sales literature and advertising materials. The Distributor and the Sponsor have also entered into a Securities Activities and Service Agreement (the “SASA”) under which certain employees and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as registered representatives or registered principals of the Distributor, under FINRA rules. For its services as the Distributor, Foreside receives a fee of 0.01% of the Fund’s average daily net assets and an aggregate annual fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds, along with certain expense reimbursements. For its services under the SASA, Foreside receives a fee of $5,000 per registered representative and $1,000 per registered location. The Fund recognized $673 in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $607 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in distribution and marketing fees on the statements of operations; $470 in 2015 and $0 in 2014 of this expense was waived by the Sponsor.


In 2014, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) served as the Funds’ futures commission merchant (“FCM”) and primary clearing broker to execute and clear the Funds’ futures transactions and provide other brokerage-related services.  In 2014, the Funds introduced the use of Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), for the execution and clearing of the Funds’ futures and options, if any, on futures transactions. On January 2, 2015, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) merged with and into SG Americas Securities, LLC (“SG”), with the latter as the surviving entity. On February 6, 2015 Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) became the Funds’ FCM and primary clearing broker. All futures contracts held by SG were transferred to Jefferies on that date. As of February 23, 2015 all residual cash balances held at SG had been transferred to Jefferies and the balance in all SG accounts was $0.

Jefferies is a futures commission merchant and broker dealer registered with the CFTC and the SEC, and is a member of FINRA. Jefferies is a clearing member of all principal futures exchanges located in the United States as well as a member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, International Securities Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, Options Clearing Corporation, and Government Securities Clearing Corporation. For Sugar Futures Contracts Newedge, SG and Jefferies were paid $8.00 per round turn. For the service the Fund recognized $0 for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

The sole Trustee of the Trust is Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation.  The Trustee will accept service of legal process on the Trust in the State of Delaware and will make certain filings under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. For its services, the Trustee receives an annual fee of $3,300 from the Trust. The Fund did not recognize any expense for these services in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and during the same period in 2014. This expense is recorded in business permits and licenses fees on the statements of operations.

 

Note 3 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies


Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) as detailed in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification.

Correction of immaterial error in previously issued financial statements.

Effective with the period ended June 30, 2014, expenses for the current and comparative periods are presented both gross and net of any expenses waived by or paid by the Sponsor that would have been incurred by the Funds (“expenses waived by the Sponsor”). In addition, certain expenses paid by the Sponsor on behalf of the Funds for the year ended December 31, 2013 that were subject to possible recovery from the Funds in the following year, as had been previously disclosed in aggregate for the Trust in the Form 10-K for 2013, have also been included in expenses and waived/reimbursed expenses in the period incurred by the Sponsor. These expenses, if reimbursed by the Funds to the Sponsor in 2014 are then presented as a reimbursement of expenses previously waived. “Total expenses, net”, which is after the impact of any expenses waived by or reimbursed to the Sponsor, are presented in the same manner as previously reported. There is, therefore, no impact to, or change in the Net gain or Net loss in any period for the Trust and each Fund as a result of this change in presentation.

  

Revenue Recognition

Commodity futures contracts are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts are reflected in the statements of assets and liabilities as the difference between the original contract amount and the fair market value as of the last business day of the year or as of the last date of the financial statements. Changes in the appreciation or depreciation between periods are reflected in the statements of operations. Interest on cash equivalents and deposits with the Futures Commission Merchant are recognized on the accrual basis. The Fund earns interest on its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the Futures Commission Merchant. In addition, the Fund earns interest on funds held at the custodian at prevailing market rates for such investments.

 

Brokerage Commissions


Brokerage commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on the trade date and on a full-turn basis.

 


Income Taxes

For tax purposes, the Fund will be treated as a partnership. The Fund does not record a provision for income taxes because the shareholders report their share of the Fund’s income or loss on their income tax returns. The financial statements reflect the Fund’s transactions without adjustment, if any, required for income tax purposes.

The Fund is required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. The Fund files an income tax return in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax returns in various U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. For all tax years 2012 to 2014, the Fund remains subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized results in the Fund recording a tax liability that reduces net assets. Based on its analysis, the Fund has determined that it has not incurred any liability for tax benefits as of March 31, 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. However, the Fund’s conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, ongoing analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations, and interpretations thereof.

The Fund recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax fees payable, if assessed. No interest expense or penalties have been recognized as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

The Fund may be subject to potential examination by U.S. federal, U.S. state, or foreign jurisdictional authorities in the area of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions, and compliance with U.S. federal, U.S. state and foreign tax laws. The Fund’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

Creations and Redemptions


Authorized Purchasers may purchase Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 shares from the Fund. The amount of the proceeds required to purchase a Creation Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Creation Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create the basket is properly received.

Authorized Purchasers may redeem shares from the Fund only in blocks of 25,000 shares called “Redemption Baskets.” The amount of the redemption proceeds for a Redemption Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Redemption Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to redeem the basket is properly received.

The Fund receives or pays the proceeds from shares sold or redeemed within three business days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption. The amounts due from Authorized Purchasers are reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as receivable for shares sold. Amounts payable to Authorized Purchasers upon redemption are reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as payable for shares redeemed.

As outlined in the most recent Form S-1 filing, 50,000 shares represents two Redemption Baskets for the Fund and a minimum level of shares.

 

Allocation of Shareholder Income and Losses


Profit or loss is allocated among the shareholders of the Fund in proportion to the number of shares each shareholder holds as of the close of each month.

 

Cash Equivalents


Cash equivalents are highly-liquid investments with maturity dates of 90 days or less when acquired. The Fund reported its cash equivalents in the statements of assets and liabilities at market value, or at carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their highly-liquid nature and short-term maturities. The Fund has these balances of its assets on deposit with banks. Assets deposited with the bank may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. The Fund had a balance of $2,206,075 and $2,484,769 in money market funds at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively; these balances are included in cash and cash equivalents on the statements of assets and liabilities.


Due from/to Broker

The amount recorded by the Fund for the amount due from and to the clearing broker includes, but is not limited to, cash held by the broker, amounts payable to the clearing broker related to open transactions and payables for commodities futures accounts liquidating to an equity balance on the clearing broker’s records. 

Margin is the minimum amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest trader with the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position in futures contracts. A margin deposit acts to assure the trader’s performance of the futures contracts purchased or sold. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on initial margin that represents a very small percentage of the aggregate purchase or sales price of the contract. Because of such low margin requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures markets may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount invested, are greater than are customary in other forms of investment or speculation. As discussed below, adverse price changes in the futures contract may result in margin requirements that greatly exceed the initial margin. In addition, the amount of margin required in connection with a particular futures contract is set from time to time by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Fund’s clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in commodity interest contracts generally require higher amounts of margin as a matter of policy to further protect themselves. Over-the-counter trading generally involves the extension of credit between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to require the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit exposure.

When a trader purchases an option, there is no margin requirement; however, the option premium must be paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other hand, he or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in addition, an amount substantially equal to the current premium for the option. The margin requirements imposed on the selling of options, although adjusted to reflect the probability that out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can in fact be higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader acquires a mixture of options positions and positions in the underlying interest.

Ongoing or “maintenance” margin requirements are computed each day by a trader’s clearing broker. When the market value of a particular open futures contract changes to a point where the margin on deposit does not satisfy maintenance margin requirements, a margin call is made by the broker. If the margin call is not met within a reasonable time, the broker may close out the trader’s position. With respect to the Fund’s trading, the Fund (and not its shareholders personally) is subject to margin calls.

Finally, many major U.S. exchanges have passed certain cross margining arrangements involving procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held in an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated and margin requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis, measuring the total risk of the combined positions.

Calculation of Net Asset Value

The Fund’s NAV is calculated by:

Taking the current market value of its total assets and
Subtracting any liabilities.

The administrator, the Bank of New York Mellon, calculates the NAV of the Fund once each trading day. It calculates the NAV as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NAV for a particular trading day is released after 4:15 p.m. New York time.

In determining the value of Sugar Futures Contracts, the administrator uses the ICE closing price. The administrator determines the value of all other Fund investments as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The value of over-the-counter sugar interests is determined based on the value of the commodity or futures contract underlying such sugar interest, except that a fair value may be determined if the Sponsor believes that the Fund is subject to significant credit risk relating to the counterparty to such sugar interest. For purposes of financial statements and reports, the Sponsor will recalculate the NAV where necessary to reflect the “fair value” of a Futures Contract when the Futures Contract closes at its price fluctuation limit for the day. Treasury securities held by the Fund are valued by the administrator using values received from recognized third-party vendors and dealer quotes. NAV includes any unrealized profit or loss on open sugar interests and any other income or expense accruing to the Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund.


Sponsor Fee, Allocation of Expenses and Related Party Transactions

The Sponsor is responsible for investing the assets of the Fund in accordance with the objectives and policies of the Fund. In addition, the Sponsor arranges for one or more third parties to provide administrative, custodial, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary services to the Trust and the Funds. In addition, the Sponsor elected not to outsource services directly attributable to the Trust and the Funds such as accounting, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading activities. In addition, the Fund is contractually obligated to pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum.

The Fund generally pays for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the SEC, FINRA, formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent Shares after its initial registration and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated therewith. The Fund also pays its portion of the fees and expenses associated with the Trust’s tax accounting and reporting requirements. Certain aggregate expenses common to all Funds within the Trust are allocated by the Sponsor to the respective funds based on activity drivers deemed most appropriate by the Sponsor for such expenses, including but not limited to relative assets under management and creation and redeem order activity.

These aggregate common expenses include, but are not limited to, legal, auditing, accounting and financial reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory compliance, trading activities, and insurance costs, as well as fees paid to the Distributor, which are included in the related line item in the statements of operations. A portion of these aggregate common expenses are related to the Sponsor or related parties of principals of the Sponsor; these are necessary services to the Funds, which are primarily the cost of performing accounting and financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and trading activities that are directly attributable to the Fund. For the three months ended March 31, such expenses, which are primarily included as distribution and marketing fees, totaled $8,048 in 2015 and $5,874 in 2014, of these amounts, $5,980 in 2015 and $5,874 were waived by the Sponsor. All asset-based fees and expenses for the Funds are calculated on the prior day’s net assets.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, there were $16,416 and $36,935 during the same period in 2014; of expenses that were identified on the statements of operations of the Fund as expenses that were waived by the Sponsor. The Sponsor has determined that there would be no recovery sought for these amounts in any future period.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, there were approximately $97,147 of expenses recorded in the financial statements of the Sponsor which were subject to reimbursement by the Fund in 2014. At that time, the Sponsor had determined that recovery of the expense amounts was not probable. The Sponsor has determined that there would be no recovery sought for these amounts in any future period.

 

Use of Estimates


The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of the revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy


In accordance with U.S. GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

In determining fair value, the Fund uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, a fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Fund. Unobservable inputs reflect the Fund’s assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as follows:

Level 1 - Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Fund has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of judgment.

Level 2 - Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

The availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Those estimated values do not necessarily represent the amounts that may be ultimately realized due to the occurrence of future circumstances that cannot be reasonably determined. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Fund in determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3. In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy, within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls, is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Fair value is a market-based measure considered from the perspective of a market participant rather than an entity-specific measure. Therefore, even when market assumptions are not readily available, the Fund’s own assumptions are set to reflect those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. The Fund uses prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date, including periods of market dislocation. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many securities. This condition could cause a security to be reclassified to a lower level within the fair value hierarchy. When such a situation exists on a quarter close, the Sponsor will calculate the NAV on a particular day using the Level 1 valuation, but will later recalculate the NAV for the impacted Fund based upon the valuation inputs from these alternative verifiable sources (Level 2 or Level 3) and will report such NAV in its applicable financial statements and reports.

On March 31, 2015 and 2014, in the opinion of the Trust and the Fund, the reported value of the Sugar Futures Contracts traded on the ICE fairly reflected the value of the Sugar Futures Contracts held by the Fund, and no adjustments were necessary. The determination is made as of the settlement of the futures contracts on the last day of trading for the reporting period. In making the determination of a Level 1 or Level 2 transfer, the Fund considers the average volume of the specific underlying futures contracts traded on the relevant exchange for the three months being reported.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Fund did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

The Fund records its derivative activities at fair value. Gains and losses from derivative contracts are included in the statements of operations. Derivative contracts include futures contracts related to commodity prices. Futures, which are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the CBOT and the ICE, or reported on another national market, are generally categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. OTC derivatives contracts (such as forward and swap contracts) which may be valued using models, depending on whether significant inputs are observable or unobservable, are categorized in Levels 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy.


Expenses

Expenses are recorded using the accrual method of accounting.

 

Net Income (Loss) per Share


Net income (loss) per Share is the difference between the NAV per unit at the beginning of each period and at the end of each period. The weighted average number of Shares outstanding was computed for purposes of disclosing net income (loss) per weighted average Share. The weighted average Shares are equal to the number of Shares outstanding at the end of the period, adjusted proportionately for Shares created or redeemed based on the amount of time the Shares were outstanding during such period.

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

The FASB issued ASU No, 2014-11, “Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860): Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financing, and Disclosures.” The amendments in this update require changes to the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions and enhances the required disclosures for repurchase agreements and other similar transactions. The amendments are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The adoption did not have a significant impact on the financial statements and disclosures of the Trust or the Funds.


Note 4 – Fair Value Measurements

The Fund’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy as described in the Fund’s significant accounting policies in Note 3. The following table presents information about the Fund’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014:


March 31, 2015

                Balance as of  
Assets: Level 1     Level 2     Level 3    

March 31, 2015

 
Cash equivalents $ 2,206,075     $ -     $ -     $ 2,206,075  

 

                Balance as of  
Liabilities: Level 1     Level 2     Level 3    

March 31, 2015

 
Sugar futures contracts $ 722,366     $ -     $ -     $ 722,366  

 


December 31, 2014

                Balance as of  
Assets: Level 1  
Level 2     Level 3    

December 31, 2014

 
Cash equivalents $ 2,484,769     $ -     $ -     $ 2,484,769  

 

                Balance as of  
Liabilities: Level 1     Level 2     Level 3    

December 31, 2014

 
Sugar futures contracts $ 503,955     $ -     $ -     $ 503,955  

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Fund did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

See the Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy section in Note 3 above for an explanation of the transfers into and out of each level of the fair value hierarchy.


 Note 5 – Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

In the normal course of business, the Fund utilizes derivative contracts in connection with its proprietary trading activities. Investments in derivative contracts are subject to additional risks that can result in a loss of all or part of an investment. The Fund’s derivative activities and exposure to derivative contracts are classified by the following primary underlying risks: interest rate, credit, commodity price, and equity price risks. In addition to its primary underlying risks, the Fund is also subject to additional counterparty risk due to inability of its counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Fund invested only in commodity futures contracts.

 

Futures Contracts 

The Fund is subject to commodity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future purchase or sale of an asset at a specified price on a specified date.

The purchase and sale of futures contracts requires margin deposits with a FCM. Subsequent payments (variation margin) are made or received by the Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the value of the contract, and are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by the Fund. Futures contracts may reduce the Fund’s exposure to counterparty risk since futures contracts are exchange-traded; and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as the counterparty to all exchange-traded futures, guarantees the futures against default.

The Commodity Exchange Act requires an FCM to segregate all customer transactions and assets from the FCM’s proprietary activities. A customer’s cash and other equity deposited with an FCM are considered commingled with all other customer funds subject to the FCM’s segregation requirements. In the event of an FCM’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to the Fund’s pro rata share of segregated customer funds available. It is possible that the recovery amount could be less than the total of cash and other equity deposited.

The following table discloses information about offsetting assets and liabilities presented in the statements of assets and liabilities to enable users of these financial statements to evaluate the effect or potential effect of netting arrangements for recognized assets and liabilities. These recognized assets and liabilities are presented as defined in FASB ASU No. 2011-11 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” and subsequently clarified in FASB ASU 2013-01 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.”

 

The following table also identifies the fair value amounts of derivative instruments included in the statements of assets and liabilities as derivative contracts, categorized by primary underlying risk and held by the FCM, Jefferies for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and Newedge USA for the year ended December 31, 2014.


Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of March 31, 2015

 

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
Gross Amount Not Offset in the

Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount

Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of Futures Contracts
Description of Recognized
Liabilities
Assets and
Liabilities
Assets and
Liabilities
Available for
Offset
Collateral, Due
from Broker
Net Amount
Commodity price
   Sugar futures contracts $ 722,366 $ - $ 722,366 $ - $ 722,366 $ -

 

Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of December 31, 2014

 

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)

Gross Amount Not Offset in the

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Gross Amount Net Amount

Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of Futures Contracts

Description of Recognized
Liabilities
Assets and
Liabilities
Assets and
Liabilities
Available for 
Offset
Collateral, Due
from Broker
Net Amount
Commodity price
  
   Sugar futures contracts $  503,955 $ - $ 503,955
$ -
$ 503,955
$  -

 

The following is a summary of realized and net change in unrealized gains (losses) of the derivative instruments utilized by the Fund:


Three months ended March 31, 2015

  Net Change in Unrealized 
Realized Loss on
Appreciation or Depreciation on

Primary Underlying Risk Commodity Futures Contracts

Commodity Futures Contracts

Commodity price
Sugar futures contracts $ (333,547 ) $ (218,411 )

 

 

Three months ended March 31, 2014

  Net Change in Unrealized 
Realized Loss on
Appreciation or Depreciation on
Primary Underlying Risk Commodity Futures Contracts

Commodity Futures Contracts
Commodity price
Sugar futures contracts $ (3,281 ) $ 224,246

 

Volume of Derivative Activities

The average notional market value categorized by primary underlying risk for all futures contracts held was $2.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $2.8 million for the same period in 2014.

 


Note 6Financial Highlights 

The following table presents per share performance data and other supplemental financial data for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. This information has been derived from information presented in the financial statements and is presented with total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and with total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor, as appropriate.

 

Three months ended

   

Three months ended


 
Per Share Operation Performance

March 31, 2015

   

March 31, 2014


 
Net asset value at beginning of period $ 11.83     $ 14.10
Income from investment operations:              
Investment income     0.00       0.00  
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain on commodity futures contracts     (2.22 )     1.21  
Total expenses     (0.05 )     (0.07 )
Net (decrease) increase in net asset value     (2.27 )     1.14  
Net asset value at end of period   $ 9.56     $ 15.24  
Total Return     (19.19 )%     8.09 %
Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)                
Total expenses     4.28 %     7.75 %
Total expenses, net     1.82 %     2.04 %
Net investment loss     (1.79 )%     (2.00 )%

Total returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An individual shareholder’s total return and ratios may vary from the above total returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals from the Fund. The ratios have been annualized.

The financial highlights per share data are calculated using the average of the daily shares outstanding for the reporting period, which is inclusive of the last day of the period under report. The asset-based per share data in the financial highlights are calculated using the prior day’s net assets consistent with the methodology used to calculate asset-based fees and expenses.

 

Note 7 – Organizational and Offering Costs

 

Expenses incurred in organizing of the Trust and the initial offering of the Shares of the Fund, including applicable SEC registration fees, were borne directly by the Sponsor. The Fund will not be obligated to reimburse the Sponsor.

 

Note 8 – Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated the three months ended March 31, 2015 financial statements for subsequent events through the date of this filing and noted no material events requiring either recognition through the date of the filing or disclosure herein for the Fund.

 

TEUCRIUM WHEAT FUND

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

March 31, 2015 December 31, 2014

(Unaudited)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 20,563,246 $ 21,568,368
Interest receivable 1,353 1,707
Other assets 92,670 76,748
Equity in trading accounts:
Commodity futures contracts 98,775 729,626
Due from broker 1,858,218 -
Total equity in trading accounts 1,956,993 729,626
Total assets $ 22,614,262 $ 22,376,449
Liabilities
Management fee payable to Sponsor 18,000 22,583
Other liabilities 18,049 16,479
Equity in trading accounts:
Commodity futures contracts 1,571,425 13,125
Due to broker - 60,805
Total equity in trading accounts 1,571,425 73,930
Total liabilities 1,607,474 112,992
Net assets $ 21,006,788 $ 22,263,457
Shares outstanding 1,925,004 1,750,004
Net asset value per share $ 10.91 $ 12.72
Market value per share $ 10.93 $ 12.74

 

 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

TEUCRIUM WHEAT FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS
March 31, 2015

(Unaudited)


     Percentage of  
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $20,563,246) $ 20,563,246 97.89 % 20,563,246
   Notional Amount
   (Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts    
United States wheat futures contracts    
   CBOT wheat futures SEP15 (241 contracts) $ 98,775  0.47 % $  6,296,125
   
   
Percentage of  Notional Amount
Description: Liabilities  Fair Value Net Assets  (Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts
United States wheat futures contracts
CBOT wheat futures JUL15 (286 contracts) $ 793,675 3.78 % $ 7,350,200
CBOT wheat futures DEC15 (274 contracts) 777,750 3.70 7,360,325
Total commodity futures contracts $ 1,571,425 7.48 % $ 14,710,525

 

 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 

 

 

TEUCRIUM WHEAT FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS
December 31, 2014

 

    Percentage of 
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
Dreyfus Cash Management- Institutional (cost $21,568,368) $ 21,568,368 96.88 % 21,568,368
Notional Amount
(Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts
United States wheat futures contracts
CBOT wheat futures MAY15 (262 contracts) $ 687,450 3.09 % $ 7,787,950
CBOT wheat futures JUL15 (223 contracts) 42,176 0.19 6,662,125
Total commodity futures contracts $ 729,626 3.28 % $ 14,450,075
      Percentage of     Notional Amount
Description: Liabilities  Fair Value     Net Assets     (Long Exposure)
Commodity futures contracts
United States wheat futures contracts
CBOT wheat futures DEC15 (254 contracts) $ 13,125 0.06 % $ 7,807,325

 

 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

TEUCRIUM WHEAT FUND

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

  Three months ended Three months ended
  March 31, 2015 March 31, 2014
Income
Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on trading of commodity futures contracts:
Realized (loss) gain on commodity futures contracts $ (707,238 ) $ 230,450
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts (2,189,151 ) 1,486,688
Interest income 1,010 1,131
Total (loss) income (2,895,379 ) 1,718,269
Expenses
Management fees 50,127 24,544
Professional fees 72,877 14,303
Distribution and marketing fees 31,709 36,000
Custodian fees and expenses 9,000 1,485
Business permits and licenses fees 676 4,500
General and administrative expenses 15,488 9,000
Brokerage commissions  2,337 1,800
Other expenses 4,499 2,645
Total expenses 186,713 94,277
Expenses waived by the Sponsor  (14,300 ) -
Reimbursement of expenses previously waived - 28,717
Total expenses, net 172,413 122,994
Net (loss) income $ (3,067,792 ) $ 1,595,275
Net (loss) income per share $ (1.81 ) $ 1.74
Net (loss) income per weighted average share $ (1.69 ) $ 2.39
Weighted average shares outstanding 1,812,504 668,337

 

 The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. 

 

 

TEUCRIUM WHEAT FUND

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

(Unaudited)


    Three months ended       Three months ended
    March 31, 2015
      March 31, 2014
Operations
Net (loss) income $ (3,067,792 ) $ 1,595,275
Capital transactions
Issuance of Shares 4,173,685 7,938,239
Redemption of Shares (2,362,562 ) -
Total capital transactions 1,811,123 7,938,239
Net change in net assets (1,256,669 ) 9,533,514
Net assets, beginning of period $ 22,263,457 $ 7,048,087
Net assets, end of period $ 21,006,788 $ 16,581,601
Net asset value per share at beginning of period $ 12.72 $ 14.84
Net asset value per share at end of period $ 10.91 $ 16.58
Creation of Shares 375,000 525,000
Redemption of Shares 200,000 -

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

TEUCRIUM WHEAT FUND

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

Three months ended

 

Three months ended

 

March 31, 2015

 

March 31, 2014

 

Cash flows from operating activities:
Net (loss) income $ (3,067,792 ) $ 1,595,275
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts 2,189,151 (1,486,688 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
   Due from broker (1,858,218 ) 1,112,300
   Interest receivable 354 (444 )
   Other assets (15,922 ) (13,762 )
   Due to broker                          (60,805 ) -
   Management fee payable to Sponsor (4,583 ) 5,891
   Other liabilities 1,570 1,143
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (2,816,245 ) 1,213,715
Cash flows from financing activities:
   Proceeds from sale of Shares 4,173,685 7,938,239
   Redemption of Shares (2,362,562 ) -
Net cash provided by financing activities 1,811,123 7,938,239
Net change in cash and cash equivalents (1,005,122 ) 9,151,954
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 21,568,368 6,451,639
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 20,563,246 $ 15,603,593

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)

Note 1 – Organization and Operation

 

Teucrium Wheat Fund (referred to herein as “WEAT” or the “Fund”) is a commodity pool that is a series of Teucrium Commodity Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust formed on September 11, 2009. The Fund issues common units, called the “Shares,” representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in the Fund. The Fund continuously offers Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares at their Net Asset Value (“NAV”) to “Authorized Purchasers” through Foreside Fund Services, LLC, which is the distributor for the Fund (the “Distributor”). Authorized Purchasers sell such Shares, which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) Arca under the symbol “WEAT,” to the public at per-Share offering prices that reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Fund at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets and the NAV at the time of the offer of the Shares to the public, the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the markets for wheat interests. The Fund’s Shares trade in the secondary market on the NYSE Arca at prices that are lower or higher than their NAV per Share.

The investment objective of WEAT is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for wheat (“Wheat Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the CBOT, specifically: (1) the second-to-expire CBOT Wheat Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Wheat Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Wheat Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

The Fund commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011 and has a fiscal year ending December 31. The Fund’s sponsor is Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Sponsor is responsible for the management of the Fund. The Sponsor is a member of the National Futures Association (the “NFA”) and became a commodity pool operator registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) effective November 10, 2009.

On June 17, 2011, the Fund’s registration of 10,000,000 shares on Form S-1 was declared effective by the SEC. On September 19, 2011, the Fund listed its shares on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “WEAT.” On the business day prior to that, the Fund issued 100,000 shares in exchange for $2,500,000 at the Fund’s initial NAV of $25 per share. The Fund also commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011 by purchasing commodity futures contracts traded on the CBOT. On December 31, 2010, the Fund had four shares outstanding, which were owned by the Sponsor. On June 30, 2014, a subsequent registration statement for WEAT was declared effective by the SEC.

The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC and, therefore, do not include all information and footnote disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, such financial information reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the Trust’s financial statements for the interim period. It is suggested that these interim financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as applicable. The operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2015.

Subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement,  the Sponsor may terminate a Fund at any time, regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses, including, for instance, if it determines that the Fund’s aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses make the continued operation of the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. However, no level of losses will require the Sponsor to terminate a Fund.

 

Note 2 – Principal Contracts and Agreements

In its capacity as the Custodian for the Fund, the Custodian, currently the Bank of New York Mellon, holds for the Fund its Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents pursuant to a custodial agreement.  The Custodian is also the registrar and transfer agent for the Fund’s Shares.  In addition, the Custodian also serves as Administrator for the Fund, performing certain administrative and accounting services and preparing certain SEC and CFTC reports on behalf of the Fund. For these services, the Custodian receives: for custody services:  0.0075% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, and 0.0050% of average gross assets over $1 billion, annually, plus certain per-transaction charges; for transfer agency services:  0.0075% of average gross assets annually; and for administrative services:  0.05% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, 0.04% of average gross assets between $1 billion and $3 billion, and 0.03% of average gross assets over $3 billion, annually. A combined minimum annual fee of up to $125,000 for custody, transfer agency and administrative services per Fund can be assessed. The Fund recognized $9,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $1,485 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in custodian fees and expenses on the statements of operations and was paid for by the Fund.

The Sponsor and the Trust employ Foreside Fund Services, LLC as the Distributor for the Funds. The Distribution Services Agreement among the Distributor, the Sponsor and the Trust calls for the Distributor to work with the Custodian in connection with the receipt and processing of orders for Creation Baskets and Redemption Baskets and the review and approval of all Fund sales literature and advertising materials. The Distributor and the Sponsor have also entered into a Securities Activities and Service Agreement (the “SASA”) under which certain employees and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as registered representatives or registered principals of the Distributor, under FINRA rules. For its services as the Distributor, Foreside receives a fee of 0.01% of the Fund’s average daily net assets and an aggregate annual fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds, along with certain expense reimbursements. For its services under the SASA, Foreside receives a fee of $5,000 per registered representative and $1,000 per registered location. The Fund recognized $7,148 for the three months ended 2015 and $3,286 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in distribution and marketing fees on the statements of operations and was paid for by the Fund.

 

In 2014, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) served as the Funds’ futures commission merchant (“FCM”) and primary clearing broker to execute and clear the Funds’ futures transactions and provide other brokerage-related services.  In 2014, the Funds introduced the use of Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), for the execution and clearing of the Funds’ futures and options, if any, on futures transactions. On January 2, 2015, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) merged with and into SG Americas Securities, LLC (“SG”), with the latter as the surviving entity. On February 6, 2015 Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) became the Funds’ FCM and primary clearing broker. All futures contracts held by SG were transferred to Jefferies on that date. As of February 23, 2015 all residual cash balances held at SG had been transferred to Jefferies and the balance in all SG accounts was $0.

Jefferies is a futures commission merchant and broker dealer registered with the CFTC and the SEC, and is a member of FINRA. Jefferies is a clearing member of all principal futures exchanges located in the United States as well as a member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, International Securities Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, Options Clearing Corporation, and Government Securities Clearing Corporation. For Wheat Futures Contracts Newedge, SG and Jefferies were paid $8.00 per round turn. The Fund recognized $2,337 in the three months ended 2015 and $1,800 during the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in brokerage commissions on the statements of operations and was paid by the Fund.

The sole Trustee of the Trust is Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation.  The Trustee will accept service of legal process on the Trust in the State of Delaware and will make certain filings under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. For its services, the Trustee receives an annual fee of $3,300 from the Trust. The Fund did not recognize any expense for these services in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and during the same period in 2014. This expense is recorded in business permits and licenses fees on the statements of operations.

 

Note 3 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) as detailed in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification.

Correction of immaterial error in previously issued financial statements.

Effective with the period ended June 30, 2014, expenses for the current and comparative periods are presented both gross and net of any expenses waived by or paid by the Sponsor that would have been incurred by the Funds (“expenses waived by the Sponsor”). In addition, certain expenses paid by the Sponsor on behalf of the Funds for the year ended December 31, 2013 that were subject to possible recovery from the Funds in the following year, as had been previously disclosed in aggregate for the Trust in the Form 10-K for 2013, have also been included in expenses and waived/reimbursed expenses in the period incurred by the Sponsor. These expenses, if reimbursed by the Funds to the Sponsor in 2014 are then presented as a reimbursement of expenses previously waived. “Total expenses, net”, which is after the impact of any expenses waived by or reimbursed to the Sponsor, are presented in the same manner as previously reported. There is, therefore, no impact to, or change in the Net gain or Net loss in any period for the Trust and each Fund as a result of this change in presentation.

Revenue Recognition

Commodity futures contracts are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts are reflected in the statements of assets and liabilities as the difference between the original contract amount and the fair market value as of the last business day of the year or as of the last date of the financial statements. Changes in the appreciation or depreciation between periods are reflected in the statements of operations. Interest on cash equivalents and deposits with the Futures Commission Merchant are recognized on the accrual basis. The Fund earns interest on its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the Futures Commission Merchant. In addition, the Fund earns interest on funds held at the custodian at prevailing market rates for such investments.

 

Brokerage Commissions

Brokerage commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on the trade date and on a full-turn basis.

Income Taxes

For tax purposes, the Fund will be treated as a partnership. The Fund does not record a provision for income taxes because the shareholders report their share of the Fund’s income or loss on their income tax returns. The financial statements reflect the Fund’s transactions without adjustment, if any, required for income tax purposes.

The Fund is required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. The Fund files an income tax return in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax returns in various U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. For all tax years 2012 to 2014, the Fund remains subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized results in the Fund recording a tax liability that reduces net assets. Based on its analysis, the Fund has determined that it has not incurred any liability for unrecognized tax benefits as of March 31, 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. However, the Fund’s conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, ongoing analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations, and interpretations thereof.

The Fund recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax fees payable, if assessed. No interest expense or penalties have been recognized as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

The Fund may be subject to potential examination by U.S. federal, U.S. state, or foreign jurisdictional authorities in the area of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions, and compliance with U.S. federal, U.S. state and foreign tax laws. The Fund’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

Creations and Redemptions

Authorized Purchasers may purchase Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 shares from the Fund. The amount of the proceeds required to purchase a Creation Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Creation Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create the basket is properly received.

Authorized Purchasers may redeem shares from the Fund only in blocks of 25,000 shares called “Redemption Baskets.” The amount of the redemption proceeds for a Redemption Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Redemption Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to redeem the basket is properly received.

The Fund receives or pays the proceeds from shares sold or redeemed within three business days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption. The amounts due from Authorized Purchasers are reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as receivable for shares sold. Amounts payable to Authorized Purchasers upon redemption are reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as payable for shares redeemed.

As outlined in the most recent Form S-1 filing, 50,000 shares represents two Redemption Baskets for the Fund and a minimum level of shares.

 

Allocation of Shareholder Income and Losses

Profit or loss is allocated among the shareholders of the Fund in proportion to the number of shares each shareholder holds as of the close of each month.


Cash Equivalents


Cash equivalents are highly-liquid investments with maturity dates of 90 days or less when acquired. The Fund reported its cash equivalents in the statements of assets and liabilities at market value, or at carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their highly-liquid nature and short-term maturities. The Fund has these balances of its assets on deposit with banks. Assets deposited with the bank may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. The Fund had a balance of $20,563,246 and $21,568,368 in money market funds at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively; these balances are included in cash and cash equivalents on the statements of assets and liabilities.

 

Due from/to Broker


The amount recorded by the Fund for the amount due from and to the clearing broker includes, but is not limited to, cash held by the broker, amounts payable to the clearing broker related to open transactions and payables for commodities futures accounts liquidating to an equity balance on the clearing broker’s records. 

Margin is the minimum amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest trader with the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position in futures contracts. A margin deposit acts to assure the trader’s performance of the futures contracts purchased or sold. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on initial margin that represents a very small percentage of the aggregate purchase or sales price of the contract. Because of such low margin requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures markets may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount invested, are greater than are customary in other forms of investment or speculation. As discussed below, adverse price changes in the futures contract may result in margin requirements that greatly exceed the initial margin. In addition, the amount of margin required in connection with a particular futures contract is set from time to time by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Fund’s clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in commodity interest contracts generally require higher amounts of margin as a matter of policy to further protect themselves. Over-the-counter trading generally involves the extension of credit between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to require the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit exposure.

When a trader purchases an option, there is no margin requirement; however, the option premium must be paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other hand, he or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in addition, an amount substantially equal to the current premium for the option. The margin requirements imposed on the selling of options, although adjusted to reflect the probability that out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can in fact be higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader acquires a mixture of options positions and positions in the underlying interest.

Ongoing or “maintenance” margin requirements are computed each day by a trader’s clearing broker. When the market value of a particular open futures contract changes to a point where the margin on deposit does not satisfy maintenance margin requirements, a margin call is made by the broker. If the margin call is not met within a reasonable time, the broker may close out the trader’s position. With respect to the Fund’s trading, the Fund (and not its shareholders personally) is subject to margin calls.

Finally, many major U.S. exchanges have passed certain cross margining arrangements involving procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held in an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated and margin requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis, measuring the total risk of the combined positions.

 

Calculation of Net Asset Value


The Fund’s NAV is calculated by:

Taking the current market value of its total assets and
Subtracting any liabilities.

The administrator, the Bank of New York Mellon, calculates the NAV of the Fund once each trading day. It calculates the NAV as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NAV for a particular trading day is released after 4:15 p.m. New York time.

In determining the value of Wheat Futures Contracts, the administrator uses the CBOT closing price. The administrator determines the value of all other Fund investments as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The value of over-the-counter wheat interests is determined based on the value of the commodity or futures contract underlying such wheat interest, except that a fair value may be determined if the Sponsor believes that the Fund is subject to significant credit risk relating to the counterparty to such wheat interest. For purposes of financial statements and reports, the Sponsor will recalculate the NAV where necessary to reflect the “fair value” of a Futures Contract when the Futures Contract closes at its price fluctuation limit for the day. Treasury securities held by the Fund are valued by the administrator using values received from recognized third-party vendors and dealer quotes. NAV includes any unrealized profit or loss on open wheat interests and any other income or expense accruing to the Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund.

 

Sponsor Fee, Allocation of Expenses and Related Party Transactions


The Sponsor is responsible for investing the assets of the Fund in accordance with the objectives and policies of the Fund. In addition, the Sponsor arranges for one or more third parties to provide administrative, custodial, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary services to the Trust and the Funds. In addition, the Sponsor elected not to outsource services directly attributable to the Trust and the Funds such as accounting, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading activities. In addition, the Fund is contractually obligated to pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum. 

 

The Fund generally pays for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the SEC, FINRA, formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent Shares after its initial registration and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated therewith. The Fund also pays its portion of the fees and expenses associated with the Trust’s tax accounting and reporting requirements. Certain aggregate expenses common to all Funds within the Trust are allocated by the Sponsor to the respective funds based on activity drivers deemed most appropriate by the Sponsor for such expenses, including but not limited to relative assets under management and creation and redeem order activity.

These aggregate common expenses include, but are not limited to, legal, auditing, accounting and financial reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory compliance, trading activities, and insurance costs, as well as fees paid to the Distributor, which are included in the related line item in the statements of operations. A portion of these aggregate common expenses are related to the Sponsor or related parties of principals of the Sponsor; these are necessary services to the Funds, which are primarily the cost of performing accounting and financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and trading activities that are directly attributable to the Fund. For the three months ended March 31, such expenses, which are primarily included as distribution and marketing fees, totaled $85,243 in 2015 and $37,858 in 2014 and were paid by the Fund. All asset-based fees and expenses for the Fund are calculated on the prior day’s net assets.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, there were $14,300 of expenses that were identified on the statements of operations of the Fund as expenses that were waived by the Sponsor. The Sponsor has determined that there would be no recovery sought for these amounts in any future period. There were no expenses waived for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, there were $69,416 of expenses recorded in the financial statements of the Sponsor which were subject to reimbursement by the Fund in 2014. At that time, the Sponsor had determined that recovery of the expense amounts was not probable. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, asset growth and other changes experienced by the Fund enabled the Sponsor to claim reimbursement of $28,717 from the Fund. This amount is reflected in the statements of operations as a reimbursement of previously waived expenses.

 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of the revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

In determining fair value, the Fund uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, a fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Fund. Unobservable inputs reflect the Fund’s assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as follows:

Level 1 - Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Fund has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of judgment.

Level 2 - Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

The availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Those estimated values do not necessarily represent the amounts that may be ultimately realized due to the occurrence of future circumstances that cannot be reasonably determined. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Fund in determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3. In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy, within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls, is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Fair value is a market-based measure considered from the perspective of a market participant rather than an entity-specific measure. Therefore, even when market assumptions are not readily available, the Fund’s own assumptions are set to reflect those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. The Fund uses prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date, including periods of market dislocation. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many securities. This condition could cause a security to be reclassified to a lower level within the fair value hierarchy. When such a situation exists on a quarter close, the Sponsor will calculate the NAV on a particular day using the Level 1 valuation, but will later recalculate the NAV for the impacted Fund based upon the valuation inputs from these alternative verifiable sources (Level 2 or Level 3) and will report such NAV in its applicable financial statements and reports.

The determination is made as of the settlement of the futures contracts on the last day of trading for the reporting period. In making the determination of a Level 1 or Level 2 transfer, the Fund considers the average volume of the specific underlying futures contracts traded on the relevant exchange for the three months being reported.

On March 31, 2015 and 2014, in the opinion of the Trust and the Fund, the reported value of the Wheat Futures Contracts traded on the CBOT fairly reflected the value of the Wheat Futures Contracts held by the Fund, and no adjustments were necessary. The determination is made as of the settlement of the futures contracts on the last day of trading for the reporting period. In making the determination of a Level 1 or Level 2 transfer, the Fund considers the average volume of the specific underlying futures contracts traded on the relevant exchange for the three months being reported.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Fund did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

The Fund records its derivative activities at fair value. Gains and losses from derivative contracts are included in the statements of operations. Derivative contracts include futures contracts related to commodity prices. Futures, which are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the CBOT and the ICE, or reported on another national market, are generally categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. OTC derivatives contracts (such as forward and swap contracts) which may be valued using models, depending on whether significant inputs are observable or unobservable, are categorized in Levels 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

Expenses

Expenses are recorded using the accrual method of accounting.

Net Income (Loss) per Share

Net income (loss) per Share is the difference between the NAV per unit at the beginning of each period and at the end of each period. The weighted average number of Shares outstanding was computed for purposes of disclosing net income (loss) per weighted average Share. The weighted average Shares are equal to the number of Shares outstanding at the end of the period, adjusted proportionately for Shares created or redeemed based on the amount of time the Shares were outstanding during such period.


New Accounting Pronouncements


The FASB issued ASU No, 2014-11, “Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860): Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financing, and Disclosures.” The amendments in this update require changes to the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions and enhances the required disclosures for repurchase agreements and other similar transactions. The amendments are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The adoption did not have a significant impact on the financial statements and disclosures of the Trust or the Funds.


Note 4 – Fair Value Measurements

 

The Fund’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy as described in the Fund’s significant accounting policies in Note 3. The following table presents information about the Fund’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014:

 

March 31, 2015

            Balance as of
Assets: Level 1     Level 2     Level 3   March 31, 2015
Cash equivalents $ 20,563,246   $  -   $   $ 20,563,246
Wheat futures contracts    98,775      -         98,775
   Total $ 20,662,021   $ - $ - $ 20,662,021
 
 
  Balance as of
Liabilities: Level 1   Level 2 Level 3

March 31, 2015

Wheat futures contracts $ 1,571,425   $ - $ - $ 1,571,425
 
 

December 31, 2014

 
  Balance as of
Assets: Level 1   Level 2 Level 3

December 31, 2014

Cash equivalents $ 21,568,368   $ - $ - $ 21,568,368
Wheat futures contracts 729,626   - - 729,626
Total $ 22,297,994   $ - $ - $ 22,297,994
 
 
  Balance as of
Liabilities: Level 1   Level 2 Level 3

December 31, 2014

Wheat futures contracts $ 13,125   $ - $ - $ 13,125

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Fund did not have any significant transfers between any of the levels of the fair value hierarchy.

See the Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy section in Note 3 above for an explanation of the transfers into and out of each level of the fair value hierarchy.


Note 5 – Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities


In the normal course of business, the Fund utilizes derivative contracts in connection with its proprietary trading activities. Investments in derivative contracts are subject to additional risks that can result in a loss of all or part of an investment. The Fund’s derivative activities and exposure to derivative contracts are classified by the following primary underlying risks: interest rate, credit, commodity price, and equity price risks. In addition to its primary underlying risks, the Fund is also subject to additional counterparty risk due to inability of its counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts. For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the Fund invested only in commodity futures contracts. Cleared Wheat Swaps have standardized terms similar to, and are priced by reference to, the corresponding Benchmark Component Futures Contract. Additionally, Other Wheat Interests that do not have standardized terms and are not exchange-traded, referred to as “over-the-counter” Wheat Interests, can generally be structured as the parties to the Wheat Interest contract desire. Therefore, the Fund might enter into multiple Cleared Swaps and/or over-the-counter Interests intended to exactly replicate the performance of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts for the Fund, or a single over-the-counter Interest designed to replicate the performance of the Benchmark as a whole. Assuming that there is no default by a counterparty to an over-the-counter Interest, the performance of the Interest will not necessarily correlate exactly with the performance of the Benchmark or the applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract.

 

Futures Contracts


The Fund is subject to commodity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future purchase or sale of an asset at a specified price on a specified date.

The purchase and sale of futures contracts requires margin deposits with a FCM. Subsequent payments (variation margin) are made or received by the Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the value of the contract, and are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by the Fund. Futures contracts may reduce the Fund’s exposure to counterparty risk since futures contracts are exchange-traded; and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as the counterparty to all exchange-traded futures, guarantees the futures against default.

The Commodity Exchange Act requires an FCM to segregate all customer transactions and assets from the FCM’s proprietary activities. A customer’s cash and other equity deposited with an FCM are considered commingled with all other customer funds subject to the FCM’s segregation requirements. In the event of an FCM’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to the Fund’s pro rata share of segregated customer funds available. It is possible that the recovery amount could be less than the total of cash and other equity deposited.

The following table discloses information about offsetting assets and liabilities presented in the statements of assets and liabilities to enable users of these financial statements to evaluate the effect or potential effect of netting arrangements for recognized assets and liabilities. These recognized assets and liabilities are presented as defined in FASB ASU No. 2011-11 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” and subsequently clarified in FASB ASU 2013-01 “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.”

The following table also identifies the fair value amounts of derivative instruments included in the statements of assets and liabilities as derivative contracts, categorized by primary underlying risk and held by the FCM, Jefferies for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and Newedge USA for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

Offsetting of Financial Assets and Derivative Assets as of March 31, 2015

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv)    (v) = (iii) – (iv)

        Gross Amount Not Offset in the
        Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 Gross Amount  Net Amount

 Offset in the  Presented in the
Gross Amount  Statement of  Statement of  Futures Contracts
of Recognized  Assets and  Assets and  Available for  Collateral, Due
Description Assets  Liabilities  Liabilities  Offset  to Broker  Net Amount
Commodity price
   Wheat futures contracts $ 98,775 $ - $ 98,775 $ 98,775 $ - $ -

 


Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of March 31, 2015

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
Gross Amount Not Offset in the
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount
Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of Futures Contracts
of Recognized Assets and Assets and Available for Collateral, Due
Description Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Offset from Broker Net Amount
Commodity price
   Wheat futures contracts $ 1,571,425
$ - $ 1,571,425 $ 98,775
$ 1,472,650
$ -


 

Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities as of December 31, 2014

(i) (ii) (iii) = (i) – (ii) (iv) (v) = (iii) – (iv)
Gross Amount Not Offset in the
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Gross Amount Net Amount
Offset in the Presented in the
Gross Amount Statement of Statement of Futures Contracts
of Recognized Assets and Assets and Available for Collateral, Due
Description Liabilities Liabilities Liabilities Offset from Broker Net Amount
Commodity price
   Wheat futures contracts $ 13,125 $ - $ 13,125 $ 13,125 $ - $ -


The following is a summary of realized and net change in unrealized gains (losses) of the derivative instruments utilized by the Fund:


 

Three months ended March 31, 2015

 

       Net Change in Unrealized
Realized Loss on   Appreciation or Depreciation on
Primary Underlying Risk Commodity Futures Contracts
Commodity Futures Contracts
Commodity price
Wheat futures contracts $             (707,238 ) $       (2,189,151)

 

Three months ended March 31, 2014

 

       Net Change in Unrealized
Realized Gain on   Appreciation or Depreciation on
Primary Underlying Risk Commodity Futures Contracts
  Commodity Futures Contracts
Commodity price
Commodity futures contracts $ 230,450 $ 1,486,688

 

Volume of Derivative Activities


The average notional market value categorized by primary underlying risk for all futures contracts held was $19.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $11.5 million for the same period in 2014.


Note 6Financial Highlights

The following table presents per share performance data and other supplemental financial data for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. This information has been derived from information presented in the financial statements and is presented with total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and with total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor, as appropriate.

 

Three months ended

Three months ended

Per Share Operation Performance

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2014


Net asset value at beginning of period $ 12.72 $ 14.84
Income from investment operations:
Investment income 0.00 0.00
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain on commodity futures contracts (1.71 ) 1.92
Total expenses, net (0.10 ) (0.18 )
Net (decrease) increase in net asset value (1.81 ) 1.74
Net asset value at end of period $ 10.91 $ 16.58
Total Return (14.23 )% 11.73 %
Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)
Total expenses 3.72 % 3.80 %
Total expenses, net 3.44 % 4.95 %
Net investment loss (3.42 )% (4.91 )%

Total returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An individual shareholder’s total return and ratios may vary from the above total returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals from the Fund. The ratios have been annualized.

The financial highlights per share data are calculated using the average of the daily shares outstanding for the reporting period, which is inclusive of the last day of the period under report. The asset-based per share data in the financial highlights are calculated using the prior day’s net assets consistent with the methodology used to calculate asset-based fees and expenses.

Note 7 – Organizational and Offering Costs

 

Expenses incurred in organizing of the Trust and the initial offering of the Shares of the Fund, including applicable SEC registration fees, were borne directly by the Sponsor. The Fund will not be obligated to reimburse the Sponsor.

 

Note 8 – Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated the three months ended March 31, 2015 financial statements for subsequent events through the date of this filing and noted no material events requiring either recognition through the date of the filing or disclosure herein for the Fund other than noted below:

 

From April 1, 2015 through May 11, 2015, the following change of 20% or greater occurred in Shares Outstanding for the Fund: the shares for the Fund increased from 1,925,004 to 2,375,004.

 


TEUCRIUM AGRICULTURAL FUND

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

  

  March 31, 2015 December 31, 2014
Assets (Unaudited)
Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,364 $ 1,647
Other assets 8,125 10,000
Equity in trading accounts:
Investments in securities, at fair value (cost $2,320,922 and $2,392,877 as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively)
1,457,115
1,641,102
Total assets $ 1,466,604 $ 1,652,749
Net assets $ 1,466,604 $ 1,652,749
Shares outstanding 50,002 50,002
Net asset value per share $ 29.33 $ 33.05
Market value per share $ 29.34 $ 33.05

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 

TEUCRIUM AGRICULTURAL FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2015
   (Unaudited)

 

Percentage of         
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Exchange-traded funds
Teucrium Corn Fund $ 373,368 25.46 % 15,083
Teucrium Soybean Fund 380,187 25.92 19,381
Teucrium Sugar Fund 341,407 23.28 35,724
Teucrium Wheat Fund 362,153 24.69 33,187
Total exchange-traded funds (cost $2,320,922) $ 1,457,115 99.35 %
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $1,364) $ 1,364 0.09 % 1,364

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM AGRICULTURAL FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

December 31, 2014


Percentage of           
Description: Assets Fair Value Net Assets Shares
Exchange-traded funds
Teucrium Corn Fund $ 413,423 25.01 % 15,533
Teucrium Soybean Fund 418,586 25.33 20,131
Teucrium Sugar Fund 414,243 25.06 35,024
Teucrium Wheat Fund 394,850 23.89 31,037
Total exchange-traded funds (cost $2,392,877)   $ 1,641,102 99.29 %
Cash equivalents
Money market funds
Dreyfus Cash Management - Institutional (cost $1,647) $ 1,647 0.10 % 1,647

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


TEUCRIUM AGRICULTURAL FUND

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

 

Three months ended    Three months ended
March 31, 2014

March 31, 2015

 

Income
Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on trading of securities:
Realized loss on securities $ (72,186 ) $ (53,161 )
Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on securities (112,032 ) 246,760
Interest loss (2 ) (2 )
Total (loss) income (184,220 ) 193,597
Expenses
Professional fees 2,667 2,154
Distribution and marketing fees 5,861 4,730
Custodian fees and expenses 600 583
Business permits and licenses fees 10,500 19,000
General and administrative expenses 2,814 463
Other expenses 173 217
Total expenses 22,615 27,147
Expenses waived by the Sponsor (20,690) (24,769 )
Reimbursement of expenses previously waived - -
Total expenses, net 1,925 2,378
Net (loss) income $ (186,145 ) $ 191,219
Net (loss) income per share $ (3.72 ) $ 3.82
Net (loss) income per weighted average share $ (3.72 ) $ 3.82
Weighted average shares outstanding 50,002 50,002

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

TEUCRIUM AGRICULTURAL FUND

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

(Unaudited)

 

  Three months ended Three months ended
  March 31, 2015 March 31, 2014
Operations
Net (loss) income $ (186,145 ) $ 191,219
Net change in net assets (186,145 ) 191,219
Net assets, beginning of period $ 1,652,749 $ 1,896,442
Net assets, end of period $ 1,466,604 $ 2,087,661
Net asset value per share at beginning of period $ 33.05 $ 37.93
Net asset value per share at end of period $ 29.33 $ 41.75
Creation of Shares - -
Redemption of Shares - -

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


TEUCRIUM AGRICULTURAL FUND

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

  Three months ended Three months ended
  March 31, 2015 March 31, 2014
Cash flows from operating activities:
    Net (loss) income $ (186,145 ) $ 191,219
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash used in operating activities:
    Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on securities 112,032 (246,760 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
 Net (purchases) and sale of investments in securities 71,955 52,566
 Other assets 1,875
2,120
 Other liabilities - 238
       Net cash used in operating activities (283 ) (617 )
Net change in cash and cash equivalents (283 ) (617 )
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 1,647 2,880
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 1,364 $ 2,263

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2015
(Unaudited)

Note 1 – Organization and Business

Teucrium Agricultural Fund (referred to herein as “TAGS” or the “Fund”) is a series of Teucrium Commodity Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 11, 2009. The Fund operates pursuant to the Trust’s Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”). The Fund was formed on March 29, 2011 and is managed and controlled by Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Sponsor is a limited liability company formed in Delaware on July 28, 2009 that is registered as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”).

On April 22, 2011, a registration statement was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). On February 10, 2012, the Fund’s initial registration of 5,000,000 shares on Form S-1 was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). On March 28, 2012, the Fund listed its shares on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “TAGS.” On the business day prior to that, the Fund issued 300,000 shares in exchange for $15,000,000 at the Fund’s initial NAV of $50 per share. The Fund also commenced investment operations on March 28, 2012 by purchasing shares of the Underlying Funds. On December 31, 2011, the Fund had two shares outstanding, which were owned by the Sponsor. On April 30, 2015, a subsequent registration statement for TAGS was declared effective by the SEC.

The investment objective of the TAGS is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the NAV of its Shares reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average (the “Underlying Fund Average”) of the NAVs per share of four other commodity pools that are series of the Trust and are sponsored by the Sponsor: the Teucrium Corn Fund, the Teucrium Wheat Fund, the Teucrium Soybean Fund and the Teucrium Sugar Fund (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Underlying Fund Average will have a weighting of 25% to each Underlying Fund, and the Fund’s assets will be rebalanced, generally on a daily basis, to maintain the approximate 25% allocation to each Underlying Fund.

The investment objective of each Underlying Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of its shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for certain Futures Contracts for the commodity specified in the Underlying Fund’s name. (This weighted average is referred to herein as the Underlying Fund’s “Benchmark,” the Futures Contracts that at any given time make up an Underlying Fund’s Benchmark are referred to herein as the Underlying Fund’s “Benchmark Component Futures Contracts,” and the commodity specified in the Underlying Fund’s name is referred to herein as its “Specified Commodity.”) Specifically, the Teucrium Corn Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire Futures Contract for corn traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”), weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT corn Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT corn Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%. The Teucrium Wheat Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire CBOT wheat Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT wheat Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT wheat Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%. The Teucrium Soybean Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire CBOT soybean Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT soybean Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT soybean Futures Contract expiring in the November following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%, except that CBOT soybean Futures Contracts expiring in August and September will not be part of the Teucrium Soybean Fund’s Benchmark because of the less liquid market for these Futures Contracts. The Teucrium Sugar Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract traded on ICE Futures US (“ICE Futures”), weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire ICE Futures Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the ICE Futures Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract expiring in the March following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

While the Fund expects to maintain substantially all of its assets in shares of the Underlying Funds at all times, the Fund may hold some residual amount of assets in obligations of the United States government (“Treasury Securities”) or cash equivalents, and/or merely hold such assets in cash (generally in interest-bearing accounts). The Underlying Funds invest in Commodity Interests to the fullest extent possible without being leveraged or unable to satisfy their expected current or potential margin or collateral obligations with respect to their investments in Commodity Interests. After fulfilling such margin and collateral requirements, the Underlying Funds will invest the remainder of the proceeds from the sale of baskets in Treasury Securities or cash equivalents, and/or merely hold such assets in cash. Therefore, the focus of the Sponsor in managing the Underlying Funds is investing in Commodity Interests and in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents. The Fund and Underlying Funds will earn interest income from the Treasury Securities and/or cash equivalents that it purchases and on the cash it holds through the Fund’s custodian, the Bank of New York Mellon (the “Custodian”).

The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC and, therefore, do not include all information and footnote disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, such financial information reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the Fund’s financial statements for the interim period. It is suggested that these interim financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as the most recent Form S-1 filing, as applicable. The operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2015.

Subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement,  the Sponsor may terminate a Fund at any time, regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses, including, for instance, if it determines that the Fund’s aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses make the continued operation of the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. However, no level of losses will require the Sponsor to terminate a Fund.

 

Note 2 – Principal Contracts and Agreements

In its capacity as the Custodian for the Fund, the Custodian, currently the Bank of New York Mellon, holds for the Fund its Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents pursuant to a custodial agreement.  The Custodian is also the registrar and transfer agent for the Fund’s Shares.  The Custodian also acts as a broker for some, but not all, of the equity transactions related to the purchase and sale of the Underlying Funds for TAGS. In addition, the Custodian also serves as Administrator for the Fund, performing certain administrative and accounting services and preparing certain SEC and CFTC reports on behalf of the Fund. For these services, the Custodian receives: for custody services:  0.0075% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, and 0.0050% of average gross assets over $1 billion, annually, plus certain per-transaction charges; for transfer agency services:  0.0075% of average gross assets annually; and for administrative services:  0.05% of average gross assets up to $1 billion, 0.04% of average gross assets between $1 billion and $3 billion, and 0.03% of average gross assets over $3 billion, annually. A combined minimum annual fee of up to $125,000 for custody, transfer agency and administrative services per Fund can be assessed. The Fund recognized $600 in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and $583 in the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in custodian fees and expenses on the statements of operations; this expense was waived by the Sponsor in both periods presented. The Bank of New York Mellon also serves as the primary clearing broker for the Fund in activity related to shares of the Underlying Funds. For this service the Fund recognized $0 in 2015 and 2014.

The Sponsor and the Trust employ Foreside Fund Services, LLC as the Distributor for the Funds. The Distribution Services Agreement among the Distributor, the Sponsor and the Trust calls for the Distributor to work with the Custodian in connection with the receipt and processing of orders for Creation Baskets and Redemption Baskets and the review and approval of all Fund sales literature and advertising materials. The Distributor and the Sponsor have also entered into a Securities Activities and Service Agreement (the “SASA”) under which certain employees and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as registered representatives or registered principals of the Distributor, under FINRA rules. For its services as the Distributor, Foreside receives a fee of 0.01% of the Fund’s average daily net assets and an aggregate annual fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds, along with certain expense reimbursements. For its services under the SASA, Foreside receives a fee of $5,000 per registered representative and $1,000 per registered location. The Fund recognized $355 in the three months ended March 31, 2014 and $429 in the same period in 2014 for these services, which was recorded in distribution and marketing fees on the statements of operations; this expense was waived by the Sponsor in both periods presented.

In 2014, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) served as the Funds’ futures commission merchant (“FCM”) and primary clearing broker to execute and clear the Funds’ futures transactions and provide other brokerage-related services.  In 2014, the Funds introduced the use of Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), for the execution and clearing of the Funds’ futures and options, if any, on futures transactions. On January 2, 2015, Newedge USA, LLC (“Newedge USA”) merged with and into SG Americas Securities, LLC (“SG”), with the latter as the surviving entity. On February 6, 2015 Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) became the Funds’ FCM and primary clearing broker. All futures contracts held by SG were transferred to Jefferies on that date. As of February 23, 2015 all residual cash balances held at SG had been transferred to Jefferies and the balance in all SG accounts was $0.

Jefferies is a futures commission merchant and broker dealer registered with the CFTC and the SEC, and is a member of FINRA. Jefferies is a clearing member of all principal futures exchanges located in the United States as well as a member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, International Securities Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, Options Clearing Corporation, and Government Securities Clearing Corporation. For the service the Fund recognized $0 for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

The sole Trustee of the Trust is Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation.  The Trustee will accept service of legal process on the Trust in the State of Delaware and will make certain filings under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. For its services, the Trustee receives an annual fee of $3,300 from the Trust. The Fund did not recognize any expense for these services in the three months ended March 31, 2015 and during the same period in 2014. This expense is recorded in business permits and licenses fees on the statements of operations.

 

Note 3 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies 

 

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) as detailed in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification.

Correction of immaterial error in previously issued financial statements

Effective with the period ended June 30, 2014, expenses for the current and comparative periods are presented both gross and net of any expenses waived by or paid by the Sponsor that would have been incurred by the Funds (“expenses waived by the Sponsor”). In addition, certain expenses paid by the Sponsor on behalf of the Funds for the year ended December 31, 2013 that were subject to possible recovery from the Funds in the following year, as had been previously disclosed in aggregate for the Trust in the Form 10-K for 2013, have also been included in expenses and waived/reimbursed expenses in the period incurred by the Sponsor. These expenses, if reimbursed by the Funds to the Sponsor in 2014 are then presented as a reimbursement of expenses previously waived. “Total expenses, net”, which is after the impact of any expenses waived by or reimbursed to the Sponsor, are presented in the same manner as previously reported. There is, therefore, no impact to, or change in the Net gain or Net loss in any period for the Trust and each Fund as a result of this change in presentation.

 

Revenue Recognition

Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade-date basis. All such transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments are reflected in the statements of assets and liabilities as the difference between the original amount and the fair market value as of the last business day of the year or as of the last date of the financial statements. Changes in the appreciation or depreciation between periods are reflected in the statements of operations.

 

Brokerage Commissions

Brokerage commissions are accrued on the trade date and on a full-turn basis.

 

Income Taxes

The Fund will be treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes. The Fund does not record a provision for income taxes because the shareholders report their share of the Fund’s income or loss on their income tax returns. The financial statements reflect the Fund’s transactions without adjustment, if any, required for income tax purposes.

The Fund is required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. The Fund files an income tax return in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax returns in various U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. For all tax years 2012 to 2014, the Fund remains subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized results in the Fund recording a tax liability that reduces net assets. This policy has been applied to all existing tax positions upon the Fund’s initial adoption. Based on its analysis, the Fund has determined that it has not incurred any liability for unrecognized tax benefits as of March 31, 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. However, the Fund’s conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, ongoing analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations, and interpretations thereof.

The Fund recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax fees payable, if assessed. No interest expense or penalties have been recognized as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

The Fund may be subject to potential examination by U.S. federal, U.S. state, or foreign jurisdictional authorities in the area of income taxes. These potential examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions, and compliance with U.S. federal, U.S. state and foreign tax laws. The Fund’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

Creations and Redemptions

Authorized Purchasers may purchase Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 shares from the Fund. The amount of the proceeds required to purchase a Creation Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Creation Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create the basket is properly received.

Authorized Purchasers may redeem shares from the Fund only in blocks of 25,000 shares called “Redemption Baskets.” The amount of the redemption proceeds for a Redemption Basket will be equal to the NAV of the shares in the Redemption Basket determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to redeem the basket is properly received.

The Fund will receive the proceeds from shares sold or will pay for redeemed shares within three business days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption, respectively. The amounts due from Authorized Purchasers will be reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as receivable for shares sold. Amounts payable to Authorized Purchasers upon redemption will be reflected in the Fund’s statements of assets and liabilities as payable for shares redeemed.

As outlined in the most recent Form S-1 filing, 50,000 shares represents two Redemption Baskets for the Fund and a minimum level of shares.

Effective August 2, 2012, the Fund was at 50,002 shares outstanding which represents a minimum number of shares and there could be no further redemptions until additional shares are created.

 

Allocation of Shareholder Income and Losses

Profit or loss is allocated among the shareholders of the Fund in proportion to the number of shares each shareholder holds as of the close of each month.

 

Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents are highly-liquid investments with maturity dates of 90 days or less when acquired. The Fund reported its cash equivalents in the statements of assets and liabilities at market value, or at carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their highly-liquid nature and short-term maturities. The Fund has these balances of its assets on deposit with banks. Assets deposited with the bank may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. TAGS had a balance of $1,364 and $1,647 in money market funds at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively; these balances are included in cash and cash equivalents on the statements of assets and liabilities.

 

Payable/Receivable for Securities Purchased/Sold

Due from/to broker for investments in securities are securities transactions pending settlement. The Fund is subject to credit risk to the extent any broker with whom it conducts business is unable to fulfill contractual obligations on its behalf. The management of the Funds monitors the financial condition of such brokers and does not anticipate any losses from these counterparties.

 

Calculation of Net Asset Value

The Fund’s NAV is calculated by:

Taking the current market value of its total assets and
Subtracting any liabilities.

The administrator, the Bank of New York Mellon, will calculate the NAV of the Fund once each trading day. It will calculate the NAV as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NAV for a particular trading day will be released after 4:15 p.m. New York time.

For purposes of the determining the Fund’s NAV, the Fund’s investments in the Underlying Funds will be valued based on the Underlying Funds’ NAVs. In turn, in determining the value of the Futures Contracts held by the Underlying Funds, the Administrator will use the closing price on the exchange on which they are traded. The Administrator will determine the value of all other Fund and Underlying Fund investments as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m. New York time, in accordance with the current Services Agreement between the Administrator and the Trust. The value of Cleared Swaps and over-the-counter Commodity Interests will be determined based on the value of the commodity or Futures Contract underlying such Commodity Interest, except that a fair value may be determined if the Sponsor believes that the Underlying Fund is subject to significant credit risk relating to the counterparty to such Commodity Interest. For purposes of financial statements and reports, the Sponsor will recalculate the NAV of an Underlying Fund where necessary to reflect the “fair value” of a Futures Contract held by an Underlying Fund when a Futures Contract held by an Underlying Fund closes at its price fluctuation limit for the day. Treasury Securities held by the Fund or Underlying Funds will be valued by the Administrator using values received from recognized third-party vendors (such as Reuters) and dealer quotes. NAV will include any unrealized profit or loss on open Commodity Interests and any other credit or debit accruing to the Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund.

 

Sponsor Fee, Allocation of Expenses and Related Party Transactions

The Fund pays no direct management fees to the Sponsor. The Underlying Funds are contractually obligated to pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum; these fees are recognized in the statements contained in this Form 10-K for each of the Underlying Funds. The Fund pays for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the SEC, FINRA, formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent Shares after its initial registration and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated therewith. The Fund also pays its portion of the fees and expenses for services directly attributable to the Fund such as accounting, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading activities, which the Sponsor elected not to outsource. The Sponsor may, at its discretion waive the payment by the Fund of certain expenses. This election is subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. Certain aggregate expenses common to all Funds within the Trust are allocated by the Sponsor to the respective funds based on activity drivers deemed most appropriate by the Sponsor for such expenses, including but not limited to relative assets under management and creation and redeem order activity.

These aggregate common expenses include, but are not limited to, legal, auditing, accounting and financial reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory compliance, trading activities, and insurance costs, as well as fees paid to the Distributor, which are included in the related line item in the statements of operations. A portion of these aggregate common expenses are related to the Sponsor or related parties of principals of the Sponsor; these are necessary services to the Funds, which are primarily the cost of performing accounting and financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and trading activities that are directly attributable to the Fund. The Sponsor has the ability to elect to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Fund. This election is subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. For the period ended March 31, such expenses, which are primarily included as distribution and marketing fees, totaled $3,618 in 2015 and $4,262 in 2014; of these amounts, $3,618 in 2015 and $4,626 in 2014 were waived by the Sponsor. All asset-based fees and expenses for the Funds are calculated on the prior day’s net assets. The Sponsor can elect to adjust the daily expense accruals at its discretion.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, there were $20,690 and $24,769 during the same period in 2014; of expenses that were identified on the statements of operations of the Fund as expenses that were waived by the Sponsor. The Sponsor has determined that there would be no recovery sought for these amounts in any future period.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, there were $61,539 of expenses recorded in the financial statements of the Sponsor which were subject to reimbursement by the Fund in 2014. At that time, the Sponsor had determined that recovery of the expense amounts was not probable. The Sponsor has determined that there would be no recovery sought for these amounts in any future period.

 

Expenses

Expenses are recorded using the accrual method of accounting.

 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of the revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

The FASB issued ASU No, 2014-11, “Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860): Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financing, and Disclosures.” The amendments in this update require changes to the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity transactions and enhances the required disclosures for repurchase agreements and other similar transactions. The amendments are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2014. The adoption did not have a significant impact on the financial statements and disclosures of the Trust or the Funds.

 

Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy

In accordance with GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

In determining fair value, the Fund uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with GAAP, a fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Fund. Unobservable inputs reflect the Fund’s assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as follows:

Level 1 - Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Fund has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of judgment.

Level 2 - Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

The availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Those estimated values do not necessarily represent the amounts that may be ultimately realized due to the occurrence of future circumstances that cannot be reasonably determined. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the values that would have been used had a ready market for the securities existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Fund in determining fair value is greatest for securities categorized in Level 3. In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy, within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls, is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Fair value is a market-based measure considered from the perspective of a market participant rather than an entity-specific measure. Therefore, even when market assumptions are not readily available, the Fund’s own assumptions are set to reflect those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. The Fund uses prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date, including periods of market dislocation. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many securities. This condition could cause a security to be reclassified to a lower level within the fair value hierarchy. When such a situation exists on a quarter close, the Sponsor will calculate the Net Asset Value (“NAV”) on a particular day using the Level 1 valuation, but will later recalculate the NAV for the impacted Fund based upon the valuation inputs from these alternative verifiable sources (Level 2 or Level 3) and will report such NAV in its applicable financial statements and reports.

The determination is made as of the settlement of the underlying futures contracts on the last day of trading for the reporting period. In making the determination of a Level 1 or Level 2 transfer, the Fund considers the average volume of the underlying futures contracts traded on the relevant exchange for the three months being reported.

Investments in the securities of the Underlying Funds are freely tradable and listed on the NYSE Arca. These investments are valued at the NAV of the Underlying Fund as of the valuation date as calculated by the administrator based on the exchange-quoted prices of the commodity futures contracts held by the Underlying Funds.

 

Net Income (Loss) per Share

Net income (loss) per Share is the difference between the NAV per unit at the beginning of each period and at the end of each period. The weighted average number of Shares outstanding was computed for purposes of disclosing net income (loss) per weighted average Share. The weighted average Shares are equal to the number of Shares outstanding at the end of the period, adjusted proportionately for Shares created or redeemed based on the amount of time the Shares were outstanding during such period.

 

 

Note 4 – Fair Value Measurements

The Fund’s assets and liabilities recorded at fair value have been categorized based upon a fair value hierarchy as described in the Fund’s significant accounting policies in Note 3. The following table presents information about the Fund’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014:

March 31, 2015

                     

Balance as of 

 
Assets: Level 1     Level 2     Level 3    

March 31, 2015

 
Exchange-traded funds           $ 1,457,115     $ -     $ -     $ 1,457,115  
Cash equivalents                         1,364       -       -       1,364  
Total   $ 1,458,479     $ -     $ -     $ 1,458,479  

December 31, 2014

                     

Balance as of 

 
Assets: Level 1     Level 2     Level 3    

December 31, 2014

 
Exchange-traded funds           $ 1,641,102     $ -     $ -     $ 1,641,102  
Cash equivalents                         1,647       -       -       1,647  
Total   $ 1,642,749     $ -     $ -     $ 1,642,749  

 

See the Fair Value - Definition and Hierarchy section in Note 3 above for an explanation of the transfers into and out of each level of the fair value hierarchy.

Note 5 – Financial Highlights

The following table presents per share performance data and other supplemental financial data for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. This information has been derived from information presented in the financial statements and is presented with total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and with total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor, as appropriate.

 

   

Three months ended 

   

Three months ended 

 
Per Share Operation Performance

March 31, 2015

   

March 31, 2014


Net asset value at beginning of period $ 33.05     $ 37.93  
Income from investment operations:          
Investment income     0.00       0.00  
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain on commodity futures contracts     (3.68 )     3.87  
Total expenses     (0.04 )     (0.05 )
Net (decrease) increase in net asset value     (3.72 )     3.82  
Net asset value at end of period   $ 29.33     $ 41.75  
Total Return     (11.26 )%     10.07 %
Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)            
Total expenses     5.88 %     5.70 %
Total expenses, net     0.50 %     0.50 %
Net investment loss     (0.50 )%     (0.50 )%

Total returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An individual shareholder’s total return and ratios may vary from the above total returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals from the Fund. The ratios have been annualized.

The financial highlights per share data are calculated using the average of the daily shares outstanding for the reporting period, which is inclusive of the last day of the period under report. The asset-based per share data in the financial highlights are calculated using the prior day’s net assets consistent with the methodology used to calculate asset-based fees and expenses.

 

Note 6 – Organizational and Offering Costs

 

Expenses incurred in organizing of the Trust and the initial offering of the Shares of the Fund, including applicable SEC registration fees, were borne directly by the Sponsor. The Fund will not be obligated to reimburse the Sponsor.

 

Note 7 – Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated the three months ended March 31, 2015 financial statements for subsequent events through the date of this filing and noted no material events requiring either recognition through the date of the filing or disclosure herein for the Fund.


Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

This information should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report (the “Report”). The discussion and analysis which follows may contain trend analysis and other forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial results. Words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “outlook” and “estimate,” as well as similar words and phrases, signify forward-looking statements. Teucrium Commodity Trust’s (the “Trust’s”) forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions, and important factors, risks and uncertainties may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements.

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by the Federal securities laws, Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”) undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or the risks, uncertainties or other factors described in this Report, as a result of new information, future events or changed circumstances or for any other reason after the date of this Report.

Overview/Introduction

Teucrium Commodity Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 11, 2009, is a series trust consisting of five series: Teucrium Corn Fund (“CORN”), Teucrium Sugar Fund (“CANE”), Teucrium Soybean Fund (“SOYB”), Teucrium Wheat Fund (“WEAT”), and Teucrium Agricultural Fund (“TAGS”). All of the series of the Trust are collectively referred to as the “Funds” and singularly as the “Fund.” Each Fund is a commodity pool that is a series of the Trust. The Funds issue common units, called the “Shares,” representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in a Fund.  The Trust and the Funds operate pursuant to the Trust’s Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”). 

Two additional series, the Teucrium Natural Gas Fund (“NAGS”) and the Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund (“CRUD”) commenced operations in 2011; however, on December 18, 2014 CRUD and NAGS ceased trading on the NYSE Arca and the Sponsor liquidated all commodity futures contracts held by these funds. All positions were sold through an exchange to unrelated parties.  On December 22, 2014 the Administrator and Custodian proceeded to distribute cash to all shareholders in an amount equal to each shareholder’s pro rata interest in the respective fund. On December 30, 2014, Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”) completed the disposition of all of the assets of these funds. There were zero assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2014. The Form 15 was filed with the SEC on January 9, 2015.

On June 5, 2010, the initial Form S-1 for CORN was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). On June 8, 2010, four Creation Baskets for CORN were issued representing 200,000 shares and $5,000,000. CORN began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) Arca on June 9, 2010.  On April 30, 2013, a subsequent registration statement for CORN was declared effective by the SEC.

  

On June 17, 2011, the initial Forms S-1 for CANE, SOYB, and WEAT were declared effective by the SEC. On September 16, 2011, two Creation Baskets were issued for each Fund, representing 100,000 shares and $2,500,000, for CANE, SOYB, and WEAT.  On September 19, 2011, CANE, SOYB, and WEAT started trading on the NYSE Arca. On June 30, 2014, subsequent registration statements for CANE, SOYB and WEAT were declared effective by the SEC.

 

On February 10, 2012, the Form S-1 for TAGS was declared effective by the SEC. On March 27, 2012, six Creation Baskets for TAGS were issued representing 300,000 shares and $15,000,000. TAGS began trading on the NYSE Arca on March 28, 2012. On April 30, 2015, a subsequent registration statement for TAGS was declared effective by the SEC.

The Funds are designed and managed so that the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ Net Asset Value (“NAV”) reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for specific futures contracts or the closing Net Asset Value per share of the Underlying Funds (as defined below) in the case of TAGS. Each Fund pursues its investment objective by investing in a portfolio of exchange-traded futures contracts that expire in a specific month and trade on a specific exchange in the commodities comprising the Benchmark, as defined below or shares of the Underlying Funds in the case of TAGS. Each Fund also holds United States Treasury Obligations and/or other high credit quality short-term fixed income securities for deposit with the commodity broker of the Funds as margin.

The Investment Objective of the Funds

The investment objective of CORN is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for corn (“Corn Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”), specifically (1) the second-to-expire CBOT Corn Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Corn Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Corn Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

The investment objective of SOYB is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for soybeans (“Soybean Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the CBOT. The three Soybean Futures Contracts will generally be: (1) second-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Soybean Futures Contract expiring in the November following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

The investment objective of CANE is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for sugar (“Sugar Futures Contracts”) that are traded on ICE Futures US (“ICE Futures”), specifically: (1) the second-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract (a “Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract”), weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract expiring in the March following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

 

The investment objective of WEAT is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for wheat (“Wheat Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the CBOT, specifically: (1) the second-to-expire CBOT Wheat Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Wheat Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Wheat Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

The investment objective of the TAGS is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the NAV of its Shares reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average (the “Underlying Fund Average”) of the NAVs per share of four other commodity pools that are series of the Trust and are sponsored by the Sponsor: the Teucrium Corn Fund, the Teucrium Wheat Fund, the Teucrium Soybean Fund and the Teucrium Sugar Fund (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Underlying Fund Average will have a weighting of 25% to each Underlying Fund, and the Fund’s assets will be rebalanced, generally on a daily basis, to maintain the approximate 25% allocation to each Underlying Fund.

This weighted average of the referenced specific Futures Contracts for each Fund is referred to herein as the “Benchmark,” and the specific Futures Contracts that at any given time make up the Benchmark for that Fund and are referred to herein as the “Benchmark Component Futures Contracts.”

The notional amount of each Benchmark Component Futures Contract included in each Benchmark is intended to reflect the changes in market value of each such Benchmark Component Futures Contract within the Benchmark. The closing level of each Benchmark is calculated on each business day by the Bank of New York Mellon (the “Administrator”) based on the closing price of the futures contracts for each of the underlying Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and the notional amounts of such Benchmark Component Futures Contracts.

Each Benchmark is rebalanced periodically to ensure that each of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts is weighted in the same proportion as in the investment objective for each Fund. The following tables reflect the March 31, 2015, Benchmark Component Futures Contracts weights for each of the Funds, the contract held is identified by the generally accepted nomenclature of contract month and year, which may differ from the month in which the contract expires:


CORN Benchmark Component Futures Contracts

Notional Value 

 

Weight (%)

 

 

           

CBOT Corn Futures (1,441 contracts, JUL15)

$ 27,685,213
  35  %

CBOT Corn Futures (1,213 contracts, SEP15)

  23,774,800
  30  

CBOT Corn Futures (1,386 contracts, DEC15)

  27,771,975
  35  
             

Total at March 31, 2015

  $ 79,231,988
  100  %

 

SOYB Benchmark Component Futures Contracts

Notional Value 

 

Weight (%)

 

 

           

CBOT Soybean Futures (45 contracts, JUL15)

$ 2,199,938   35  %

CBOT Soybean Futures (40 contracts, NOV15)

  1,910,500
  30  

CBOT Soybean Futures (47 contracts, NOV16)

  2,248,950
  35  
             

Total at March 31, 2015

  $ 6,359,388
  100  %


CANE Benchmark Component Futures Contracts

Notional Value 

 

Weight (%)

 

 

           

ICE Sugar Futures (62 contracts, JUL15)

$ 837,446
  35  %

ICE Sugar Futures (50 contracts, OCT15)

  710,080
  30  

ICE Sugar Futures (54 contracts, MAR16)

  841,277
  35  
             

Total at March 31, 2015

  $ 2,388,803
  100  %

 


WEAT Benchmark Component Futures Contracts

Notional Value 

 

Weight (%)

 

 

   





CBOT Wheat Futures (286 contracts, JUL15)

$ 7,350,200
35 %

CBOT Wheat Futures (241 contracts, SEP15)

  6,296,125   30

CBOT Wheat Futures (274 contracts, DEC15)

  7,360,325   35  
 



   

Total at March 31, 2015

  $ 21,006,650
100  %


TAGS Benchmark Component Futures Contracts

Fair Value 

 

Weight (%)

 

Shares of Teucrium Corn Fund (15,083 shares)

  $

373,368


26 %
Shares of Teucrium Soybean Fund (19,381 shares)
380,187

26

Shares of Teucrium Wheat Fund (33,187 shares)   362,153
  25

Shares of Teucrium Sugar Fund (35,724 shares)

  341,407
  23
 
 



   

Total at March 31, 2015

  $ 1,457,115
100  %


The price relationship between the near month Futures Contract to expire and the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts will vary and may impact both the total return of each Fund over time and the degree to which such total return tracks the total return of the price indices related to the commodity of each Fund. In cases in which the near month contract’s price is lower than later-expiring contracts’ prices (a situation known as “contango” in the futures markets), then absent the impact of the overall movement in commodity prices the value of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to decline as they approach expiration. In cases in which the near month contract’s price is higher than later-expiring contracts’ prices (a situation known as “backwardation” in the futures markets), then absent the impact of the overall movement in a Fund’s prices the value of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to rise as they approach expiration.

The total portfolio composition for each Fund is disclosed each business day that the NYSE Arca is open for trading on the Fund’s website. The website for CORN is www.teucriumcornfund.com; for CANE is www.teucriumcanefund.com; for SOYB is www.teucriumsoybfund.com; for WEAT is www.teucriumweatfund.com; for TAGS is www.teucriumtagsfund.com. These sites are accessible at no charge. The website disclosure of portfolio holdings is made daily and includes, as applicable, the name and value of each Futures Contract, Cleared Swap, Other Interest and the amount of cash and cash equivalents held in the Fund’s portfolio. Cleared Swaps (for example, like Corn Futures Contracts, Cleared Corn Swaps are standardized as to certain material economic terms, including that each such swap be for a quantity of 5,000 bushels, which permits less flexibility in their structuring than with over-the-counter Corn Interests. The two parties to a Cleared Corn Swap agree on the specific fixed price component and the calendar month of expiration, and agree to submit the Cleared Corn Swap to the clearing organization. The clearing organization assumes the credit risk relating to the transaction, which effectively eliminates the creditworthiness of the counterparty as a risk. Unlike Corn Futures Contracts, Cleared Corn Swaps call for settlement in cash, and do not permit settlement by delivery or receipt of physical corn). The specific types of Other Interests (in addition to futures contracts, options on futures contracts and cleared swaps, derivative contracts) that are tied to various commodities are entered into outside of public exchanges. These “over-the-counter” contracts are entered into between two parties in private contracts. For example, unlike Futures Contracts and Cleared Corn Swaps, which are guaranteed by a clearing organization, each party to an over-the-counter derivative contract bears the credit risk of the other party, (i.e., the risk that the other party will not be able to perform its obligations under its contract), and characteristics of such Other Interests.

 

Consistent with achieving a Fund’s investment objective of closely tracking the Benchmark, the Sponsor may for certain reasons cause the Fund to enter into or hold Futures Contracts other than the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts, Cleared Swaps and/or Other Interests. For example, certain Cleared Corn Swaps have standardized terms similar to, and are priced by reference to, a corresponding Benchmark Component Futures Contract. Additionally, Other Corn Interests that do not have standardized terms and are not exchange-traded, referred to as “over-the-counter” Corn Interests, can generally be structured as the parties to the Corn Interest contract desire. Therefore, each Fund might enter into multiple Cleared Swaps, as available, and/or over-the-counter Interests intended to exactly replicate the performance of each of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts for the Fund, or a single over-the-counter Interest designed to replicate the performance of the Benchmark as a whole. Assuming that there is no default by a counterparty to an over-the-counter Interest, the performance of the Interest will necessarily correlate exactly with the performance of the Benchmark or the applicable Benchmark Component Futures Contract. Each Fund might also enter into or hold Interests other than Benchmark Component Futures Contracts to facilitate effective trading, consistent with the discussion of the Fund’s “roll” strategy. In addition, each Fund might enter into or hold Interests that would be expected to alleviate overall deviation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Benchmark that may result from certain market and trading inefficiencies or other reasons. By utilizing certain or all of the investments described above, the Sponsor will endeavor to cause the Fund’s performance to closely track that of the Benchmark of the Fund.

An “exchange for related position” (“EFRP”) can be used by the Fund as a technique to facilitate the exchanging of a futures hedge position against a creation or redemption order, and thus the Fund may use an EFRP transaction in connection with the creation and redemption of shares. The market specialist/market maker that is the ultimate purchaser or seller of shares in connection with the creation or redemption basket, respectively, agrees to sell or purchase a corresponding offsetting futures position which is then settled on the same business day as a cleared futures transaction by the FCMs.  The Fund will become subject to the credit risk of the market specialist/market maker until the EFRP is settled or terminated.  The Fund reports all activity related to EFRP transactions under the procedures and guidelines of the CFTC and the exchanges on which the futures are traded.

The Sponsor employs a “neutral” investment strategy intended to track the changes in the Benchmark of each Fund regardless of whether the Benchmark goes up or goes down. The Fund’s “neutral” investment strategy is designed to permit investors generally to purchase and sell the Fund’s Shares for the purpose of investing indirectly in the commodity-specific market in a cost-effective manner. Such investors may include participants in the specific industry and other industries seeking to hedge the risk of losses in their commodity-specific-related transactions, as well as investors seeking exposure to that commodity market. Accordingly, depending on the investment objective of an individual investor, the risks generally associated with investing in the commodity-specific market and/or the risks involved in hedging may exist. In addition, an investment in a Fund involves the risks that the changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares will not accurately track the changes in the Benchmark, and that changes in the Benchmark will not closely correlate with changes in the price of the commodity on the spot market. The Sponsor does not intend to operate each Fund in a fashion such that its per share NAV equals, in dollar terms, the spot price of the commodity or the price of any particular commodity-specific Futures Contract.

The Sponsor

Teucrium Trading, LLC is the sponsor of the Trust and each of the series of the Trust. The Sponsor is a Delaware limited liability company, formed on July 28, 2009. The principal office is located at 232 Hidden Lake Road, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301. The Sponsor is registered as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC) and became a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”) on November 10, 2009. The Trust and the Funds operate pursuant to the Trust Agreement.

Under the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor is solely responsible for the management, and conducts or directs the conduct of the business of the Trust, the Funds, and any other Fund that may from time to time be established and designated by the Sponsor. The Sponsor is required to oversee the purchase and sale of Shares by firms designated as “Authorized Purchasers” and to manage the Funds’ investments, including to evaluate the credit risk of futures commission merchants and swap counterparties and to review daily positions and margin/collateral requirements. The Sponsor has the power to enter into agreements as may be necessary or appropriate for the offer and sale of the Funds’ Shares and the conduct of the Trust’s activities. Accordingly, the Sponsor is responsible for selecting the Trustee, Administrator, Distributor, the independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust, and any legal counsel employed by the Trust. The Sponsor is also responsible for preparing and filing periodic reports on behalf of the Trust with the SEC and providing any required certification for such reports. No person other than the Sponsor and its principals was involved in the organization of the Trust or the Funds.

Teucrium Trading, LLC designs the Funds to offer liquidity, transparency, and capacity in single-commodity investing for a variety of investors, including institutions and individuals, in an exchange-traded product format. The Funds have also been designed to mitigate the impacts of contango and backwardation, situations that can occur in the course of commodity trading which can affect the potential returns to investors. Backwardation is defined as a market condition in which a futures price of a commodity is lower in the distant delivery months than in the near delivery months, while contango, the opposite of backwardation, is defined as a condition in which distant delivery prices for futures exceed spot prices, often due to the costs of storing and insuring the underlying commodity.

The Sponsor has a patent on certain business methods and procedures used with respect to the Funds.

Performance Summary

This report covers the period from January 1, 2015 to March 31 2015, for each Fund. Total expenses are presented both gross and net of any expenses waived or paid by the Sponsor that would have been incurred by the Funds (“expenses waived by the Sponsor”).

 

 

CORN Per Share Operation Performance

   

Net asset value at beginning of period

$ 26.62  

Income from investment operations:


   

Investment income


0.00  

Net realized and unrealized loss on commodity futures contracts


(1.65 )

Total expenses

(0.22 )

Net decrease in net asset value

(1.87 )

Net asset value end of period

$ 24.75  

Total Return

(7.02 )%

Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)

   

Total expenses

3.44 %

Total expenses, net

3.44 %

Net investment loss

(3.41 )%

 

   

SOYB Per Share Operation Performance

   

Net asset value at beginning of period

$ 20.79  

Income from investment operations:

   

Investment income

0.00  

Net realized and unrealized loss on commodity futures contracts

(1.07 )

Total expenses

(0.10 )

Net decrease in net asset value

(1.17 )

Net asset value at end of period

$ 19.62  

Total Return

(5.63 )%

Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)

   

Total expenses

4.37 %

Total expenses, net

2.06 %

Net investment loss

(2.04 )%

 

     

CANE Per Share Operation Performance

   

Net asset value at beginning of period

$ 11.83  

Income from investment operations:

     

Investment income

  0.00  

Net realized and unrealized loss on commodity futures contracts

  (2.22 )

Total expenses

  (0.05 )

Net decrease in net asset value

  (2.27 )

Net asset value at end of period

$ 9.56  

Total Return

  (19.19 )%

Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)

     

Total expenses

  4.28 %

Total expenses, net

  1.82 %

Net investment loss

  (1.79 )%

 

     

WEAT Per Share Operation Performance

     

Net asset value at beginning of period

$ 12.72  

Income from investment operations:

     

Investment income

  0.00  

Net realized and unrealized loss on commodity futures contracts

  (1.71 )

Total expenses

  (0.10 )

Net decrease in net asset value

  (1.81 )

Net asset value at end of period

$ 10.91  

Total Return

  (14.23 )%

Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)

     

Total expenses

  3.72 %

Total expenses, net

  3.44 %

Net investment loss

  (3.42 )%

 

     

TAGS Per Share Operation Performance

   

Net asset value at beginning of period

$ 33.05  

Income from investment operations:

     

Investment income

  0.00  

Net realized and unrealized loss on investment transactions

  (3.68 )

Total expenses

  (0.04 )

Net decrease in net asset value

  (3.72 )

Net asset value at end of period

$ 29.33  

Total Return

  (11.26 )%

Ratios to Average Net Assets (Annualized)

     

Total expenses

  5.88 %

Total expenses, net

  0.50 %

Net investment loss

  (0.50 )%

The performance of each Fund for the period January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2015 and the exchange-traded Shares are detailed below in “Results of Operations.” Past performance of a Fund is not necessarily indicative of future performance.

 

Results of Operations

The following includes a section for each Fund of the Trust. 

The discussion below addresses the material changes in the results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2015 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2014.  The following includes a section for each Fund of the Trust for the periods in which each Fund was in operation. CORN, SOYB, WEAT, CANE and TAGS operated for the entirety of all periods.  The combined results of operations for the Trust include NAGS and CRUD for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as these funds did not liquidate until after December 21, 2014.

 

Total expenses for the current and comparative period are presented both gross and net of any expenses waived or paid by the Sponsor that would have been incurred by the Funds (“expenses waived by the Sponsor”). In addition, certain expenses paid by the Sponsor on behalf of the Funds for the year ended December 31, 2013 that were subject to possible recovery from the Funds in the following year, as had been previously disclosed in aggregate for the Trust in the Forms 10-K for 2013 and 2014, have also been included in expenses and waived expenses in the year incurred by the Sponsor. These expenses, if reimbursed by the Funds to the Sponsor in 2014 are then presented as a reimbursement of expenses previously waived. Consistent treatment has been applied to expenses which have been waived by the Sponsor in the 2014. For all expenses waived in 2014, the Sponsor has determined that no reimbursement will be sought in future periods. “Total expenses, net”, which is after the impact of any expenses waived by or reimbursed to the Sponsor, are presented in the same manner as previously reported. There is, therefore, no impact to or change in the Net gain or Net loss in any period for the Trust and each Fund as a result of this change in presentation.

The Sponsor is responsible for investing the assets of the Fund in accordance with the objectives and policies of the Fund. In addition, the Sponsor arranges for one or more third parties to provide administrative, custodial, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary services to the Fund, including services directly attributable to the Fund such as accounting, financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading activities, which the Sponsor elected not to outsource. In addition, the Funds, except for TAGS which has no such fee, are contractually obligated to pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum. 

The Fund generally pays for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent Shares after its initial registration and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated therewith. Each Fund also pays its portion of the fees and expenses associated with the Trust’s tax accounting and reporting requirements. Certain aggregate expenses common to all Funds within the Trust are allocated by the Sponsor to the respective funds based on activity drivers deemed most appropriate by the Sponsor for such expenses, including but not limited to relative assets under management and creation and redeem order activity. These aggregate common expenses include, but are not limited to, legal, auditing, accounting and financial reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory compliance, trading activities, and insurance costs, as well as fees paid to the Distributor, which are included in the related line item in the statements of operations. A portion of these aggregate common expenses are related to the Sponsor or related parties of principals of the Sponsor; these are necessary services to the Funds, which are primarily the cost of performing accounting and financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and trading activities that are directly attributable to the Funds and are, primarily, included as distribution and marketing fees on the statements of operations.  These amounts, for the Trust and for each Fund, are detailed in the notes to the financial statements included in Part I of this filing.

The Sponsor has the ability to elect to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Funds or waive the management fee. This election is subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. Expenses paid by the Sponsor and Management fees waived by the Sponsor are, if applicable, presented as waived expenses in the statements of operations for each Fund.

 

The Teucrium Corn Fund

 

The Teucrium Corn Fund commenced investment operations on June 9, 2010.  The investment objective of the Corn Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for corn (“Corn Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”), specifically (1) the second-to-expire CBOT Corn Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Corn Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Corn Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

 

On March 31, 2015, the Fund had 3,200,004 shares outstanding and net assets of $79,213,767.  This is in comparison to 3,725,004 shares outstanding and net assets of $128,769,392 on March 31, 2014 and 4,075,004 shares outstanding with net assets of $108,459,507 on December 31, 2014.  Shares outstanding decreased by 525,000 and 14% for the period of 2015 when compared to 2014 and decreased by 875,000 shares and 22% compared to December 31, 2014.  This decrease was, in the opinion of management, due to market estimates of improved yields and planted acres for the 2014-15 crop year as opposed to historical averages, in addition to projected increased ending stocks in the United States.

 

Total net assets for the Fund were $79,213,767 on March 31, 2015, compared to $128,769,392 on March 31, 2014. The Net Asset Values (“NAV”) per share related to these balances were $24.75 and $34.57 respectively. This represents a decrease in total net assets for the period ending March 31, 2015 versus 2014 of 39% which was driven by a combination of a decrease in the number of shares outstanding and a change in the NAV per share which decreased by ($9.82) or 28%.  The closing prices per share for 2015 and 2014, as reported by the NYSE Arca, were $24.74, $34.66, respectively.  The change from March 31, 2015 over the prior year was a 29% decrease.

 

 

The graph below shows the actual shares outstanding, total net assets (or AUM) and net asset value per share (NAV per share) for the Fund from inception to March 31, 2015 and serves to illustrate the relative changes of these components.


#DrawingImage#


The total loss for the period ended March 31, 2015 was ($5,644,150) resulting primarily from the realized gain on commodity futures contracts totaling $401,862, offset by a net change in unrealized depreciation of commodity futures contracts of ($6,052,825). Total income was 12,378,960 in the period ended March 31, 2014. Realized gain or loss on trading of commodity futures contracts is a function of: 1) the change in the price of the particular contracts sold as part of a “roll” in contracts as the nearest to expire contracts are exchanged for the appropriate contract given the investment objective of the fund, 2) the change in the price of particular contracts sold in relation to redemption of shares, 3) the gain or loss associated with rebalancing trades which are made to ensure conformance to the benchmark and 4) the number of contracts held and then sold for either circumstance aforementioned.  Unrealized gain or loss on trading of commodity futures contracts is a function of the change in the price of contracts held on the final date of the period versus the purchase price for each contract and the number of contracts held in each contract month.  The Sponsor has a static benchmark as described above and trades futures contracts to adhere to that benchmark and to adjust for the creation or redemption of shares.

 

Total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses”) for the period ended March 31, 2015 were $773,054; total expenses for the same period in 2014 were $720,802. This represents a $52,252 or 7% increase for 2015 over 2014.   The increase was driven by a $28,893 or 15% increase in the management fee paid to the Sponsor as a result of higher average net assets, $179,060 or 197% increase in professional fees due to the timing of payments related to auditing, legal and tax preparation fees, and an $11,100 or 91% increase in brokerage commissions due to an increase in contracts rolled due to higher assets under management.  These increases were offset primarily by a ($114,445) or 41% decrease in distribution and marketing fees and a ($37,250) or 49% decrease in general and administrative expenses.  The decreases in operating expenses were due to expense controls under taken by the Sponsor and lower average net asset balance relative to the other Funds. The total expense ratio gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor for these years was 3.44% in 2015 and 3.62% in 2014. The management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1% of the Fund’s daily average net assets.

The Sponsor has the ability to elect to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Fund or waive the management fee. This election is subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. For the quarter ended March 31, 2015, the Sponsor waived $0 fees; for the same period in 2014, the Sponsor waived $0 fees.

Total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses, net”) for 2015 and 2014 were $773,054 and $883,662 respectively. The total expense ratio net of expenses waived by the Sponsor periods was 3.44% in the period for 2015 and 4.44% in 2014.

Other than the management fee to the Sponsor and the brokerage commissions, most of the expenses incurred by the Fund are associated with the day-to-day operation of the Fund and the necessary functions related to regulatory compliance.  These are generally based on contracts, which extend for some period of time and up to one year, or commitments regardless of the level of assets under management.  The structure of the Fund and the nature of the expenses are such that as total net assets grow, there is a scalability of expenses that may allow the total expense ratio to be reduced. However, if total net assets for the Fund fall, the total expense ratio of the Fund will increase unless additional reductions are made by the Sponsor to the daily expense accrual. The Sponsor can elect to adjust the daily expense accruals at its discretion based on market conditions and other Fund considerations.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2013, there were $426,248 of expenses recorded in the financial statements of the Sponsor which were subject to reimbursement by CORN in 2014.  At that time, the Sponsor had determined that recovery of the expense amounts was not probable.  In the quarter ended March 31, 2014, asset growth and other changes experienced by the Fund enabled the Sponsor to claim reimbursement of $162,860 in the quarter from the Fund.  This amount is reflected in the statements of operations as a reimbursement of previously waived expenses.

The seasonality patterns for corn futures prices are impacted by a variety of factors. These include, but are not limited to, the harvest in the fall, the planting conditions in the spring, and the weather throughout the critical germination and growing periods. Prices for corn futures are affected by the availability and demand for substitute agricultural commodities, including soybeans and wheat, and the demand for corn as an additive for fuel, through the production of ethanol. The price of corn futures contracts is also influenced by global economic conditions, including the demand for exports to other countries. Such factors will impact the performance of the Fund and the results of operations on an ongoing basis. The Sponsor cannot predict the impact of such factors.

 

Teucrium Soybean Fund

 

The Teucrium Soybean Fund commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011. The investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ Net Asset Value (“NAV”) reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for soybeans (“Soybean Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”).  Except as described in the following paragraph, the three Soybean Futures Contracts will be: (1) second-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Soybean Futures Contract expiring in the November following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

 

On March 31, 2015, the Fund had 325,004 shares outstanding and net assets of $6,375,443.  This is in comparison to 175,004 shares outstanding and net assets of $4,317,810 on March 31, 2014 and 575,004 shares outstanding with net assets of $11,956,149 on December 31, 2014.  Shares outstanding increased by 150,000 and 86% for the period of 2015 when compared to 2014 and decreased by 250,000 shares and 44% compared to December 31, 2014.  This year over year increase was, in the opinion of management, due to increased interest in the commodity due to decreased prices.  The decrease from December 31, 2014 levels was a result, in the opinion of management, of anticipated increases in U.S. and global production.

 

 

Total net assets for the Fund were $6,375,443 on March 31, 2015, compared to $4,317,810 on March 31, 2014. The Net Asset Values (“NAV”) per share related to these balances were $19.62 and $24.67 respectively. This represents an increase in total net assets for the period ending March 31, 2015 versus 2014 of 48% which was driven by an increase in the number of shares outstanding, offset by a change in the NAV per share which decreased by ($5.05) or 21%.  The closing prices per share for 2015 and 2014, as reported by the NYSE Arca, were $19.63, $24.58, respectively.  The change from March 31, 2015 over the prior year was a 20% decrease.

 

The graph below shows the actual shares outstanding, total net assets (or AUM) and net asset value per share (NAV per share) for the Fund from inception to March 31, 2015 and serves to illustrate the relative changes of these components.

 

#DrawingImage#

 

 

The total loss for the period ended March 31, 2015 was ($526,088) resulting primarily from the realized loss on commodity futures contracts totaling ($583,375), offset partially by a net change in unrealized appreciation of commodity futures contracts of $56,938. Total income was $351,840 in the period ended March 31, 2014. Realized gain or loss on trading of commodity futures contracts is a function of: 1) the change in the price of the particular contracts sold as part of a “roll” in contracts as the nearest to expire contracts are exchanged for the appropriate contact given the investment objective of the fund, 2) the change in the price of particular contracts sold in relation to redemption of shares, 3) the gain or loss associated with rebalancing trades which are made to ensure conformance to the benchmark and 4) the number of contracts held and then sold for either circumstance aforementioned.  Unrealized gain or loss on trading of commodity futures contracts is a function of the change in the price of contracts held on the final date of the period versus the purchase price for each contract and the number of contracts held in each contract month.  The Sponsor has a static benchmark as described above and trades futures contracts to adhere to that benchmark and to adjust for the creation or redemption of shares.

 

Total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses”) for the period ended March 31, 2015 were $92,839; total expenses for the same period in 2014 were $48,722. This represents a $44,117 or 91% increase for 2015 over 2014.   The increase was driven principally by an $11,640 or 119% increase in the management fee paid to the Sponsor as a result of higher average net assets and a $34,734 or 702% increase in distribution and marketing fees due to an increased allocation of these expenses relative to the other funds due to increased activity. All other expense categories were relatively flat year over year. The total expense ratio gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor for these years was 4.37% in 2015 and 4.96% in 2014. The management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1% of the Fund’s daily average net assets.

The Sponsor has the ability to elect to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Fund or waive the management fee. This election is subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. For the quarter ended March 31, 2015, the Sponsor waived $49,150 fees; for the same period in 2014, the Sponsor waived $0 fees.

Total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses, net”) for 2015 and 2014 were $43,689 and $68,812 respectively. The total expense ratio net of expenses waived by the Sponsor periods was 2.06% in the period for 2015 and 7.00% in 2014.

Other than the management fee to the Sponsor and the brokerage commissions, most of the expenses incurred by the Fund are associated with the day-to-day operation of the Fund and the necessary functions related to regulatory compliance.  These are generally based on contracts, which extend for some period of time and up to one year, or commitments regardless of the level of assets under management.  The structure of the Fund and the nature of the expenses are such that as total net assets grow, there is a scalability of expenses that may allow the total expense ratio to be reduced. However, if total net assets for the Fund fall, the total expense ratio of the Fund will increase unless additional reductions are made by the Sponsor to the daily expense accrual. The Sponsor can elect to adjust the daily expense accruals at its discretion based on market conditions and other Fund considerations.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, there were $68,857 of expenses recorded in the financial statements of the Sponsor which were subject to reimbursement by the Fund in 2014.  At that time, the Sponsor had determined that recovery of the expense amounts was not probable.  In the quarter ended March 31, 2014, asset growth and other changes experienced by the Fund enabled the Sponsor to claim reimbursement of $20,090 from the Fund.  This amount is reflected in the statements of operations as a reimbursement of previously waived expenses.

The seasonality patterns for soybean futures prices are impacted by a variety of factors. These include, but are not limited to, the harvest in the fall, the planting conditions in the spring, and the weather throughout the critical germination and growing periods. Prices for soybean futures are affected by the availability and demand for substitute agricultural commodities, including corn and wheat. The price of soybean futures contracts is also influenced by global economic conditions, including the demand for exports to other countries. Such factors will impact the performance of the Fund and the results of operations on an ongoing basis. The Sponsor cannot predict the impact of such factors.

 

Teucrium Sugar Fund

 

The Teucrium Sugar Fund commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011. The investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ Net Asset Value (“NAV”) reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for sugar (“Sugar Futures Contracts”) that are traded on ICE Futures US (“ICE Futures”), specifically: (1) the second-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract (a “Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract”), weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract expiring in the March following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

 

On March 31, 2015, the Fund had 250,004 shares outstanding and net assets of $2,389,260.  This is in comparison to 200,004 shares outstanding and net assets of $3,048,774 on March 31, 2014 and 225,004 shares outstanding with net assets of $2,661,212 on December 31, 2014.  Shares outstanding increased by 50,000 and 25% for the period of 2015 when compared to 2014 and by 25,000 shares and 11% compared to December 31, 2014.  This increase in shares outstanding was, in the opinion of management, due to increased interest and investment activity as the price of the underlying commodity fell.

 

 

Total net assets for the Fund were $2,389,260 on March 31, 2015, compared to $3,048,774 on March 31, 2014. The Net Asset Values (“NAV”) per share related to these balances were $9.56 and $15.24 respectively. This represents a decrease in total net assets for the period ending March 31, 2015 versus 2014 of 22% which was driven by a combination of an increase in the number of shares outstanding, offset by a change in the NAV per share which decreased by ($5.68) or 37%.  The closing prices per share for 2015 and 2014, as reported by the NYSE Arca, were $9.60, $15.22, respectively.  The change from March 31, 2015 over the prior year was a 37% decrease.

 

The graph below shows the actual shares outstanding, total net assets (or AUM) and net asset value per share (NAV per share) for the Fund from inception to March 31, 2015 and serves to illustrate the relative changes of these components.

 

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The total loss for the period ended March 31, 2015 was ($551,776) resulting primarily from the realized loss on commodity futures contracts totaling ($333,547), offset partially by a net change in unrealized depreciation of commodity futures contracts of ($218,411). Total income was $221,222 in the period ended March 31, 2014. Realized gain or loss on trading of commodity futures contracts is a function of: 1) the change in the price of the particular contracts sold as part of a “roll” in contracts as the nearest to expire contracts are exchanged for the appropriate contact given the investment objective of the fund, 2) the change in the price of particular contracts sold in relation to redemption of shares, 3) the gain or loss associated with rebalancing trades which are made to ensure conformance to the benchmark and 4) the number of contracts held and then sold for either circumstance aforementioned.  Unrealized gain or loss on trading of commodity futures contracts is a function of the change in the price of contracts held on the final date of the period versus the purchase price for each contract and the number of contracts held in each contract month.  The Sponsor has a static benchmark as described above and trades futures contracts to adhere to that benchmark and to adjust for the creation or redemption of shares.

 

Total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses”) for the period ended March 31, 2015 were $28,517; total expenses for the same period in 2014 were $50,093. This represents a $21,576 or 56% decrease for 2015 over 2014.   The decrease was driven principally by a $9,372 or 56% decrease in distribution and marketing fees, a result of decreased allocation to the Fund, and a $13,000 or 100% decrease in business permits and license fees due to the timing of payments.  The total expense ratio gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor for these years was 4.28% in 2015 and 7.75% in 2014. The management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1% of the Fund’s daily average net assets.

The Sponsor has the ability to elect to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Fund or waive the management fee. This election is subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. For the quarter ended March 31, 2015, the Sponsor waived $16,416 fees; for the same period in 2014, the Sponsor waived $36,935 fees.

Total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses, net”) for 2015 and 2014 were $12,101 and $13,158 respectively. The total expense ratio net of expenses waived by the Sponsor periods was 1.82% in the period for 2015 and 2.04% in 2014.

Other than the management fee to the Sponsor and the brokerage commissions, most of the expenses incurred by the Fund are associated with the day-to-day operation of the Fund and the necessary functions related to regulatory compliance.  These are generally based on contracts, which extend for some period of time and up to one year, or commitments regardless of the level of assets under management.  The structure of the Fund and the nature of the expenses are such that as total net assets grow, there is a scalability of expenses that may allow the total expense ratio to be reduced. However, if total net assets for the Fund fall, the total expense ratio of the Fund will increase unless additional reductions are made by the Sponsor to the daily expense accrual. The Sponsor can elect to adjust the daily expense accruals at its discretion based on market conditions and other Fund considerations.

 

 

Teucrium Wheat Fund

 

The Teucrium Wheat Fund commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011. The investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Shares’ Net Asset Value reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three futures contracts for wheat (“Wheat Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”), specifically: (1) the second-to-expire CBOT Wheat Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Wheat Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Wheat Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

 

On March 31, 2015, the Fund had 1,925,004 shares outstanding and net assets of $21,006,788.  This is in comparison to 1,000,004 shares outstanding and net assets of $16,581,601 on March 31, 2014 and 1,750,004 shares outstanding with net assets of $22,263,457 on December 31, 2014.  Shares outstanding increased by 925,000 and 93% for the period of 2015 when compared to 2014 and 175,000 shares and 10% compared to December 31, 2014.  This increase in shares outstanding was, in the opinion of management, due to increased interest and investment activity as the price of the underlying commodity fell.

 

Total net assets for the Fund were $21,006,788 on March 31, 2015, compared to $16,581,601 on March 31, 2014. The Net Asset Values (“NAV”) per share related to these balances were $10.91 and $16.58 respectively. This represents an increase in total net assets for the period ending March 31, 2015 versus 2014 of 27% which was driven by a combination of an increase in the number of shares outstanding, offset by a change in the NAV per share which decreased by ($5.67) or 34%.  The closing prices per share for 2015 and 2014, as reported by the NYSE Arca, were $10.93, $16.53, respectively.  The change from March 31, 2015 over the prior year was a 34% decrease.

 

The graph below shows the actual shares outstanding, total net assets (or AUM) and net asset value per share (NAV per share) for the Fund from inception to March 31, 2015 and serves to illustrate the relative changes of these components.

 

#DrawingImage#

 

The total loss for the period ended March 31, 2015 was ($2,895,379) resulting primarily from the realized loss on commodity futures contracts totaling ($707,238) and a net change in unrealized depreciation of commodity futures contracts of ($2,189,151). Total income was $1,718,269 in the period ended March 31, 2014. Realized gain or loss on trading of commodity futures contracts is a function of: 1) the change in the price of the particular contracts sold as part of a “roll” in contracts as the nearest to expire contracts are exchanged for the appropriate contact given the investment objective of the fund, 2) the change in the price of particular contracts sold in relation to redemption of shares, 3) the gain or loss associated with rebalancing trades which are made to ensure conformance to the benchmark and 4) the number of contracts held and then sold for either circumstance aforementioned.  Unrealized gain or loss on trading of commodity futures contracts is a function of the change in the price of contracts held on the final date of the period versus the purchase price for each contract and the number of contracts held in each contract month.  The Sponsor has a static benchmark as described above and trades futures contracts to adhere to that benchmark and to adjust for the creation or redemption of shares.

 

Total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses”) for the period ended March 31, 2015 were $186,713; total expenses for the same period in 2014 were $94,277. This represents a $92,436 or 98% increase for 2015 over 2014 and was driven by an increase was driven by principally by a $25,583 or 104% increase in the management fee paid to the Sponsor as a result of higher average net assets, a $58,574 or 410% increase in professional fees related to auditing, legal and tax preparation fees and a $6,488 or 72% increase in general and administrative expenses. The increases in the latter two categories were due to increased allocations due to higher average net asset balance relative to the other Funds.  Custodian fees and expenses also increased by $7,515 or 506% due to higher average net assets. All other categories were relatively flat compared to the same quarter last year. The total expense ratio gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor for these years was 3.72% in 2015 and 3.80% in 2014. The management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1% of the Fund’s daily average net assets. 

 

The Sponsor has the ability to elect to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Fund or waive the management fee. This election is subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. For the quarter ended March 31, 2015, the Sponsor waived $14,300 fees; for the same period in 2014, the Sponsor waived $0 fees.

Total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses, net”) for 2015 and 2014 were $172,413 and $122,994 respectively. The total expense ratio net of expenses waived by the Sponsor periods was 3.44% in the period for 2015 and 4.95% in 2014.

Other than the management fee to the Sponsor and the brokerage commissions, most of the expenses incurred by the Fund are associated with the day-to-day operation of the Fund and the necessary functions related to regulatory compliance.  These are generally based on contracts, which extend for some period of time and up to one year, or commitments regardless of the level of assets under management.  The structure of the Fund and the nature of the expenses are such that as total net assets grow, there is a scalability of expenses that may allow the total expense ratio to be reduced. However, if total net assets for the Fund fall, the total expense ratio of the Fund will increase unless additional reductions are made by the Sponsor to the daily expense accrual. The Sponsor can elect to adjust the daily expense accruals at its discretion based on market conditions and other Fund considerations.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, there were $69,416 of expenses recorded in the financial statements of the Sponsor which were subject to reimbursement by the Fund in 2014.  At that time, the Sponsor had determined that recovery of the expense amounts was not probable.  In the first quarter of 2014, asset growth and other changes experienced by the Fund enabled the Sponsor to claim reimbursement of $28,717 from the Fund.  This amount is reflected in the statements of operations as a reimbursement of previously waived expenses.

The seasonality patterns for wheat futures prices are impacted by a variety of factors. These include, but are not limited to, the harvest in the fall, the planting conditions in the spring, and the weather throughout the critical germination and growing periods. Prices for wheat futures are affected by the availability and demand for substitute agricultural commodities, including corn and soybeans. The price of wheat futures contracts is also influenced by global economic conditions, including the demand for exports to other countries. Such factors will impact the performance of the Fund and the results of operations on an ongoing basis. The Sponsor cannot predict the impact of such factors.

 

Teucrium Agricultural Fund

 

The Teucrium Agricultural Fund commenced operation on March 28, 2012. On April 22, 2011, an initial registration statement was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). On February 10, 2012, the Fund’s initial registration of 5,000,000 shares on Form S-1 was declared effective by the SEC. On March 28, 2012, the Fund listed its shares on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “TAGS.” On the business day prior to that, the Fund issued 300,000 shares in exchange for $15,000,000 at the Fund’s initial NAV of $50 per share. The Fund also commenced investment operations on March 28, 2012 by purchasing shares of the Underlying Funds. On December 31, 2011, the Fund had two shares outstanding, which were owned by the Sponsor.

 

The investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Net Asset Value (“NAV”) of its common units (“Shares”) reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average (the “Underlying Fund Average”) of the NAVs per share of four other commodity pools that are series of the Trust and are sponsored by the Sponsor: the Teucrium Corn Fund (“CORN”), the Teucrium Wheat Fund (“WEAT”), the Teucrium Soybean Fund (“SOYB”) and the Teucrium Sugar Fund (“CANE”) (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”).  The Underlying Fund Average will have a weighting of 25% to each Underlying Fund, and the Fund’s assets will be rebalanced, generally on a daily basis, to maintain the approximate 25% allocation to each Underlying Fund.  The Fund does not intend to invest directly in futures contracts (“Futures Contracts”), although it reserves the right to do so in the future, including if an Underlying Fund ceases operations.

 

The investment objective of each Underlying Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of its shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for certain Futures Contracts for the commodity specified in the Underlying Fund’s name.  (This weighted average is referred to herein as the Underlying Fund’s “Benchmark,” the Futures Contracts that at any given time make up an Underlying Fund’s Benchmark are referred to herein as the Underlying Fund’s “Benchmark Component Futures Contracts,” and the commodity specified in the Underlying Fund’s name is referred to herein as its “Specified Commodity.”)  Specifically, the Teucrium Corn Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire Futures Contract for corn traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”), weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT corn Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT corn Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.  The Teucrium Wheat Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire CBOT wheat Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT wheat Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT wheat Futures Contract expiring in the December following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.  The Teucrium Soybean Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire CBOT soybean Futures Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT soybean Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT soybean Futures Contract expiring in the November following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%, except that CBOT soybean Futures Contracts expiring in August and September will not be part of the Teucrium Soybean Fund’s Benchmark because of the less liquid market for these Futures Contracts.  The Teucrium Sugar Fund’s Benchmark is: (1) the second-to-expire Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract traded on ICE Futures US (“ICE Futures”), weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire ICE Futures Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the ICE Futures Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract expiring in the March following the expiration month of the third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%.

 

On March 31, 2015, the Fund had 50,002 shares outstanding and net assets of $1,466,604.  This is in comparison to 50,002 shares outstanding and net assets of $2,087,661 on March 31, 2014 and 50,002 shares outstanding with net assets of $1,652,749 on December 31, 2014.  Shares outstanding remained constant for the period of 2015 when compared to 2014 compared to December 31, 2014.  Effective August 2, 2012, the Fund was at 50,002 shares outstanding which represents a minimum number of shares and there could be no further redemptions until additional shares are created.

 

 

Total net assets for the Fund were $1,466,604 on March 31, 2015, compared to $2,087,661 on March 31, 2014. The Net Asset Values (“NAV”) per share related to these balances were $29.33 and $41.75 respectively. This represents a decrease in total net assets for the period ending March 31, 2015 versus 2014 of 30% which was driven by a decrease in the NAV per share which decreased by ($12.42) or 30%.  The closing prices per share for 2015 and 2014, as reported by the NYSE Arca, were $29.34 and $37.82, respectively.  The change from March 31, 2015 over the prior year was a 22% decrease.  The closing price per share on March 31, 2014 was 9% below the NAV per share, while the closing price per share was at parity with the NAV per share on March 31, 2015.

This change in the NAVs of the Underlying Funds has been driven principally by updates to the USDA’s outlook for corn, soybean and wheat prices, supply and demand. Summaries of the USDA’s most recent monthly report for corn, soybeans and wheat, which was released on April 9, 2015, are presented in the Market Outlook section of this filing.

 

The graph below shows the actual shares outstanding, total net assets (or AUM) and net asset value per share (NAV per share) for the Fund from inception to March 31, 2015 and serves to illustrate the relative changes of these components.

 

#DrawingImage#

 

The total loss for the period ended March 31, 2015 was ($184,220) resulting primarily from the realized loss on securities totaling ($72,186) and a net change in unrealized depreciation on securities of ($112,032). Total income was $193,597 in the period ended March 31, 2014.  Realized gain or loss on the securities of the Underlying Funds is a function of: 1) the change in the price of particular contracts sold in relation to redemption of shares, and 2) the gain or loss associated with rebalancing trades which are made to ensure conformance to the benchmark.  Unrealized gain or loss on the securities of the Underlying Funds is a function of the change in the price of shares held on the final date of the period versus the purchase price for each and the number held.  The Sponsor has a static benchmark as described above and trades futures contracts to adhere to that benchmark and to adjust for the creation or redemption of shares.

Total expenses gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses”) for the period ended March 31, 2015 were $22,615; total expenses for the same period in 2014 were $27,147. This represents a ($4,532) or 17% decrease for 2015 over 2014.   The decrease was driven by a $1,131 or 24% increase in distribution and marketing fees and a $2,351 or 507% increase in general and administrative fees.  These were more than offset by an ($8,500) or 45% decrease in in business permits and licenses due to timing differences.  The total expense ratio gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor for these years was 5.88% in 2015 and 5.70% in 2014.

The Sponsor has the ability to elect to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Fund or waive the management fee. This election is subject to change by the Sponsor, at its discretion. For the quarter ended March 31, 2015, the Sponsor waived $20,690 of fees; for the same period in 2014, the Sponsor waived $24,769.

Total expenses net of expenses waived by the Sponsor and reimbursement to the Sponsor for previously waived expenses (“Total expenses, net”) for 2015 and 2014 were $1,925 and $2,378 respectively. The total expense ratio net of expenses waived by the Sponsor periods was .50% in the period for 2015 and .50% in 2014.

Other than the brokerage commissions, most of the expenses incurred by the Fund are associated with the day-to-day operation of the Fund and the necessary functions related to regulatory compliance.  These are generally based on contracts, which extend for some period of time and up to one year, or commitments regardless of the level of assets under management. The structure of the Fund and the nature of the expenses are such that as total net assets grow, there is a scalability of expenses that may allow the net expense ratio to be reduced. As the Sponsor has initiated a percentage based daily expense accrual for the Fund, even if total net assets for the Fund fall, the total expense ratio of the Fund will not increase.  The Sponsor can elect to adjust the daily expense accruals at its discretion based on market conditions and other Fund considerations.

 

Market Outlook

The Corn Market

Corn is the most widely produced livestock feed grain in the United States, and the majority of the United States’ corn crop is used in livestock feed, with the amount used in ethanol production second.  Corn is also processed into food and industrial products, including starch, sweeteners, corn oil, beverages and industrial alcohol.   The United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) publishes weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual updates for U.S. domestic and worldwide corn production and consumption.  These reports are available on the USDA’s website, www.usda.gov, at no charge.  

The United States is the world’s leading producer and exporter of corn.  For the Crop Year 2014-15, the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) estimates that the U.S. will produce approximately 37% of all the corn globally, about 12% will be exported.  For 2014-2015, global consumption of 974.3 Million Metric Tons (MMT) is expected to be surpassed by global production of 991.9 MMT. If the global supply of corn exceeds global demand, this may have an adverse impact on the price of corn. Besides the United States, other principal world corn exporters include Argentina, Brazil and the former Soviet Union nations known as the FSU-12 which includes the Ukraine.  Major importer nations include Mexico, Japan, the European Union (EU), South Korea, Egypt and parts of Southeast Asia.

Standard Corn Futures Contracts trade on the CBOT in units of 5,000 bushels, although 1,000 bushel “mini-corn” Corn Futures Contracts also trade.  Three grades of corn are deliverable under CBOT Corn Futures Contracts:  Number 1 yellow, which may be delivered at 1.5 cents over the contract price; Number 2 yellow, which may be delivered at the contract price; and Number 3 yellow, which may be delivered at 1.5 cents under the contract price.  There are five months each year in which CBOT Corn Futures Contracts expire:  March, May, July, September and December.

 If the futures market is in a state of backwardation (i.e., when the price of corn in the future is expected to be less than the current price), the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a lower price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no changes to either prevailing corn prices or the price relationship between immediate delivery, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will rise as it approaches expiration. Over time, if backwardation remained constant, the differences would continue to increase. If the futures market is in contango, the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a higher price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing corn prices or the price relationship between the spot price, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will fall as it approaches expiration. Over time, if contango remained constant, the difference would continue to increase. Historically, the corn futures markets have experienced periods of both contango and backwardation. Frequently, whether contango or backwardation exists is a function, among other factors, of the seasonality of the corn market and the corn harvest cycle.

On April 9, 2015, the USDA released its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) for the Crop Year 2014-15. The USDA has projected the yield to be 171.0 bushels per acre for the U.S, a significant increase over prior years, with 90.6 million acres planted and 83.1 million harvested. The total domestic supply of corn for 2014-15 is projected to increase in the U.S. to 15,472 million bushels; usage for the crop year is projected to increase slightly to 13,645 million bushels. The USDA projects that the resulting “Ending Stocks” or inventory will increase significantly from last year to 1,827 million bushels for 2014-15.  The USDA’s projected “Carry-out Days Supply,” which is defined as the Ending Stocks divided by the demand per day, is projected at 48.9 days, up significantly from the 27.0 days for 2012-2013 and 33.4 for 2013-14. 

The Soybean Market

Global soybean production is concentrated in the U.S., Brazil, Argentina and China.  The United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) has estimated that, for the Crop Year 2014-2015, the United States will produce approximately 108.0 MMT of soybeans or approximately 34% of estimated world production, with Brazil production at 95 MMT. Argentina is projected to produce about 55 MMT or approximately 17%. For 2014-2015, consumption of 288.9 Million Metric Tons (MMT) is expected to be surpassed by global production of 315.5 MMT.  If the global supply of soybeans exceeds global demand, this may have an adverse impact on the price of soybeans. The USDA publishes weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual updates for U.S. domestic and worldwide soybean production and consumption.  These reports are available on the USDA’s website, www.usda.gov, at no charge.  

The soybean processing industry converts soybeans into soybean meal, soybean hulls, and soybean oil.  Soybean meal and soybean hulls are processed into soy flour or soy protein, which are used, along with other commodities, by livestock producers and the farm fishing industry as feed.  Soybean oil is sold in multiple grades and is used by the food, petroleum and chemical industries.  The food industry uses soybean oil in cooking and salad dressings, baking and frying fats, and butter substitutes, among other uses.  In addition, the soybean industry continues to introduce soy-based products as substitutes to various petroleum-based products including lubricants, plastics, ink, crayons and candles.  Soybean oil is also converted to biodiesel for use as fuel.

Standard Soybean Futures Contracts trade on the CBOT in units of 5,000 bushels, although 1,000 bushel “mini-sized” Soybean Futures Contracts also trade.  Three grades of soybean are deliverable under CBOT Soybean Futures Contracts:  Number 1 yellow, which may be delivered at 6 cents per bushel over the contract price; Number 2 yellow, which may be delivered at the contract price; and Number 3 yellow, which may be delivered at 6 cents per bushel under the contract price.  There are seven months each year in which CBOT Soybean Futures Contracts expire:  January, March, May, July, August, September and November.

If the futures market is in a state of backwardation (i.e., when the price of soybeans in the future is expected to be less than the current price), the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a lower price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no changes to either prevailing soybean prices or the price relationship between immediate delivery, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will rise as it approaches expiration. If the futures market is in contango, the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a higher price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing soybean prices or the price relationship between the spot price, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will fall as it approaches expiration. Historically, the soybeans futures markets have experienced periods of both contango and backwardation. Frequently, whether contango or backwardation exists is a function, among other factors, of the seasonality of the soybean market and the soybean harvest cycle. All other things being equal, a situation involving prolonged periods of contago may adversely impact the returns of the Funds; conversely a situation involving prolonged periods of backwardation may positively impact the returns of the Funds.

On April 9, 2015, the USDA released its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) for the Crop Year 2014-15. For the United States for 2014-15, the USDA has projected the yield to be 47.8 bushels per acre for the U.S, an increase over prior years, with 83.7 million acres planted and 83.1 harvested. The total domestic supply of soybeans for 2014-15 is projected to increase in the U.S. to 4,091 million bushels; usage for that crop year is projected to increase to 3,721 million bushels. The USDA projects that the resulting “Ending Stocks” or inventory will increase significantly to 370 million bushels in 2014-15, a level approximately four times that of 2013-14.  The USDA’s projected “Carry-out Days Supply,” which is defined as the Ending Stocks divided by the demand per day, is projected at 36.3 days for 2014-15, compared to only 9.7 for 2013-14 and 16.6 for 2012-13.

 

The Sugar Market

Sugarcane accounts for about 75% of the world’s sugar production, and sugar beets account for the remainder of the world’s sugar production.  Sugar manufacturers use sugar beets and sugarcane as the raw material from which refined sugar (sucrose) for industrial and consumer use is produced.  Sugar is produced in various forms, including granulated, powdered, liquid, brown, and molasses.  The food industry (in particular, producers of baked goods, beverages, cereal, confections, and dairy products) uses sugar and sugarcane molasses to make sugar-containing food products.  Sugar beet pulp and molasses products are used as animal feed ingredients.  Ethanol is an important by-product of sugarcane processing.  Additionally, the material that is left over after sugarcane is processed is used to manufacture paper, cardboard, and “environmentally friendly” eating utensils.  

The United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) publishes two major reports annually on U.S. domestic and worldwide sugar production and consumption. These are usually released in November and May. In addition, the USDA publishes periodic, but not as comprehensive, reports on sugar monthly. All of these reports are available on the USDA’s website, www.usda.gov, at no charge.  The USDA’s November 2014 report forecasts that Brazil will continue to be the leading producer of sugarcane, producing just over one-quarter of the world’s supply.  Other principal producers of sugarcane are India, Thailand and China. The principal world producers of sugar beets, as forecasted by the USDA for 2014, include the European Union, the United States and Russia. If the global supply of sugar exceeds global demand, this may have an adverse impact on the price of sugar.

The Sugar No. 11 Futures Contract is the world benchmark contract for raw sugar trading.  This contract prices the physical delivery of raw cane sugar, delivered to the receiver’s vessel at a specified port within the country of origin of the sugar.  Sugar No. 11 Futures Contracts trade on the ICE Futures and the NYMEX in units of 112,000 pounds. 

If the futures market is in a state of backwardation (i.e., when the price of sugar in the future is expected to be less than the current price), the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a lower price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no changes to either prevailing sugar prices or the price relationship between immediate delivery, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will rise as it approaches expiration. If the futures market is in contango, the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a higher price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing sugar prices or the price relationship between the spot price, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will fall as it approaches expiration. Historically, the sugar futures markets have experienced periods of both contango and backwardation. Frequently, whether contango or backwardation exists is a function, among other factors, of the seasonality of the sugar market and the sugar harvest cycle. All other things being equal, a situation involving prolonged periods of contago may adversely impact the returns of the Funds; conversely a situation involving prolonged periods of backwardation may positively impact the returns of the Funds.

The Wheat Market

Wheat is used to produce flour, the key ingredient for breads, pasta, crackers and many other food products, as well as several industrial products such as starches and adhesives.  Wheat by-products are used in livestock feeds.  Wheat is the principal food grain produced in the United States, and the United States’ output of wheat is typically exceeded only by that of China, the European Union, the FSU-12, including the Ukraine, and India.  The United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) estimates that for 2014-2015, that the principal global producers of wheat will be the EU, the former Soviet nations known as the FSU-12, China, India, the United States, Australia and Canada. The U.S. generates approximately 8% of the global production, with almost half of that being exported. For 2014-2015, consumption of 715.8 MMT is estimated to be surpassed by production of 726.5 MMT. If the global supply of wheat exceeds global demand, this may have an adverse impact on the price of wheat. The USDA publishes weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual updates for U.S. domestic and worldwide wheat production and consumption.  These reports are available on the USDA’s website, www.usda.gov, at no charge.  

There are several types of wheat grown in the U.S., which are classified in terms of color, hardness, and growing season.  CBOT Wheat Futures Contracts call for delivery of #2 soft red winter wheat, which is generally grown in the eastern third of the United States, but other types and grades of wheat may also be delivered  (Grade #1 soft red winter wheat, Hard Red Winter, Dark Northern Spring and Northern Spring wheat may be delivered at 3 cents premium per bushel over the contract price and #2 soft red winter wheat, Hard Red Winter, Dark Northern Spring and Northern Spring wheat may be delivered at the contract price.) Winter wheat is planted in the fall and is harvested in the late spring or early summer of the following year, while spring wheat is planted in the spring and harvested in late summer or fall of the same year.

Standard Wheat Futures Contracts trade on the CBOT in units of 5,000 bushels, although 1,000 bushel “mini-wheat” Wheat Futures Contracts also trade.  There are five months each year in which CBOT Wheat Futures Contracts expire: March, May, July, September and December.

If the futures market is in a state of backwardation (i.e., when the price of wheat in the future is expected to be less than the current price), the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a lower price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no changes to either prevailing wheat prices or the price relationship between immediate delivery, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will rise as it approaches expiration. If the futures market is in contango, the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a higher price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing wheat prices or the price relationship between the spot price, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts, the value of a contract will fall as it approaches expiration. Historically, the wheat futures markets have experienced periods of both contango and backwardation. Frequently, whether contango or backwardation exists is a function, among other factors, of the seasonality of the wheat market and the wheat harvest cycle. All other things being equal, a situation involving prolonged periods of contago may adversely impact the returns of the Funds; conversely a situation involving prolonged periods of backwardation may positively impact the returns of the Funds.

 

On April 9, 2015, the USDA released its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) for the Crop Year 2014-15. For 2014-15, the USDA has projected the yield to fall to 43.7 bushels per acre for the U.S from the 47.1 estimated for 2013-14. The USDA estimates that the U.S. will have 56.8 million acres planted and 46.4 harvested. The total domestic supply of wheat for 2014-15 is estimated to decrease to 2,761 million bushels with total usage, including exports, forecast at 2,077 million bushels.  The USDA projects that the resulting “Ending Stocks” or inventory will increase from the 590 million bushels in 2013-14 to 684 million bushels for 2014-15.  The USDA’s projected “Carry-out Days Supply,” which is defined as the Ending Stocks divided by the demand per day, is projected at 120.2 days for 2014-15, up from the 88.6 days for 2013-14; for 2012-13, this metric was 108.6 days.

Calculating NAV

The NAV of each Fund is calculated by:

  • Taking the current market value of its total assets, and
  • Subtracting any liabilities.

The Administrator, the Bank of New York Mellon, calculates the NAV of each Fund once each trading day. It calculates NAV as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m., New York time. The NAV for a particular trading day will be released after 4:15 p.m., New York time.

In determining the value of the Futures Contracts for each Fund, the Administrator uses the closing price on the exchange on which the commodity is traded, commonly referred to as the settlement price. The time of settlement for each exchange is determined by that exchange and may change from time to time. The current settlement time for each exchange can be found at the appropriate website which are:
   1) for the CBOT (CORN, SOYB and WEAT) http://www.cmegroup.com/trading_hours/commodities-hours.html;
   2) for ICE (CANE) http://www.theice.com/productguide/Search.shtml?tradingHours=.

The Administrator determines the value of all other investments for each Fund as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m., New York time, in accordance with the current Services Agreement between the Administrator and the Trust. 

The value of Cleared Swaps and over-the-counter Interests will be determined based on the value of the commodity or Futures Contract underlying such Interest, except that a fair value may be determined if the Sponsor believes that a Fund is subject to significant credit risk relating to the counterparty to such Interest. For purposes of financial statements and reports, the Sponsor will recalculate the NAV of a specific Fund where necessary to reflect the “fair value” of a Futures Contract when the Futures Contract of such Fund closes at its price fluctuation limit for the day. Treasury Securities held by the Fund are valued by the Administrator using values received from recognized third-party vendors (such as Reuters) and dealer quotes.  The NAV includes any unrealized profit or loss on open Interests and any other credit or debit accruing to each Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund.

In addition, in order to provide updated information relating to the Funds for use by investors and market professionals, the NYSE Arca calculates and disseminates throughout the trading day an updated indicative fund value for each Fund. The indicative fund value is calculated by using the prior day’s closing NAV per share of the Fund as a base and updating that value throughout the trading day to reflect changes in the value of the Fund’s commodity Interests during the trading day.  Changes in the value of Treasury Securities and cash equivalents will not be included in the calculation of indicative value.  For this and other reasons, the indicative fund value disseminated during NYSE Arca trading hours should not be viewed as an actual real time update of the NAV for each Fund.  The NAV is calculated only once at the end of each trading day.  

The indicative fund value is disseminated on a per share basis every 15 seconds during regular NYSE Arca trading hours of 9:30 a.m., New York time, to 4:00 p.m., New York time.  The CBOT and the ICE are generally open for trading only during specified hours which vary by exchange and may be adjusted by the exchange. However, the futures markets on these exchanges do not currently operate twenty-four hours per day. In addition, there may be some trading hours which may be limited to electronic trading only. This means that there is a gap in time at the beginning and the end of each day during which the Fund’s Shares are traded on the NYSE Arca, when, for example, real-time CBOT trading prices for Corn Futures Contracts traded on such Exchange are not available.  As a result, during those gaps there will be no update to the indicative fund values. The most current trading hours for each exchange may be found on the website of that exchange as listed above.

The NYSE Arca disseminates the indicative fund value through the facilities of CTA/CQ High Speed Lines.  In addition, the indicative fund value is published on the NYSE Arca’s website and is available through on-line information services such as Bloomberg and Reuters.

Dissemination of the indicative fund values provides additional information that is not otherwise available to the public and is useful to investors and market professionals in connection with the trading of Shares of the Funds on the NYSE Arca.  Investors and market professionals are able throughout the trading day to compare the market price of each Fund and its indicative fund value.  If the market price of the Shares of a Fund diverges significantly from the indicative fund value, market professionals may have an incentive to execute arbitrage trades.  For example, if the Fund appears to be trading at a discount compared to the indicative fund value, a market professional could buy Fund Shares on the NYSE Arca, aggregate them into Redemption Baskets, and receive the NAV of such Shares by redeeming them to the Trust, provided that there is not a minimum number of shares outstanding for the Fund.  Such arbitrage trades can tighten the tracking between the market price of the Fund and the indicative fund value.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

The Trust’s critical accounting policies for all the Funds are as follows:


1.

Preparation of the financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. generally-accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and guidance, as well as the use of estimates, and requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expense and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities during the reporting period of the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. The Trust’s application of these policies involves judgments and actual results may differ from the estimates used.

 

2.

The Sponsor has determined that the valuation of Commodity Interests that are not traded on a U.S. or internationally recognized futures exchange (such as swaps and other over-the-counter contracts) involves a critical accounting policy. The values which are used by the Funds for futures contracts will be provided by the commodity broker who will use market prices when available, while over-the-counter contracts will be valued based on the present value of estimated future cash flows that would be received from or paid to a third party in settlement of these derivative contracts prior to their delivery date. Values will be determined on a daily basis.

 

3.

Commodity futures contracts held by the Funds are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures contracts are reflected in the statement of operations as the difference between the original contract amount and the fair market value as of the last business day of the year or as of the last date of the financial statements. Changes in the appreciation or depreciation between periods are reflected in the statement of operations. Interest on cash equivalents and deposits with the Futures Commission Merchant are recognized on the accrual basis. The Funds earn interest on its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the Futures Commission Merchant at a rate equal to 85% of the overnight of Federal Funds Rate. In addition, the Funds earn interest on funds held at the custodian at prevailing market rates for such investments.

 

4.

Cash equivalents are highly-liquid investments with original maturity dates of three months or less at inception. The Funds reported cash equivalents in the statements of assets and liabilities at market value, or at carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their highly-liquid nature and short-term maturities. The Funds have a substantial portion of its assets on deposit with banks. Assets deposited with the bank may, at times, exceed federally insured limits.

 

5.

The use of fair value to measure financial instruments, with related unrealized gains or losses recognized in earnings in each period is fundamental to the Trust’s financial statements. In accordance with GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

 

 

In determining fair value, the Trust uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with GAAP, a fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Trust. Unobservable inputs reflect the Trust’s assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels: a) Level 1 - Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Trust has the ability to access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied to Level 1 securities. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these securities does not entail a significant degree of judgment, b) Level 2 - Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly, and c) Level 3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement. See the notes within the financial statements for further information.

 

 

The Funds and the Trust record their derivative activities at fair value. Gains and losses from derivative contracts are included in the statement of operations. Derivative contracts include futures contracts related to commodity prices. Futures, which are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the CBOT or the New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”), or reported on another national market, are generally categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. OTC derivatives contracts (such as forward and swap contracts) which may be valued using models, depending on whether significant inputs are observable or unobservable, are categorized in Levels 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

 

6.

Brokerage commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on a full-turn basis.

 

7.

Margin is the minimum amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest trader with the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position in futures contracts. A margin deposit acts to assure the trader’s performance of the futures contracts purchased or sold. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on initial margin that represents a very small percentage of the aggregate purchase or sales price of the contract. Because of such low margin requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures markets may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount invested, are greater than are customary in other forms of investment or speculation. As discussed below, adverse price changes in the futures contract may result in margin requirements that greatly exceed the initial margin. In addition, the amount of margin required in connection with a particular futures contract is set from time to time by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Funds’ clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in commodity interest contracts generally require higher amounts of margin as a matter of policy to further protect themselves. Over-the-counter trading generally involves the extension of credit between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to require the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit exposure.

 

 

When a trader purchases an option, there is no margin requirement; however, the option premium must be paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other hand, he or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in addition, an amount substantially equal to the current premium for the option. The margin requirements imposed on the selling of options, although adjusted to reflect the probability that out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can in fact be higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader acquires a mixture of options positions and positions in the underlying interest.

 

 

Ongoing or “maintenance” margin requirements are computed each day by a trader’s clearing broker. When the market value of a particular open futures contract changes to a point where the margin on deposit does not satisfy maintenance margin requirements, a margin call is made by the broker. If the margin call is not met within a reasonable time, the broker may close out the trader’s position. With respect to the Funds’ trading, the Funds (and not its shareholders personally) are subject to margin calls.

 

 

Finally, many major U.S. exchanges have passed certain cross margining arrangements involving procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held in an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated, and margin requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis, measuring the total risk of the combined positions.

 

8.

Due from/to broker for investments in securities are securities transactions pending settlement. The Trust and TAGS are subject to credit risk to the extent any broker with whom it conducts business is unable to fulfill contractual obligations on its behalf. The management of the Trust and the Funds monitors the financial condition of such brokers and does not anticipate any losses from these counterparties. Since the inception of the Fund, the principal broker through which the Trust and TAGS clear securities transactions for TAGS is the Bank of New York Mellon Capital Markets.

 

9.

The investment objective of TAGS is to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the Net Asset Value (“NAV”) of its common units (“Shares”) reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of a weighted average (the “Underlying Fund Average”) of the NAVs per share of four other commodity pools that are series of the Trust and are sponsored by the Sponsor: the Teucrium Corn Fund, the Teucrium Wheat Fund, the Teucrium Soybean Fund and the Teucrium Sugar Fund (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”). The Underlying Fund Average will have a weighting of 25% to each Underlying Fund, and the Fund’s assets will be rebalanced, generally on a daily basis, to maintain the approximate 25% allocation to each Underlying Fund. As such, TAGS will buy, sell and hold as part of its normal operations shares of the four Underlying Funds. The Trust excludes the shares of the other series of the Trust owned by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund from its statements of assets and liabilities. The Trust excludes the net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on securities owned by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund from its statements of operations. Upon the sale of the Underlying Funds by the Teucrium Agricultural Fund, the Trust includes any realized gain or loss in its statements of changes in net assets.

 

10.

For tax purposes, the Funds will be treated as partnerships. Therefore, the Funds do not record a provision for income taxes because the partners report their share of a Fund’s income or loss on their income tax returns. The financial statements reflect the Funds’ transactions without adjustment, if any, required for income tax purposes.

 

Credit Risk

When any of the Funds enter into Commodity Interests, it will be exposed to the credit risk that the counterparty will not be able to meet its obligations. For purposes of credit risk, the counterparty for the Futures Contracts traded on the CBOT, NYMEX, and ICE and for Cleared Swaps is the clearinghouse associated with those exchanges. In general, clearinghouses are backed by their members who may be required to share in the financial burden resulting from the nonperformance of one of their members, which should significantly reduce credit risk. Some foreign exchanges are not backed by their clearinghouse members but may be backed by a consortium of banks or other financial institutions. Unlike in the case of exchange-traded futures contracts, the counterparty to an over-the-counter Corn Interest contract is generally a single bank or other financial institution. As a result, there will be greater counterparty credit risk in over-the-counter transactions. There can be no assurance that any counterparty, clearinghouse, or their financial backers will satisfy their obligations to any of the Funds.

An “exchange for related position” (“EFRP”) can be used by the Fund as a technique to facilitate the exchanging of a futures hedge position against a creation or redemption order, and thus the Fund may use an EFRP transaction in connection with the creation and redemption of shares. The market specialist/market maker that is the ultimate purchaser or seller of shares in connection with the creation or redemption basket, respectively, agrees to sell or purchase a corresponding offsetting futures position which is then settled on the same business day as a cleared futures transaction by the FCMs.  The Fund will become subject to the credit risk of the market specialist/market maker until the EFRP is settled or terminated.  The Fund reports all activity related to EFRP transactions under the procedures and guidelines of the CFTC and the exchanges on which the futures are traded.

The Sponsor will attempt to manage the credit risk of each Fund by following certain trading limitations and policies. In particular, each Fund intends to post margin and collateral and/or hold liquid assets that will be equal to approximately the face amount of the Interests it holds. The Sponsor will implement procedures that will include, but will not be limited to, executing and clearing trades and entering into over-the-counter transactions only with parties it deems creditworthy and/or requiring the posting of collateral by such parties for the benefit of each Fund to limit its credit exposure.

The CEA requires all FCMs, such as the Funds’ clearing brokers, to meet and maintain specified fitness and financial requirements, to segregate customer funds from proprietary funds and account separately for all customers’ funds and positions, and to maintain specified books and records open to inspection by the staff of the CFTC. The CFTC has similar authority over introducing brokers, or persons who solicit or accept orders for commodity interest trades but who do not accept margin deposits for the execution of trades. The CEA authorizes the CFTC to regulate trading by FCMs and by their officers and directors, permits the CFTC to require action by exchanges in the event of market emergencies, and establishes an administrative procedure under which customers may institute complaints for damages arising from alleged violations of the CEA. The CEA also gives the states powers to enforce its provisions and the regulations of the CFTC.

On November 14, 2013, the CFTC published final regulations that require enhanced customer protections, risk management programs, internal monitoring and controls, capital and liquidity standards, customer disclosures and auditing and examination programs for FCMs. The rules are intended to afford greater assurances to market participants that customer segregated funds and secured amounts are protected, customers are provided with appropriate notice of the risks of futures trading and of the FCMs with which they may choose to do business, FCMs are monitoring and managing risks in a robust manner, the capital and liquidity of FCMs are strengthened to safeguard the continued operations and the auditing and examination programs of the CFTC and the self-regulatory organizations are monitoring the activities of FCMs in a thorough manner.

As of February 6, 2015, Jefferies LLC serves as the FCM for the Funds as discussed in Part I of this filing.  On April 9, 2015, Jefferies Group, LLC announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to have Societe Generale SA acquire the assets of its futures unit, including its FCM operations.  The Sponsor is currently evaluating alternative FCM arrangements in light of this announcement.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Funds do not anticipate making use of borrowings or other lines of credit to meet their obligations. The Funds meet their liquidity needs in the normal course of business from the proceeds of the sale of their investments or from the cash, cash equivalents and/or the Treasuries Securities that they intend to hold. The Funds’ liquidity need include: redeeming their shares, providing margin deposits for existing Futures Contracts or the purchase of additional Futures Contracts, posting collateral for over-the-counter Commodity Interests, and paying expenses.

The Funds generate cash primarily from (i) the sale of Creation Baskets and (ii) interest earned on cash, cash equivalents and their investments in Treasuries Securities. Generally, all of the net assets of the Funds are allocated to trading in Commodity Interests. Most of the assets of the Operating Funds are held in Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents that could or are used as margin or collateral for trading in Commodity Interests. The percentage that such assets bear to the total net assets will vary from period to period as the market values of the Commodity Interests change. Interest earned on interest-bearing assets of a Fund are paid to that Fund.

The investments of a Fund’s in Commodity Interests are subject to periods of illiquidity because of market conditions, regulatory considerations and other reasons. For example, U.S. futures exchanges limit the fluctuations in the prices of certain Futures Contracts during a single day by regulations referred to as “daily limits.” During a single day, no trades may be executed at prices beyond the daily limit. Once the price of such a Futures Contract has increased or decreased by an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in the contracts can neither be taken nor liquidated unless the traders are willing to effect trades at or within the limit. Such market conditions could prevent the Fund from promptly liquidating a position in Futures Contracts.

Market Risk

Trading in Commodity Interests such as Futures Contracts will involve the Funds entering into contractual commitments to purchase or sell specific amounts of commodities at a specified date in the future. The gross or face amount of the contracts is expected to significantly exceed the future cash requirements of each Fund as each Fund intends to close out any open positions prior to the contractual expiration date. As a result, each Fund’s market risk is the risk of loss arising from the decline in value of the contracts, not from the need to make delivery under the contracts. The Funds consider the “fair value” of derivative instruments to be the unrealized gain or loss on the contracts. The market risk associated with the commitment by the Funds to purchase a specific commodity will be limited to the aggregate face amount of the contacts held.

The exposure of the Funds to market risk will depend on a number of factors including the markets for the specific commodity, the volatility of interest rates and foreign exchange rates, the liquidity of the commodity-specific Interest markets and the relationships among the contracts held by each Fund.

Regulatory Environment

The regulation of futures markets, futures contracts, and futures exchanges has historically been comprehensive. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency including, for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position limits, increased margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading.

 

The regulation of commodity interest transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental and judicial action. Considerable regulatory attention has been focused on non-traditional investment pools that are publicly distributed in the United States. There is a possibility of future regulatory changes within the United States altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the Funds, or the ability of a Fund to continue to implement its investment strategy. In addition, various national governments outside of the United States have expressed concern regarding the disruptive effects of speculative trading in the commodities markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets in general. The effect of any future regulatory change on the Funds is impossible to predict but could be substantial and adverse.

The CFTC possesses exclusive jurisdiction to regulate the activities of commodity pool operators and has adopted regulations with respect to the activities of those persons and/or entities.  Under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), a registered commodity pool operator, such as the Sponsor, is required to make annual filings with the CFTC describing its organization, capital structure, management and controlling persons.  In addition, the CEA authorizes the CFTC to require and review books and records of, and documents prepared by, registered commodity pool operators (“CPOs”).  Pursuant to this authority, the CFTC requires commodity pool operators to keep accurate, current and orderly records for each pool that they operate.  The CFTC may suspend the registration of a commodity pool operator (1) if the CFTC finds that the operator’s trading practices tend to disrupt orderly market conditions, (2) if any controlling person of the operator is subject to an order of the CFTC denying such person trading privileges on any exchange, and (3) in certain other circumstances.  Suspension, restriction or termination of the Sponsor’s registration as a commodity pool operator would prevent it, until that registration were to be reinstated, from managing the Funds, and might result in the termination of a Fund if a successor sponsor is not elected pursuant to the Trust Agreement.  Neither the Trust nor the Funds are required to be registered with the CFTC in any capacity.

The Funds’ investors are afforded prescribed rights for reparations under the CEA.  Investors may also be able to maintain a private right of action for violations of the CEA.  The CFTC has adopted rules implementing the reparation provisions of the CEA, which provide that any person may file a complaint for a reparations award with the CFTC for violation of the CEA against a floor broker or an FCM, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, CPO, and their respective associated persons.

Pursuant to authority in the CEA, the NFA has been formed and registered with the CFTC as a registered futures association.  At the present time, the NFA is the only self-regulatory organization for commodity interest professionals, other than futures exchanges.  The CFTC has delegated to the NFA responsibility for the registration of CPOs and FCMs and their respective associated persons.  The Sponsor and the Fund’s clearing broker are members of the NFA.  As such, they will be subject to NFA standards relating to fair trade practices, financial condition and consumer protection.    The NFA also arbitrates disputes between members and their customers and conducts registration and fitness screening of applicants for membership and audits of its existing members.  Neither the Trust nor the Funds are required to become a member of the NFA.

The regulations of the CFTC and the NFA prohibit any representation by a person registered with the CFTC or by any member of the NFA, that registration with the CFTC, or membership in the NFA, in any respect indicates that the CFTC or the NFA has approved or endorsed that person or that person’s trading program or objectives.  The registrations and memberships of the parties described in this summary must not be considered as constituting any such approval or endorsement.  Likewise, no futures exchange has given or will give any similar approval or endorsement.

Futures exchanges in the United States are subject to varying degrees of regulation under the CEA depending on whether such exchange is a designated contract market, exempt board of trade or electronic trading facility. Clearing organizations are also subject to the CEA and the rules and regulations adopted thereunder as administered by the CFTC. The CFTC’s function is to implement the CEA’s objectives of preventing price manipulation and excessive speculation and promoting orderly and efficient commodity interest markets. In addition, the various exchanges and clearing organizations themselves exercise regulatory and supervisory authority over their member firms.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) was enacted in response to the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009 and it significantly altered the regulatory regime to which the securities and commodities markets are subject. To date, the CFTC has issued proposed versions of all of the rules it is required to promulgate under the Dodd-Frank Act, and it continues to issue proposed versions of additional rules that it has authority to promulgate. The CFTC has issued final rules under the Dodd-Frank Act relating to recordkeeping and reporting of swap transactions, mandatory clearing of certain classes of credit default swaps and interest rate swaps, as well as the definition of key terms such as “swap” and “swap dealer.” Provisions of the new law include the requirement that position limits be established on a wide range of commodity interests,  including agricultural, energy, and metal-based commodity futures contracts, options on such futures contracts and cleared and uncleared swaps that are economically equivalent to such futures contracts and options (“Reference Contracts”); new registration and recordkeeping requirements for swap market participants; capital and margin requirements for “swap dealers” and “major swap participants,” as determined by the new law and applicable regulations; and the mandatory use of clearinghouse mechanisms for sufficiently standardized swap transactions that were historically entered into in the over-the-counter market.

The CFTC published final rules on February 17, 2012 and April 3, 2012 that require “swap dealers” and "major swap participants” to:  1) adhere to business conduct standards, 2) implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the CEA and 3) maintain records of such compliance. These new requirements may impact the documentation requirements for both cleared and non-cleared swaps and cause swap dealers and major swap participants to face increased compliance costs that, in turn, may be passed along to counterparties, such as the Funds, in the form of higher fees and expenses that relate to trading swaps.

On August 13, 2012 the CFTC and the SEC published joint final rules defining the terms “swap” and “security-based swaps.” The term “swap” is broadly defined to include various types of over-the-counter derivatives, including swaps and options.  The effective date of these final rules was October 12, 2012.  Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, certain transactions within the definition of “swap” must be executed on organized exchanges or “swap execution facilities” and cleared through regulated clearing organizations (which are referred to in the Dodd-Frank Act as “derivative clearing organizations” (“DCOs”)). On November 28, 2012 the CFTC issued its final clearing determination requiring that certain credit default swaps and interest rate swaps be cleared by registered DCOs. This is the CFTC’s first clearing determination under the Dodd-Frank Act and became effective February 11, 2013. As of  June 10, 2013, swap dealers, major swap participants, commodity pools, certain private funds and entities predominately engaged in financial activities were required to clear certain credit default swaps and interest rate swaps. As a result, if a Fund enters into or had entered into certain interest rate or credit default swaps on or after June 10, 2013, such swaps will be required to be centrally cleared. Determinations on other types of swaps are expected in the future and, when finalized, could require the Fund to centrally clear certain over-the-counter instruments presently entered into and settled on a bi-lateral basis.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires the CFTC, the SEC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit System and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (collectively, the “Prudential Regulators”) to establish “both initial and variation margin requirements on all swaps that are not cleared by a registered clearing organization” (including many over-the-counter swaps). The proposed rules would require swap dealers and major swap participants to collect both variation and initial margin from certain of their financial entity counterparties such as one of the Funds.  In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act provides parties who post initial margin to a swap dealer or major swap participant with a statutory right to insist that such margin be held in a segregated account with an independent custodian. If a swap is required to be cleared, the initial margin will be set by the clearing organization, subject to certain regulatory requirements and guidelines.  Initial and variation margin requirements for swap dealers and major swap participants who enter into uncleared swaps and capital requirements for swap dealers and major swap participants who enter into both cleared and uncleared trades will be set by the CFTC, the SEC or the applicable “Prudential Regulator.”

 

The Dodd-Frank Act also requires that certain swaps determined to be available to trade on a swap execution facility (“SEF”) must be executed over such a facility.  On June 5, 2013, the CFTC published a final rule regarding the obligations of SEFs, including the obligation for facilities offering multiple person execution services to register as a SEF. Based upon applications filed by several SEFs with the CFTC, the CFTC has determined that certain interest rate swaps and credit default index swaps are available to trade on SEFs and certain interest rate swaps and credit default index swaps must be executed on a SEF. On November 14, 2013 the CFTC Division of Clearing and Risk, Division on Market Oversight, and Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight published guidance with respect to the application of certain CFTC rules on SEFs.  That guidance clarified that SEFs could not restrict access to participants who are permitted to trade swaps and that SEFs may not require participants to have brokerage agreements in place with other counterparties.

On April 5, 2013, the CFTC’s Division of Clearing and Risk issued a letter granting no-action relief from certain swap data reporting requirements for swaps entered into between affiliated counterparties. In general, the letter grants relief from real-time, historical and regular swap reporting (under Part 43, Part 45 and Part 46 of the CFTC’s regulations, respectively).

On April 11, 2013, the CFTC published a final rule to exempt swaps between certain affiliated entities within a corporate group from the clearing requirement. The rule permits affiliated counterparties to elect not to clear a swap subject to the clearing requirement if, among other things, the counterparties are majority-owned affiliates whose financial statements are included in the same consolidated financial statements and whose swaps are documented and subject to a centralized risk management program. However, the exemption does not apply to swaps entered into by affiliated counterparties with unaffiliated counterparties.

On November 6, 2013, the CFTC published a final rule to impose requirements on swap dealers and major swap participants with respect to the treatment of collateral posted by their counterparties to margin, guarantee, or secure uncleared swaps.  Essentially, the rule places restrictions on what swap dealers and major swap participants can do with collateral posted by the Fund in connection with uncleared swaps.

In addition to the rules and regulations imposed under the Dodd-Frank Act, swap dealers that are European banks may also be subject to European Market Infrastructure Regulation (“EMIR”).  These regulations have not yet been fully implemented.

On August 12, 2013, the CFTC issued final rules establishing compliance obligations for CPOs of investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 that are required to register due to recent changes to Commission Regulation 4.5.  For entities that are registered with both the CFTC and SEC, the CFTC will accept the SEC’s disclosure, reporting, and recordkeeping regime as substituted compliance for substantially all of Part 4 of the CFTC’s regulations, so long as they comply with comparable requirements under the SEC’s statutory and regulatory compliance regime. Thus, the final rules (the “Harmonization Rules”) allow dually registered entities to meet certain CFTC regulatory requirements for CPOs by complying with SEC rules to which they are already subject.  Although the Fund is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act, the Harmonization Rules amended certain CFTC disclosure rules to make the requirements for all CPOs to periodically update their disclosure documents, consistent with those of the SEC. This change will decrease the burden to the Funds and the Sponsor of having to comply with inconsistent regulatory requirements.  It is not known whether the CFTC will make additional amendments to its disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping rules to further harmonize these obligations with those of the SEC as they apply to the Funds and the Sponsor, but any such further rule changes could result in additional operating efficiencies for the Funds and the Sponsor.

The effect of future regulatory change on the Funds, and the exact timing of such changes, is impossible to predict but it may be substantial and adverse. Specifically, the new law, the rules that have been promulgated thereunder, and the rules that are expected to be promulgated may negatively impact the ability of a Fund to meet its investment objectives, either through position limits or requirements imposed on it and/or on their counterparties. In particular, new position limits imposed on a Fund or any counterparties may impact the ability of that Fund to invest in a manner that most efficiently meets its investment objective. New requirements, including capital imposed on the counterparties of a Fund and the mandatory clearing and margining of swaps, may increase the cost of that Fund’s investments and doing business.

In addition, considerable regulatory attention has recently been focused on non-traditional publicly distributed investment pools such as the Funds.  Furthermore, various national governments have expressed concern regarding the disruptive effects of speculative trading in certain commodity markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets in general.  The effect of any future regulatory change on the Funds is impossible to predict, but could be substantial and adverse.

Management believes that as of March 31, 2015 it had fulfilled in a timely manner all Dodd-Frank reporting requirements, both historical and on-going, for the categories under which the firm operates and is registered.

 

Position Limits, Aggregation Limits, Price Fluctuation Limits

On November 5, 2013, the CFTC re-proposed for public comment new regulations that would establish specific limits on speculative positions in futures contracts, option contracts and swaps on 28 agricultural, energy and metals commodities (the “Position Limit Rules”) limits and regulations addressing the circumstances under which market participants would be required to aggregate their positions with other persons under common ownership or control (the “Proposed Aggregation Requirements”). Both the Position Limit Rules and Proposed Aggregation requirements are currently pending and have not yet been adopted.  It remains to be seen whether the CFTC will modify the proposed regulations in response to public comments. 

Currently, the CFTC enforces federal limits on speculation in agricultural products (e.g., corn, wheat and soy), while futures exchanges enforce position limits and accountability levels for agricultural and certain energy products (e.g., oil and natural gas). As a result, the Funds may be limited with respect to the size of their investments in any commodity subject to these limits.  Finally, subject to certain narrow exceptions, the Proposed Aggregation Requirements would require the aggregation, for purposes of the position limits, of all positions in Reference Contracts of the 28 regulated commodities held by a single entity and its affiliates, regardless of whether such positions exist on US futures exchanges, non-US futures exchanges, cleared swaps, or in over-the-counter swaps.  Under the CFTC’s existing position limit requirements and the Position Limit Rules, a market participant is generally required to aggregate all positions for which ownership interest in an account or position, as well as the positions of two or more persons acting pursuant to an express or implied agreement or understanding.  At this time, it is unclear how the Proposed Aggregation Requirements may affect the Fund, but it may be substantial and adverse.  By way of example, the Proposed Aggregation Requirements in combination with the Position Limit Rules may negatively impact the ability of the Fund to meet its respective investment objectives through limits that may inhibit the Sponsor’s ability to sell additional Creation Baskets of the Fund.

 

Accountability levels differ from position limits in that they do not represent a fixed ceiling, but rather a threshold above which a futures exchange may exercise greater scrutiny and control over an investor’s positions.  If a Fund were to exceed an applicable accountability level for investments in futures contracts, the exchange will monitor the Fund’s exposure and may ask for further information on its activities, including the total size of all positions, investment and trading strategy, and the extent of liquidity resources of the Fund.  If deemed necessary by the exchange, the Fund could be ordered to reduce its aggregate net position back to the accountability level. 

The CFTC and U.S. designated contract markets such as the CBOT may establish position limits and accountability levels on the maximum net long or net short positions in futures contracts in commodities that any person or group of persons under common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by the Fund would not be) may hold, own or control.  The net position is the difference between an individual or firm’s open long contracts and open short contracts in any one commodity.  In addition, most U.S. futures exchanges, such as the CBOT, limit the daily price fluctuation for futures contracts.

Position limits generally impose a fixed ceiling on aggregate holdings in futures contracts relating to a particular commodity, and may also impose separate ceilings on contracts expiring in any one month, contracts expiring in the spot month, and/or contracts in certain specified final days of trading.  By way of example, the CFTC’s position limits for Soybean Futures Contracts (including related options) are 600 spot month contracts, 15,000 contracts expiring in any other single month, and 15,000 contracts for all months.  All Soybean Futures Contracts held under the control of the Sponsor, including those held by any future series of the Trust, will be aggregated in determining the application of these position limits.  Position limits could in certain circumstances effectively limit the number of Creation Baskets that the Fund can sell but, it is not expected to reach asset levels that would cause these position limits to be implicated in the near future.

In contrast to position limits, accountability levels are not fixed ceilings, but rather thresholds above which an exchange may exercise greater scrutiny and control over an investor, including by imposing position limits on the investor.

In addition to position limits and accountability levels, the exchanges set daily price fluctuation limits on futures contracts.  The daily price fluctuation limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of futures contracts may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price.  Once the daily price fluctuation limit has been reached in a particular futures contract, no trades may be made at a price beyond that limit.

As of May 1, 2014, the CME replaced the fixed price fluctuation limits with variable price limits for corn, soybeans and wheat. The change, which is now effective, is described in the CME Group Special Executive Report S-7038 and can be accessed at http://www.cmegroup.com/tools-information/lookups/advisories/ser/SER-7038.html.

Off Balance Sheet Financing

As of March 31, 2015, neither the Trust nor any of the Funds has any loan guarantees, credit support or other off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind other than agreements entered into in the normal course of business, which may include indemnification provisions relating to certain risks service providers undertake in performing services which are in the best interests of the Funds. While the exposure of each Fund under these indemnification provisions cannot be estimated, they are not expected to have a material impact on the financial positions of each Fund.

Redemption Basket Obligation

Other than as necessary to meet the investment objective of the Funds and pay the contractual obligations described below, the Funds will require liquidity to redeem Redemption Baskets. Each Fund intends to satisfy this obligation through the transfer of cash of the Fund (generated, if necessary, through the sale of Treasury Securities) in an amount proportionate to the number of units being redeemed.

Contractual Obligations

The primary contractual obligations of each Fund will be with the Sponsor and certain other service providers. Except for TAGS, which has no management fee, the Sponsor, in return for its services, will be entitled to a management fee calculated as a fixed percentage of each Fund’s NAV, currently 1.00% of its average net assets. Each Fund will also be responsible for all ongoing fees, costs and expenses of its operation, including (i) brokerage and other fees and commissions incurred in connection with the trading activities of the Fund; (ii) expenses incurred in connection with registering additional Shares of the Fund or offering Shares of the Fund; (iii) the routine expenses associated with the preparation and, if required, the printing and mailing of monthly, quarterly, annual and other reports required by applicable U.S. federal and state regulatory authorities, Trust meetings and preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements to Shareholders; (iv) the payment of any distributions related to redemption of Shares; (v) payment for routine services of the Trustee, legal counsel and independent accountants; (vi) payment for routine accounting, bookkeeping, custodial and transfer agency services, whether performed by an outside service provider or by affiliates of the Sponsor; (vii) postage and insurance; (viii) costs and expenses associated with client relations and services; (ix) costs of preparation of all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns and any taxes payable on the income, assets or operations of the Fund; and (xi) extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification related thereto).

While the Sponsor has agreed to pay registration fees to the SEC, FINRA and any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares offered through each Fund’s prospectus, the legal, printing, accounting and other expenses associated with such registrations, and the initial fee of $5,000 for listing the Shares on the NYSE Arca, each Fund will be responsible for any registration fees and related expenses incurred in connection with any future offer and sale of Shares of the Fund in excess of those offered through its prospectus.

Any general expenses of the Trust will be allocated among the Funds and any other series of the Trust as determined by the Sponsor in its sole and absolute discretion. The Trust is also responsible for extraordinary expenses, including, but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification related thereto. The Trust and/or the Sponsor may be required to indemnify the Trustee, Distributor or Administrator under certain circumstances.

The parties cannot anticipate the amount of payments that will be required under these arrangements for future periods as the NAV and trading levels to meet investment objectives for each Fund will not be known until a future date. These agreements are effective for a specific term agreed upon by the parties with an option to renew, or, in some cases, are in effect for the duration of each Fund’s existence. The parties may terminate these agreements earlier for certain reasons listed in the agreements.

 

Benchmark Performance

The Funds are new and have a limited operating history. Investing in commodity interests, or the Underlying Funds in the case of TAGS, subjects the Funds to the risks of the underlying commodities market, and this could result in substantial fluctuations in the price of each Fund’s Shares. Unlike mutual funds, the Funds generally will not distribute dividends to Shareholders. Investors may choose to use the Funds as a means of investing indirectly in the underlying commodities, and there are risks involved in such investments. The Sponsor has limited experience operating a commodity pool. Investors may choose to use the Funds as vehicles to hedge against the risk of loss, and there are risks involved in hedging activities.

During the period from January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015 the average daily change in the NAV of each Fund was within plus/minus 10 percent of the average daily change in the Benchmark of each Fund, as stated in the applicable prospectus for each Fund.

Frequency Distribution of Premiums and Discounts: NAV versus the 4pm Bid/Ask Midpoint on the NYSE Arca

 CORN

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The performance data above for the Teucrium Corn Fund represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investment return and value of the Fund’s Shares will fluctuate so that an investor’s Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance may be lower or higher than performance data quoted.

 

 SOYB

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The performance data above for the Teucrium Soybean Fund represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investment return and value of the Fund’s Shares will fluctuate so that an investor’s Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance may be lower or higher than performance data quoted.

 CANE

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The performance data above for the Teucrium Sugar Fund represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investment return and value of the Fund’s Shares will fluctuate so that an investor’s Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance may be lower or higher than performance data quoted.

 

WEAT

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The performance data above for the Teucrium Wheat Fund represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investment return and value of the Fund’s Shares will fluctuate so that an investor’s Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance may be lower or higher than performance data quoted.

TAGS

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The performance data above for the Teucrium Agricultural Fund represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investment return and value of the Fund’s Shares will fluctuate so that an investor’s Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance may be lower or higher than performance data quoted.

 

As of August 2, 2012, TAGS has 50,002 shares currently outstanding; this represents the minimum number of shares and, thus, no shares can be redeemed until additional shares have been created. This situation has generated a situation in which the spread between bid/ask midpoint at 4pm and the NAV falls outside of the “1 to 49” or “-1 to -49” range. The situation does not affect the actual NAV of the Fund.

Description

The above frequency distribution charts presents information about the difference between the daily market price for Shares of each Fund and the Fund’s reported Net Asset Value per share. The amount that a Fund’s market price is above the reported NAV is called the premium. The amount that a Fund’s market price is below the reported NAV is called the discount. The market price is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest offer on the listing exchange, as of the time that a Fund’s NAV is calculated (usually 4:00 p.m., New York time). The horizontal axis of the chart shows the premium or discount expressed in basis points. The vertical axis indicates the number of trading days in the period covered by the chart. Each bar in the chart shows the number of trading days in which a Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated.

*A unit that is equal to 1/100th of 1% and is used to denote the change in a financial instrument.

NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF A FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES, POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.


Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Market Risk

The discussion and analysis which follows may contain trend analysis and other forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial results. Words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “outlook” and “estimate,” as well as similar words and phrases, signify forward-looking statements. The Trust’s forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions, and important factors, risks and uncertainties may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements.

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by the Federal securities laws, the Sponsor undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or the risks, uncertainties or other factors described in this Report, as a result of new information, future events or changed circumstances or for any other reason after the date of this Report.

Trading in Commodity Interests such as Futures Contracts will involve the Funds entering into contractual commitments to purchase or sell specific amounts of commodities at a specified date in the future. The gross or face amount of the contracts is expected to significantly exceed the future cash requirements of each Fund as each Fund intends to close out any open positions prior to the contractual expiration date. As a result, each Fund’s market risk is the risk of loss arising from the decline in value of the contracts, not from the need to make delivery under the contracts. The Funds consider the “fair value” of derivative instruments to be the unrealized gain or loss on the contracts. The market risk associated with the commitment by the Funds to purchase a specific commodity will be limited to the aggregate face amount of the contracts held.

The exposure of the Funds to market risk will depend primarily on the market price of the specific commodities held by the Fund. The market price of the commodities depends in part on the volatility of interest rates and foreign exchange rates and the liquidity of the commodity-specific markets.

TAGS is subject to the risks of the commodity-specific futures contracts of the Underlying Funds as the fair value of its holdings is based on the NAV of each of the Underlying Funds, each of which is directly impacted by the factors discussed above.

The tables below present a quantitative analysis of hypothetical impact of price decreases and increases in each of the commodity futures contracts held by each of the Funds, or the Underlying Funds in the case of TAGS, on the actual holdings and NAV per share as of March 31, 2015. For purposes of this analysis, all futures contracts held by the Funds and the Underlying Funds are assumed to change by the same percentage. In addition, the cash held by the Funds and any management fees paid to the Sponsor are assumed to remain constant and not impact the NAV per share. There may be very slight and immaterial differences, due to rounding, in the tables presented below.

 

CORN:

March 31, 2015 as Reported 10% Decrease 15% Decrease 20% Decrease 10% Increase 15% Increase 20% Increase
Holdings as of March 31, 2015 Number of Contracts Held Closing Price Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount
CBOT Corn Futures JUL 15 1,441 3.8425 27685212.5 $ 24,916,691 $ 23,532,431 $ 22,148,170 $ 30,453,734 $ 31,837,994 $ 33,222,255
CBOT Corn Futures SEP15 1,213 3.9200 23774800 $ 21,397,320 $ 20,208,580 $ 19,019,840 $ 26,152,280 $ 27,341,020 $ 28,529,760
CBOT Corn Futures DEC15 1,386 4.0075 27771975 $ 24,994,778 $ 23,606,179 $ 22,217,580 $ 30,549,173 $ 31,937,771 $ 33,326,370
Total CBOT Corn Futures $ 79,231,988 $ 71,308,789 $ 67,347,189 $ 63,385,590 $ 87,155,186 $ 91,116,786 $ 95,078,385
Shares outstanding 3,200,004 3,200,004 3,200,004 3,200,004 3,200,004 3,200,004 3,200,004
Net Asset Value per Share attributable directly to CBOT Corn Futures $ 24.76 $ 22.28 $ 21.05 $ 19.81 $ 27.24 $ 28.47 $ 29.71
Total Net Asset Value per Share as reported $ 24.75
Change in the Net Asset Value per Share $ -2.48 $ -3.71 $ -4.95 $ 2.48 $ 3.71 $ 4.95
Percent Change in the Net Asset Value per Share -10.00% -15.00% -20.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00%

SOYB:

March 31, 2015 as Reported 10% Decrease 15% Decrease 20% Decrease 10% Increase 15% Increase 20% Increase
Holdings as of March 31, 2015 Number of Contracts Held Closing Price Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount
CBOT Soybean Futures JUL15 45 9.7775 $ 2,199,938 $ 1,979,944 $ 1,869,947 $ 1,759,950 $ 2,419,931 $ 2,529,928 $ 2,639,925
CBOT Soybean Futures NOV15 40 9.5525 $ 1,910,500 $ 1,719,450 $ 1,623,925 $ 1,528,400 $ 2,101,550 $ 2,197,075 $ 2,292,600
CBOT Soybean Futures NOV16 47 9.57 $ 2,248,950 $ 2,024,055 $ 1,911,608 $ 1,799,160 $ 2,473,845 $ 2,586,293 $ 2,698,740
Total CBOT Soybean Futures $ 6,359,388 $ 5,723,449 $ 5,405,479 $ 5,087,510 $ 6,995,326 $ 7,313,296 $ 7,631,265
Shares outstanding 325,004 325,004 325,004 325,004 325,004 325,004 325,004
Net Asset Value per Share attributable directly to CBOT Soybean Futures $ 19.57 $ 17.61 $ 16.63 $ 15.65 $ 21.52 $ 22.50 $ 23.48
Total Net Asset Value per Share as reported $ 19.62
Change in the Net Asset Value per Share $ -1.96 $ -2.94 $ -3.91 $ 1.96 $ 2.94 $ 3.91
Percent Change in the Net Asset Value per Share -9.97% -14.96% -19.95% 9.97% 14.96% 19.95%

CANE:

March 31, 2015 as Reported 10% Decrease 15% Decrease 20% Decrease 10% Increase 15% Increase 20% Increase
Holdings as of March 31, 2015 Number of Contracts Held Closing Price Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount
ICE #11 Sugar Futures JUL15 62 0.1206 $ 837,446 $ 753,702 $ 711,829 $ 669,957 $ 921,191 $ 963,063 $ 1,004,936
ICE #11 Sugar Futures OCT15 50 0.1268 $ 710,080 $ 639,072 $ 603,568 $ 568,064 $ 781,088 $ 816,592 $ 852,096
ICE #11 Sugar Futures MAR16 54 0.1391 $ 841,277 $ 757,149 $ 715,085 $ 673,021 $ 925,404 $ 967,468 $ 1,009,532
Total ICE #11 Sugar Futures $ 2,388,803 $ 2,149,923 $ 2,030,483 $ 1,911,043 $ 2,627,684 $ 2,747,124 $ 2,866,564
Shares outstanding 250,004 250,004 250,004 250,004 250,004 250,004 250,004
Net Asset Value per Share attributable directly to ICE #11 Sugar Futures $ 9.56 $ 8.60 $ 8.12 $ 7.64 $ 10.51 $ 10.99 $ 11.47
Total Net Asset Value per Share as reported $ 9.56
Change in the Net Asset Value per Share $ -0.96 $ -1.43 $ -1.91 $ 0.96 $ 1.43 $ 1.91
Percent Change in the Net Asset Value per Share -10.00% -15.00% -20.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00%


WEAT:

March 31, 2015 as Reported 10% Decrease 15% Decrease 20% Decrease 10% Increase 15% Increase 20% Increase
Holdings as of March 31, 2015 Number of Contracts Held Closing Price Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount Notional Amount
CBOT Wheat Futures JUL15 286 5.14 $ 7,350,200 $ 6,615,180 $ 6,247,670 $ 5,880,160 $ 8,085,220 $ 8,452,730 $ 8,820,240
CBOT Wheat Futures SEP15 241 5.225 $ 6,296,125 $ 5,666,513 $ 5,351,706 $ 5,036,900 $ 6,925,738 $ 7,240,544 $ 7,555,350
CBOT Wheat Futures DEC15 274 5.3725 $ 7,360,325 $ 6,624,293 $ 6,256,276 $ 5,888,260 $ 8,096,358 $ 8,464,374 $ 8,832,390
Total CBOT Wheat Futures $ 21,006,650 $ 18,905,985 $ 17,855,653 $ 16,805,320 $ 23,107,315 $ 24,157,648 $ 25,207,980
Shares outstanding 1,925,004 1,925,004 1,925,004 1,925,004 1,925,004 1,925,004 1,925,004
Net Asset Value per Share attributable directly to CBOT Wheat Futures $ 10.91 $ 9.82 $ 9.28 $ 8.73 $ 12.00 $ 12.55 $ 13.10
Total Net Asset Value per Share as reported $ 10.91
Change in the Net Asset Value per Share $ -1.09 $ -1.64 $ -2.18 $ 1.09 $ 1.64 $ 2.18
Percent Change in the Net Asset Value per Share -10.00% -15.00% -20.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00%


 

TAGS:

March 31, 2015 as Reported 10% Decrease 15% Decrease 20% Decrease 10% Increase 15% Increase 20% Increase
Holdings as of March 31, 2015 Number of Shares Held Closing NAV Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value
Teucrium Corn Fund 15,083 24.7542 $ 373,368 $ 336,031 $ 317,362 $ 298,694 $ 410,704 $ 429,373 $ 448,041
Teucrium Soybean Fund 19,381 19.6165 $ 380,187 $ 342,169 $ 323,159 $ 304,150 $ 418,206 $ 437,215 $ 456,225
Teucrium Sugar Fund 35,724 9.5568 $ 341,407 $ 307,266 $ 290,196 $ 273,126 $ 375,548 $ 392,618 $ 409,689
Teucrium Wheat Fund 33,187 10.9125 $ 362,153 $ 325,938 $ 307,830 $ 289,723 $ 398,368 $ 416,476 $ 434,584
Total value of shares of the Underlying Funds $ 1,457,115 $ 1,311,404 $ 1,238,548 $ 1,165,692 $ 1,602,827 $ 1,675,683 $ 1,748,538
Shares outstanding 50,002 50,002 50,002 50,002 50,002 50,002 50,002
Net Asset Value per Share attributable directly to shares of the Underlying Funds $ 29.14 $ 26.23 $ 24.77 $ 23.31 $ 32.06 $ 33.51 $ 34.97
Total Net Asset Value per Share as reported $ 29.33
Change in the Net Asset Value per Share $ -2.91 $ -4.37 $ -5.83 $ 2.91 $ 4.37 $ 5.83
Percent Change in the Net Asset Value per Share -9.94% -14.90% -19.87% 9.94% 14.90% 19.87%


Margin is the minimum amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest trader with the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position in futures contracts. A margin deposit acts to assure the trader’s performance of the futures contracts purchased or sold. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on initial margin that represents a very small percentage (ranging upward from less than 2% of the aggregate purchase or sales price of the contract. Because of such low margin requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures markets may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount invested, are greater than are customary in other forms of investment or speculation. As discussed below, adverse price changes in the futures contract may result in margin requirements that greatly exceed the initial margin. In addition, the amount of margin required in connection with a particular futures contract is set from time to time by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Funds’ clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in commodity interest contracts generally require higher amounts of margin as a matter of policy to further protect themselves. Over-the-counter trading generally involves the extension of credit between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to require the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit exposure.

When a trader purchases an option, there is no margin requirement; however, the option premium must be paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other hand, he or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in addition, an amount substantially equal to the current premium for the option. The margin requirements imposed on the selling of options, although adjusted to reflect the probability that out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can in fact be higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader acquires a mixture of options positions and positions in the underlying interest.

Ongoing or “maintenance” margin requirements are computed each day by a trader’s clearing broker. When the market value of a particular open futures contract changes to a point where the margin on deposit does not satisfy maintenance margin requirements, a margin call is made by the broker. If the margin call is not met within a reasonable time, the broker may close out the trader’s position. With respect to the various Funds’ trading, the Funds (and not its shareholders personally) are subject to margin calls.

Finally, many major U.S. exchanges have passed certain cross margining arrangements involving procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held in an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated and margin requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis, measuring the total risk of the combined positions.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires the CFTC, the SEC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit System and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (collectively, the “Prudential Regulators”) to establish “both initial and variation margin requirements on all swaps that are not cleared by a registered clearing organization” (i.e., uncleared or over-the-counter swaps). The proposed rules would require swap dealers and major swap participants to collect both variation and initial margin from their financial entity counterparties such as the Funds or Underlying Funds but would not require these swap dealers or major swap participants to post variation margin or initial margin to the Funds or Underlying Funds.  The CFTC and the Prudential Regulators have proposed rules addressing margin requirements but have not implemented any rules on these issues.

An “exchange for related position” (“EFRP”) can be used by the Fund as a technique to facilitate the exchanging of a futures hedge position against a creation or redemption order, and thus the Fund may use an EFRP transaction in connection with the creation and redemption of shares. The market specialist/market maker that is the ultimate purchaser or seller of shares in connection with the creation or redemption basket, respectively, agrees to sell or purchase a corresponding offsetting futures position which is then settled on the same business day as a cleared futures transaction by the FCMs.  The Fund will become subject to the credit risk of the market specialist/market maker until the EFRP is settled or terminated.  The Fund reports all activity related to EFRP transactions under the procedures and guidelines of the CFTC and the exchanges on which the futures are traded.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015, the only counterparty risk to which the Funds were subject was that in association with EFRPs as described above.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Trust and each Fund maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that material information required to be disclosed in the Trust’s periodic reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms for both the Trust and each Fund thereof.

Management of the Sponsor of the Teucrium Funds (“Management”), including Dale Riker, its Principal Executive Officer and Barbara Riker, its Principal Financial Officer, who perform functions equivalent to those of a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Trust if the Trust had any officers, have evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Trust’s and each Fund’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report, and, based upon that evaluation, concluded that the Trust’s and each Fund’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information the Trust is required to disclose in the reports that it files or submits with the SEC under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Trust in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management of the Sponsor, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The scope of the evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures covers both the Trust and each Fund thereof.

The certifications of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are applicable to each Fund individually as well as the Trust as a whole.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

There has been no change in internal controls over the financial reporting (as defined in the Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the Trust’s last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting.


 

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings.

None.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no material changes to the risk factors previously disclosed in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, filed on March 16, 2015.

The commodity interests in which each of the Funds invests, and in which TAGS invests indirectly through the Shares of the Underlying Funds, are referred to as Commodity Interests and for each Fund individually as the specific commodity interests, e.g. Corn Interests.

Risks Applicable to all Funds

There are Risks Related to Fund Structure and Operations of the Funds

Unlike mutual funds, commodity pools and other investment pools that manage their investments so as to realize income and gains for distribution to their investors, a Fund generally does not distribute dividends to Shareholders. You should not invest in a Fund if you will need cash distributions from the Fund to pay taxes on your share of income and gains of the Fund, if any, or for other purposes.

The Sponsor has consulted with legal counsel, accountants and other advisers regarding the formation and operation of the Trust and the Funds. No counsel has been appointed to represent you in connection with the offering of Shares. Accordingly, you should consult with your own legal, tax and financial advisers regarding the desirability of an investment in the Shares.

The Sponsor intends to re-invest any income and realized gains of a Fund in additional Commodity Interests, or Shares of the Underlying Funds in the case of TAGS, rather than distributing cash to Shareholders. Although a Fund does not intend to make cash distributions, the income earned from its investments held directly or posted as margin may reach levels that merit distribution, e.g., at levels where such income is not necessary to support its underlying investments in commodity interests, corn for example, and where investors adversely react to being taxed on such income without receiving distributions that could be used to pay such tax. Cash distributions may be made in these and similar instances.

A Fund must pay for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the offer and sale of subsequent Shares, after its initial registration, and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated therewith. Each Fund also pays the fees and expenses associated with the Trust’s tax accounting and reporting requirements. Each Fund, excluding TAGS, is also contractually obligated to pay a management fee to the Sponsor. Such fees may be waived by the Sponsor at its discretion. Accordingly, each Fund must realize interest income and/or gains on Commodity Interests sufficient to cover these fees and expenses before it can earn any profit.

A Fund may terminate at any time, regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses, subject to the terms of the Trust Agreement. For example, the dissolution or resignation of the Sponsor would cause the Trust to terminate unless shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares of the Trust elect within 90 days of the event to continue the Trust and appoint a successor Sponsor. In addition, the Sponsor may terminate a Fund if it determines that the Fund’s aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses make the continued operation of the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. However, no level of losses will require the Sponsor to terminate a Fund. The Fund’s termination would result in the liquidation of its investments and the distribution of its remaining assets to the Shareholders on a pro rata basis in accordance with their Shares, and the Fund could incur losses in liquidating its investments in connection with a termination. Termination could also negatively affect the overall maturity and timing of your investment portfolio.  Any expenses related to the operation of a Fund would need to be paid by the Fund at the time of termination.

To the extent that investors use a Fund as a means of investing indirectly in a specific commodity interest, there is the risk that the changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca will not closely track the changes in spot price of that commodity interest. This could happen if the price of Shares traded on the NYSE Arca does not correlate with the Fund’s NAV, if the changes in the Fund’s NAV do not correlate with changes in the Benchmark, or if the changes in the Benchmark do not correlate with changes in the cash or spot price of the specific commodity interest. This is a risk because if these correlations are not sufficiently close, then investors may not be able to use the Fund as a cost-effective way to invest indirectly in the specific commodity interest, or the underlying specific commodity interest in the case of TAGS, or as a hedge against the risk of loss in commodity-related transactions.

None of the Funds are an investment company subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940. Accordingly, you do not have the protections afforded by that statute, which, for example, requires investment companies to have a board of directors with a majority of disinterested directors and regulates the relationship between the investment company and its investment manager.

The arrangements between clearing brokers and counterparties on the one hand and the Funds on the other generally are terminable by the clearing brokers or counterparty upon notice to the Funds. In addition, the agreements between the Funds and their third-party service providers, such as the Distributor and the Custodian, are generally terminable at specified intervals. Upon termination, the Sponsor may be required to renegotiate or make other arrangements for obtaining similar services if the Funds intend to continue to operate. Comparable services from another party may not be available, or even if available, these services may not be available on the terms as favorable as those of the expired or terminated arrangements.

The Sponsor does not employ trading advisors for the Funds; however, it reserves the right to employ them in the future. The only advisor to the Funds is the Sponsor. A lack of independent trading advisors may be disadvantageous to the Funds because they will not receive the benefit of their expertise.

The Sponsor’s trading strategy is quantitative in nature, and it is possible that the Sponsor will make errors in its implementation. The execution of the quantitative strategy is subject to human error, such as incorrect inputs into the Sponsor’s computer systems and incorrect information provided to the Funds’ clearing brokers. In addition, it is possible that a computer or software program may malfunction and cause an error in computation. Any failure, inaccuracy or delay in executing the Funds’ transactions could affect its ability to achieve its investment objective. It could also result in decisions to undertake transactions based on inaccurate or incomplete information. This could cause substantial losses on transactions. The Sponsor is not required to reimburse a Fund for any costs associated with an error in the placement or execution of a trade in commodity futures interests or shares of the Underlying Funds. 

 

The Funds’ trading activities depend on the integrity and performance of the computer and communications systems supporting them. Extraordinary transaction volume, hardware or software failure, power or telecommunications failure, a natural disaster or other catastrophe could cause the computer systems to operate at an unacceptably slow speed or even fail. Any significant degradation or failure of the systems that the Sponsor uses to gather and analyze information, enter orders, process data, monitor risk levels and otherwise engage in trading activities may result in substantial losses on transactions, liability to other parties, lost profit opportunities, damages to the Sponsor’s and Funds’ reputations, increased operational expenses and diversion of technical resources.

The development of complex computer and communications systems and new technologies may render the existing computer and communications systems supporting the Funds’ trading activities obsolete. In addition, these computer and communications systems must be compatible with those of third parties, such as the systems of exchanges, clearing brokers and the executing brokers. As a result, if these third parties upgrade their systems, the Sponsor will need to make corresponding upgrades to continue effectively its trading activities. The Funds’ future success may depend on the Funds’ ability to respond to changing technologies on a timely and cost-effective basis.

The Funds depend on the proper and timely function of complex computer and communications systems maintained and operated by the futures exchanges, brokers and other data providers that the Sponsor uses to conduct trading activities. Failure or inadequate performance of any of these systems could adversely affect the Sponsor’s ability to complete transactions, including its ability to close out positions, and result in lost profit opportunities and significant losses on commodity interest transactions. This could have a material adverse effect on revenues and materially reduce the Funds’ available capital. For example, unavailability of price quotations from third parties may make it difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to conduct trading activities so that each Fund will closely track its Benchmark. Unavailability of records from brokerage firms may make it difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to accurately determine which transactions have been executed or the details, including price and time, of any transaction executed. This unavailability of information also may make it difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to reconcile its records of transactions with those of another party or to accomplish settlement of executed transactions.

The operations of the Funds, the exchanges, brokers and counterparties with which the Funds do business, and the markets in which the Funds do business could be severely disrupted in the event of a major terrorist attack, natural disaster, data breach or the outbreak, continuation or expansion of war or other hostilities. Global terrorist attacks, anti-terrorism initiatives, cyberattacks and political unrest continue to fuel this concern.

The Trust may, in its discretion, suspend the right to redeem Shares of a Fund or postpone the redemption settlement date: (1) for any period during which an applicable exchange is closed other than customary weekend or holiday closing, or trading is suspended or restricted; (2) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which delivery, disposal or evaluation of a Fund’s assets is not reasonably practicable; (3) for such other period as the Sponsor determines to be necessary for the protection of Shareholders; (4) if there is a possibility that any or all of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts of a Fund on the specific exchange where the Fund is traded and from which the NAV of the Fund is calculated will be priced at a daily price limit restriction; or (5) if, in the sole discretion of the Sponsor, the execution of such an order would not be in the best interest of a Fund or its Shareholders. In addition, the Trust will reject a redemption order if the order is not in proper form as described in the agreement with the Authorized Purchaser or if the fulfillment of the order, in the opinion of its counsel, might be unlawful. Any such postponement, suspension or rejection could adversely affect a redeeming Shareholder. For example, the resulting delay may adversely affect the value of the Shareholder’s redemption proceeds if the NAV of a Fund declines during the period of delay. The Trust Agreement provides that the Sponsor and its designees will not be liable for any loss or damage that may result from any such suspension or postponement. A minimum number of baskets and associated Shares are specified for each Fund in its Form S-1 and in Part I, Item 1 of this document. Once that minimum number of Shares outstanding is reached, there can be no further redemptions until there has been a Creation Basket.

The Intraday Indicative Value (“IIV”) and the Benchmark for each Fund are calculated and disseminated by the NYSE Arca under an agreement between the Sponsor and the NYSE Arca.  Additionally information may be calculated and disseminated under similar agreements between the Sponsor and other third party entities.  Although reasonable efforts are taken to ensure the accuracy of the information disseminated under this agreement, there may, from time to time, be recalculations of previously released information.

Third parties may assert that the Sponsor has infringed or otherwise violated their intellectual property rights. Third parties may independently develop business methods, trademarks or proprietary software and other technology similar to that of the Sponsor and claim that the Sponsor has violated their intellectual property rights, including their copyrights, trademark rights, trade names, trade secrets and patent rights. As a result, the Sponsor may have to litigate in the future to determine the validity and scope of other parties’ proprietary rights, or defend itself against claims that it has infringed or otherwise violated other parties’ rights. Any litigation of this type, even if the Sponsor is successful and regardless of the merits, may result in significant costs, may divert resources from the Fund, or may require the Sponsor to change its proprietary software and other technology or enter into royalty or licensing agreements. The Sponsor has a patent on certain business methods and procedures used with respect to the Funds. The Sponsor utilizes certain proprietary software. Any unauthorized use of such proprietary software, business methods and/or procedures could adversely affect the competitive advantage of the Sponsor or the Funds and/or cause the Sponsor to take legal action to protect its rights.

The Sponsor Has Limited Experience and May Have Conflicts of Interest

The Sponsor has limited experience operating commodity pools. The Sponsor currently sponsors five commodity pools, all of which have commenced operations. Prior to June 9, 2010, the Sponsor had never operated a commodity pool.

In managing and directing the day-to-day activities and affairs of these Funds, the Sponsor relies almost entirely on a small number of individuals, including Mr. Sal Gilbertie, Mr. Dale Riker, Mr. Steve Kahler and Ms. Barbara Riker. If Mr. Gilbertie, Mr. Riker, Mr. Kahler or Ms. Riker were to leave or be unable to carry out their present responsibilities, it may have an adverse effect on the management of the Funds. To the extent that the Sponsor establishes additional commodity pools, even greater demands will be placed on these individuals.

 

The Sponsor was formed for the purpose of managing the Trust, including all the Funds, and any other series of the Trust that may be formed in the future, and has been provided with capital primarily by its principals and a small number of outside investors. If the Sponsor operates at a loss for an extended period, its capital will be depleted, and it may be unable to obtain additional financing necessary to continue its operations. If the Sponsor were unable to continue to provide services to these Funds, the Funds would be terminated if a replacement sponsor could not be found.

You cannot be assured that the Sponsor will be willing or able to continue to service each Fund for any length of time. The Sponsor was formed for the purpose of sponsoring the Funds and other commodity pools, and has limited financial resources and no significant source of income apart from its management fees from such commodity pools to support its continued service for each Fund. If the Sponsor discontinues its activities on behalf of a Fund, the Fund may be adversely affected. If the Sponsor’s registrations with the CFTC or memberships in the NFA were revoked or suspended, the Sponsor would no longer be able to provide services to the Funds.

The structure and operation of the Funds may involve conflicts of interest. For example, a conflict may arise because the Sponsor and its principals and affiliates may trade for themselves. In addition, the Sponsor has sole current authority to manage the investments and operations, and the interests of the Sponsor may conflict with the Shareholders’ best interests, including the authority of the Sponsor to allocate expenses to and between the Funds.

The Performance of Each Fund May Not Correlate with the Applicable Benchmark

Each Fund has a limited operating history, so there is limited performance history to serve as a basis for you to evaluate an investment in the Fund.

If a Fund is required to sell Treasury Securities or cash equivalents at a price lower than the price at which they were acquired, the Fund will experience a loss. This loss may adversely impact the price of the Shares and may decrease the correlation between the price of the Shares, the Benchmark, and the spot price of the specific commodity interest or the commodity interests of the Underlying Funds in the case of TAGS. The value of Treasury Securities and other debt securities generally moves inversely with movements in interest rates. The prices of longer maturity securities are subject to greater market fluctuations as a result of changes in interest rates. While the short-term nature of a Fund’s investments in Treasury Securities and cash equivalents should minimize the interest rate risk to which the Fund is subject, it is possible that the Treasury Securities and cash equivalents held by the Fund will decline in value.

The Sponsor’s trading system is quantitative in nature, and it is possible that the Sponsor may make errors. In addition, it is possible that a computer or software program may malfunction and cause an error in computation.

Increases in assets under management may affect trading decisions. While all of the Funds’ assets are currently at manageable levels, the Sponsor does not intend to limit the amount of any Fund’s assets. The more assets the Sponsor manages, the more difficult it may be for it to trade profitably because of the difficulty of trading larger positions without adversely affecting prices and performance and of managing risk associated with larger positions.

Each Fund seeks to have the changes in its Shares’ NAV in percentage terms track changes in the Benchmark in percentage terms, rather than profit from speculative trading of the specific Commodity Interests, or the commodity interests of the Underlying Funds in the case of TAGS. The Sponsor therefore endeavors to manage each Fund so that the Fund’s assets are, unlike those of many other commodity pools, not leveraged (i.e., so that the aggregate amount of the Fund’s exposure to losses from its investments in specific Commodity Interests at any time will not exceed the value of the Fund’s assets). There is no assurance that the Sponsor will successfully implement this investment strategy. If the Sponsor permits a Fund to become leveraged, you could lose all or substantially all of your investment if the Fund’s trading positions suddenly turns unprofitable. These movements in price may be the result of factors outside of the Sponsor’s control and may not be anticipated by the Sponsor.

The Sponsor cannot predict to what extent the performance of the commodity interest will or will not correlate to the performance of other broader asset classes such as stocks and bonds. If the performance of a specific Fund were to move more directly with the financial markets, an investment in the Fund may provide you little or no diversification benefits. Thus, in a declining market, the Fund may have no gains to offset your losses from other investments, and you may suffer losses on your investment in the Fund at the same time you may incur losses with respect to other asset classes. Variables such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and other political events may have a larger impact on commodity and Commodity Interests prices than on traditional securities and broader financial markets. These additional variables may create additional investment risks that subject a Fund’s investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Lower correlation should not be confused with negative correlation, where the performance of two asset classes would be opposite of each other. There is no historic evidence that the spot price of a specific commodity, corn, for example, and prices of other financial assets, such as stocks and bonds, are negatively correlated. In the absence of negative correlation, a Fund cannot be expected to be automatically profitable during unfavorable periods for the stock market, or vice versa.

Under the Trust Agreement, the Trustee and the Sponsor are not liable, and have the right to be indemnified, for any liability or expense incurred absent gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee or Sponsor, as the case may be. That means the Sponsor may require the assets of a Fund to be sold in order to cover losses or liability suffered by the Sponsor or by the Trustee. Any sale of that kind would reduce the NAV of the Fund and the value of its Shares.

The Shares of a Fund are limited liability investments; Shareholders may not lose more than the amount that they invest plus any profits recognized on their investment. However, Shareholders could be required, as a matter of bankruptcy law, to return to the estate of the Fund any distribution they received at a time when the Fund was in fact insolvent or in violation of its Trust Agreement.

 

The price relationship between the near month Commodity Futures Contract to expire and the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts for each Fund, or the Underlying Funds in the case of TAGS, will vary and may impact both a Fund’s total return over time and the degree to which such total return tracks the total return of the specific commodity price indices. In cases in which the near month contract’s price is lower than later-expiring contracts’ prices (a situation known as “contango” in the futures markets), then absent the impact of the overall movement in the commodity specific prices the value of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to decline as they approach expiration which could cause the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts, and therefore the Fund’s total return, to track lower. In cases in which the near month contract’s price is higher than later-expiring contracts’ prices (a situation known as “backwardation” in the futures markets), then absent the impact of the overall movement in commodity specific prices, the value of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to rise as they approach expiration.

While it is expected that the trading prices of the Shares will fluctuate in accordance with the changes in a Fund’s NAV, the prices of Shares may also be influenced by various market factors, including but not limited to, the number of shares of the Fund outstanding and the liquidity of the underlying.  There is no guarantee that the Shares will not trade at appreciable discounts from, and/or premiums to, the Fund’s NAV.  This could cause the changes in the price of the Shares to substantially vary from the changes in the spot price of the underlying commodity, even if a Fund’s NAV was closely tracking movements in the spot price of that commodity.  If this occurs, you may incur a partial or complete loss of your investment. 

Investors, including those who directly participate in the specific commodity market, may choose to use a Fund as a vehicle to hedge against the risk of loss, and there are risks involved in hedging activities. While hedging can provide protection against an adverse movement in market prices, it can also preclude a hedger’s opportunity to benefit from a favorable market movement.

While it is not the current intention of the Funds to take physical delivery of any Commodity under its Commodity Interests, Commodity Futures Contracts are traditionally not cash-settled contracts, and it is possible to take delivery under these and some Other Interests. Storage costs associated with purchasing the specific commodity could result in costs and other liabilities that could impact the value of the Commodity Futures Contracts or certain Other Interests. Storage costs include the time value of money invested in the physical commodity plus the actual costs of storing the commodity less any benefits from ownership that are not obtained by the holder of a futures contract. In general, Commodity Futures Contracts have a one-month delay for contract delivery and the pricing of back month contracts (the back month is any future delivery month other than the spot month) includes storage costs. To the extent that these storage costs change for the commodity while a Fund holds the Commodity Interests, the value of the Commodity Interests, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, may change as well.

The design of each Fund’s Benchmark is such that the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts change throughout the year, and the Fund’s investments must be rolled periodically to reflect the changing composition of the Benchmark. For example, when the second-to-expire Commodity Futures Contract becomes the first-to-expire contract, such contract will no longer be a Benchmark Component Futures Contract and the Fund’s position in it will no longer be consistent with tracking the Benchmark. In the event of a commodity futures market where near-to-expire contracts trade at a higher price than longer-to-expire contracts, a situation referred to as “backwardation,” then absent the impact of the overall movement in the specific commodity prices of the Fund, the value of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to rise as they approach expiration. As a result, a Fund may benefit because it would be selling more expensive contracts and buying less expensive ones on an ongoing basis. Conversely, using corn as an example, in the event of a corn futures market where near-to-expire contracts trade at a lower price than longer-to-expire contracts, a situation referred to as “contango,” then absent the impact of the overall movement in corn prices the value of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to decline as they approach expiration. As a result the Fund’s total return may be lower than might otherwise be the case because it would be selling less expensive contracts and buying more expensive ones. The impact of backwardation and contango may lead the total return of a Fund to vary significantly from the total return of other price references, such as the spot price of the specific commodity. In the event of a prolonged period of contango, and absent the impact of rising or falling specific commodity prices, this could have a significant negative impact on a Fund’s NAV and total return.

The Sponsor may use spreads and straddles as part of its overall trading strategy to closely follow the Benchmark.  There is a risk that a Fund’s NAV may not closely track the change in its Benchmark. Spreads combine simultaneous long and short positions in related futures contracts that differ by commodity, by market or by delivery month (for example, long April, short November).  Spreads gain or lose value as a result of relative changes in price between the long and short positions.  Spreads often reduce risk to investors because the contracts tend to move up or down together.  However, both legs of the spread could move against an investor simultaneously, in which case the spread would lose value.  Certain types of spreads may face unlimited risk, e.g., because the price of a futures contract underlying a short position can increase by an unlimited amount and the investor would have to take delivery or offset at that price. A commodity straddle takes both long and short option position in the same commodity in the same market and delivery month simultaneously.  The buyer of a straddle profits if either the long or the short leg of the straddle moves further than the combined cost of both options.  The seller of the straddle profits if both the long and short positions do not trade beyond a range equal to the combined premium for selling both options. If the Sponsor were to utilize a spread or straddle position and the position performed differently than expected, the results could impact that Fund’s tracking error.  This could affect the Fund’s investment objective of having its NAV closely track the Benchmark.  Additionally, a loss on the position would negatively impact the Fund’s absolute return.

Position limits and daily price fluctuation limits set by the CFTC and the exchanges have the potential to cause tracking error, which could cause the price of Shares of the Fund to substantially vary from the Benchmark and prevent you from being able to effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against underlying commodity-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in the underlying commodity.

The Trust Structure and the Trust Agreement Provide Limited Shareholder Rights

You will have no rights to participate in the management of any of the Funds and will have to rely on the duties and judgment of the Sponsor to manage the Funds.

As interests in separate series of a Delaware statutory trust, the Shares do not involve the rights normally associated with the ownership of shares of a corporation (including, for example, the right to bring shareholder oppression and derivative actions). In addition, the Shares have limited voting and distribution rights (for example, Shareholders do not have the right to elect directors, as the Trust does not have a board of directors, and generally will not receive regular distributions of the net income and capital gains earned by the Fund). The Funds are also not subject to certain investor protection provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 and the NYSE Arca governance rules (for example, audit committee requirements).

Each Fund is a series of a Delaware statutory trust and not itself a legal entity separate from the other Funds.  The Delaware Statutory Trust Act provides that if certain provisions are included in the formation and governing documents of a statutory trust organized in series and if separate and distinct records are maintained for any series and the assets associated with that series are held in separate and distinct records and are accounted for in such separate and distinct records separately from the other assets of the statutory trust, or any series thereof, then the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred by a particular series are enforceable against the assets of such series only, and not against the assets of the statutory trust generally or any other series thereof.  Conversely, none of the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred with respect to any other series thereof is enforceable against the assets of such series.  The Sponsor is not aware of any court case that has interpreted this inter-series limitation on liability or provided any guidance as to what is required for compliance.  The Sponsor intends to maintain separate and distinct records for each Fund and account for each Fund separately from any other Trust series, but it is possible a court could conclude that the methods used do not satisfy the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, which would potentially expose assets in any Fund to the liabilities of one or more of the Funds and/or any other Trust series created in the future.

Neither the Sponsor nor the Trustee is obligated to, although each may, in its respective discretion, prosecute any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Fund property. The Trust Agreement does not confer upon Shareholders the right to prosecute any such action, suit or other proceeding.

 

Rapidly Changing Regulation May Adversely Affect the Ability of the Funds to Meet Their Investment Objectives

The regulation of futures markets, futures contracts, and futures exchanges has historically been comprehensive. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency including, for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position limits, increased margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading.

The regulation of commodity interest transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental and judicial action. Considerable regulatory attention has been focused on non-traditional investment pools that are publicly distributed in the United States. There is a possibility of future regulatory changes within the United States altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the Funds, or the ability of a Fund to continue to implement its investment strategy. In addition, various national governments outside of the United States have expressed concern regarding the disruptive effects of speculative trading in the commodities markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets in general. The effect of any future regulatory change on the Funds is impossible to predict but could be substantial and adverse.

For additional information regarding recent regulatory developments that may impact the Funds or the Trust, refer to the section entitled “Regulatory Considerations” section of this document.

There Is No Assurance that There Will Be a Liquid Market for the Shares of the Funds or the Funds’ Underlying Investments, which May Mean that Shareholders May Not be Able to Sell Their Shares at a Market Price Relatively Close to the NAV

If a substantial number of requests for redemption of Redemption Baskets are received by a Fund during a relatively short period of time, the Fund may not be able to satisfy the requests from the Fund’s assets not committed to trading. As a consequence, it could be necessary to liquidate the Fund’s trading positions before the time that its trading strategies would otherwise call for liquidation.

A portion of a Fund’s investments could be illiquid, which could cause large losses to investors at any time or from time to time.

A Fund may not always be able to liquidate its positions in its investments at the desired price. As to futures contracts, it may be difficult to execute a trade at a specific price when there is a relatively small volume of buy and sell orders in a market. Limits imposed by futures exchanges or other regulatory organizations, such as accountability levels, position limits and price fluctuation limits, may contribute to a lack of liquidity with respect to some exchange-traded commodity Interests. In addition, over-the-counter contracts and cleared swaps may be illiquid because they are contracts between two parties and generally may not be transferred by one party to a third party without the counterparty’s consent. Conversely, a counterparty may give its consent, but the Fund still may not be able to transfer an over-the-counter Commodity Interest to a third party due to concerns regarding the counterparty’s credit risk.

The exchanges set daily price fluctuation limits on futures contracts.  The daily price fluctuation limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of futures contracts may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price.  Once the daily price fluctuation limit has been reached in a particular futures contract, no trades may be made at a price beyond that limit.

On March 12, 2014, the CME announced that, subject to CFTC approval, it would replace its fixed price fluctuation limits with variable price limits. The change was approved and went into effect May 1, 2014. This change amended Appendix A, Chapter 10 (Corn Futures), Section 1012.D (Trading Specifications – Daily Price Limits) to read as follows:

Daily price limits for Corn futures are reset every six months. The first reset date would be the first trading day in May based on the following: Daily settlement prices are collected for the nearest July contract over 45 consecutive trading days before and on the business day prior to April 16th. The average price is calculated based on the collected settlement prices and then multiplied by seven percent. The resulting number rounded to the nearest 5 cents per bushel, or 20 cents per bushel, whichever is higher will be the new initial price limits for Corn futures and will become effective on the first trading day in May and will remain in effect through the last trading day in October.

The second reset date would be the first trading day in November based on the following: Daily settlement prices are collected for the nearest December contract over 45 consecutive trading days before and on the business day prior to October 16th. The average price is calculated based on the collected settlement prices and then multiplied by seven percent. The resulting number, rounded to the nearest 5 cents per bushel, or 20 cents per bushel, whichever is higher, will be the new initial price limits for Corn futures and will become effective on the first trading day in November and will remain in effect through the last trading day in next April.

There shall be no trading in Corn futures at a price more than the initial price limit above or below the previous day’s settlement price. Should two or more Corn futures contract months within the first five listed non-spot contracts (or the remaining contract month in a crop year, which is the September contract) settle at limit, the daily price limits for all contract months shall increase by 50 percent the next business day, rounded up to the nearest 5 cents per bushel. If no Corn futures contract month settles at the expanded limit the next business day, daily price limits for all contract months shall revert back to the initial price limit the following business day. There shall be no price limits on the current month contract on or after the second business day preceding the first day of the delivery month.

A market disruption, such as a foreign government taking political actions that disrupt the market in its currency, its commodity production or exports, or in another major export, can also make it difficult to liquidate a position. Unexpected market illiquidity may cause major losses to investors at any time or from time to time. In addition, no Fund intends at this time to establish a credit facility, which would provide an additional source of liquidity, but instead will rely only on the Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents that it holds to meet its liquidity needs. The anticipated large value of the positions in a specific Commodity Interest that the Sponsor will acquire or enter into for a Fund increases the risk of illiquidity. Because Commodity Interests may be illiquid, a Fund’s holdings may be more difficult to liquidate at favorable prices in periods of illiquid markets and losses may be incurred during the period in which positions are being liquidated.

 

A Fund may invest in Other Commodity Interests. To the extent that these Other Commodity Interests are contracts individually negotiated between their parties, they may not be as liquid as Commodity Futures Contracts and will expose the Fund to credit risk that its counterparty may not be able to satisfy its obligations to the Fund.

The changing nature of the participants in the commodity specific market will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price. Producers of the specific commodity will typically seek to hedge against falling commodity prices by selling Commodity Futures Contracts. Therefore, if commodity producers become the predominant hedgers in the futures market, prices of Commodity Futures Contracts will typically be below expected future spot prices. Conversely, if the predominant hedgers in the futures market are the purchasers of the commodity, who purchase Commodity Futures Contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, prices of the Commodity Futures Contracts will likely be higher than expected future spot prices. This can have significant implications for a Fund when it is time to sell a Commodity Futures Contract that is no longer a Benchmark Component Futures Contract and purchase a new Commodity Futures Contract or to sell a Commodity Futures Contract to meet redemption requests.

A Fund’s NAV includes, in part, any unrealized profits or losses on open swap agreements, futures or forward contracts. Under normal circumstances, the NAV reflects the quoted exchange settlement price of open futures contracts on the date when the NAV is being calculated. In instances when the quoted settlement price of a futures contract traded on an exchange may not be reflective of fair value based on market condition, generally due to the operation of daily limits or other rules of the exchange or otherwise, the NAV may not reflect the fair value of open future contracts on such date. For purposes of financial statements and reports, the Sponsor will recalculate the NAV where necessary to reflect the “fair value” of a Futures Contract when the Futures Contract closes at its price fluctuation limit for the day.

In the event that one or more Authorized Purchasers that are actively involved in purchasing and selling Shares cease to be so involved, the liquidity of the Shares will likely decrease, which could adversely affect the market price of the Shares and result in your incurring a loss on your investment.  In addition, a decision by a market maker or lead market maker to cease activities for the Fund could adversely affect liquidity, the spread between the bid and ask quotes, and potentially the price of the Shares.  The Sponsor can make no guarantees that participation by Authorized Purchasers or market makers will continue.

If a minimum number of Shares is outstanding for a Fund, market makers may be less willing to purchase Shares of that Fund in the secondary market which may limit your ability to sell Shares. There are a minimum number of baskets and associated Shares specified for each Fund. Once the minimum number of baskets is reached, there can be no more redemptions by an Authorized Purchaser of that Fund until there has been a Creation Basket. In such case, market makers may be less willing to purchase Shares of that Fund from investors in the secondary market, which may in turn limit the ability of Shareholders of that Fund to sell their Shares in the secondary market.

Trading in Shares of a Fund may be halted due to market conditions or, in light of NYSE Arca rules and procedures, for reasons that, in the view of the NYSE Arca, make trading in Shares inadvisable.  In addition, trading is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules that require trading to be halted for a specified period based on a specified market decline.  There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing of the Shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.  A Fund will be terminated if its Shares are delisted.

There is Credit Risk Associated with the Operation of the Funds, Service Providers and Counter-Parties Which May Cause an Investment Loss

For all of the Funds except for TAGS, the majority of each Fund’s assets are held in short-term Treasury Securities, cash and/or cash equivalents with the Custodian, although the Sponsor may choose to place any cash on deposit with an alternate financial institution unrelated to the Custodian (“Financial Institution”). Any cash or cash equivalents invested by a Fund will be rated in the highest short-term rating category by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization or will be deemed by the Sponsor to be of comparable quality. 

The insolvency of the Custodian or any Financial Institution in which funds are deposited could result in a complete loss of a Fund’s assets held by the Custodian or the Financial Institution, which, at any given time, would likely comprise a substantial portion of a Fund’s total assets. Assets deposited with the Custodian or a Financial Institution may, at times, exceed federally insured limits. For TAGS, the vast majority of the Fund’s assets are held in Shares of the Underlying Funds. The failure or insolvency of the Custodian or the Financial Institution could impact the ability to access in a timely manner TAGS’ assets held by the Custodian.

Under CFTC regulations, a clearing broker with respect to a Fund’s exchange-traded Commodity Interests must maintain customers’ assets in a bulk segregated account. If a clearing broker fails to do so, or is unable to satisfy a substantial deficit in a customer account, its other customers may be subject to risk of a substantial loss of their funds in the event of that clearing broker’s bankruptcy. In that event, the clearing broker’s customers, such as a Fund, are entitled to recover, even in respect of property specifically traceable to them, only a proportional share of all property available for distribution to all of that clearing broker’s customers. A Fund also may be subject to the risk of the failure of, or delay in performance by, any exchanges and markets and their clearing organizations, if any, on which Commodity Interests are traded. From time to time, the clearing brokers may be subject to legal or regulatory proceedings in the ordinary course of their business. A clearing broker’s involvement in costly or time-consuming legal proceedings may divert financial resources or personnel away from the clearing broker’s trading operations, which could impair the clearing broker’s ability to successfully execute and clear a Fund’s trades. For additional information regarding recent regulatory developments that may impact the Funds or the Trust, refer to the section entitled “Regulatory Considerations” section of this document.

Commodity pools’ trading positions in futures contracts or other commodity interests are typically required to be secured by the deposit of margin funds that represent only a small percentage of a futures contract’s (or other commodity interest’s) entire market value. This feature permits commodity pools to “leverage” their assets by purchasing or selling futures contracts (or other commodity interests) with an aggregate notional amount in excess of the commodity pool’s assets. While this leverage can increase a pool’s profits, relatively small adverse movements in the price of a pool’s commodity interests can cause significant losses to the pool. While the Sponsor does not intend to leverage the Funds’ assets, it is not prohibited from doing so under the Trust Agreement. If the Sponsor were to cause or permit a Fund to become leveraged, you could lose all or substantially all of your investment if the Fund’s trading positions suddenly turns unprofitable.

An “exchange for related position” (“EFRP”) can be used by the Fund as a technique to facilitate the exchanging of a futures hedge position against a creation or redemption order, and thus the Fund may use an EFRP transaction in connection with the creation and redemption of shares. The market specialist/market maker that is the ultimate purchaser or seller of shares in connection with the creation or redemption basket, respectively, agrees to sell or purchase a corresponding offsetting futures position which is then settled on the same business day as a cleared futures transaction by the FCMs.  The Fund will become subject to the credit risk of the market specialist/market maker until the EFRP is settled or terminated.  The Fund reports all activity related to EFRP transactions under the procedures and guidelines of the CFTC and the exchanges on which the futures are traded.

 

A portion of the Fund’s assets may be used to trade over-the-counter Commodity Interests, such as forward contracts or swaps. Currently, over-the-counter contracts are typically traded on a principal-to-principal non-cleared basis through dealer markets that are dominated by major money center and investment banks and other institutions and that prior to the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act had been essentially unregulated by the CFTC, although this is an area of pending, substantial regulatory change. The markets for over-the-counter contracts will continue to rely upon the integrity of market participants in lieu of the additional regulation imposed by the CFTC on participants in the futures markets. To date, the forward markets have been largely unregulated, forward contracts have been executed bi-laterally and, in general historically, forward contracts have not been cleared or guaranteed by a third party. On November 16, 2012, the Secretary of the Treasury issued a final determination that exempts both foreign exchange swaps and foreign exchange forwards from the definition of “swap” and, by extension, additional regulatory requirements (such as clearing and margin). The final determination does not extend to other FX derivatives, such as FX options, certain currency swaps, and non-deliverable forwards. While the Dodd-Frank Act and certain regulations adopted thereunder are intended to provide additional protections to participants in the over-the-counter market, the lack of regulation in these markets could expose the Fund in certain circumstances to significant losses in the event of trading abuses or financial failure by participants. While increased regulation of over-the-counter Commodity Interests is likely to result from changes that are required to be effectuated by the Dodd-Frank Act, there is no guarantee that such increased regulation will be effective to reduce these risks. 

Each Fund faces the risk of non-performance by the counterparties to the over-the-counter contracts. Unlike in futures contracts, the counterparty to these contracts is generally a single bank or other financial institution, rather than a clearing organization backed by a group of financial institutions. As a result, there will be greater counterparty credit risk in these transactions. A counterparty may not be able to meet its obligations to a Fund, in which case the Fund could suffer significant losses on these contracts. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, a Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding. During any such period, the Fund may have difficulty in determining the value of its contracts with the counterparty, which in turn could result in the overstatement or understatement of the Fund’s NAV. The Fund may eventually obtain only limited recovery or no recovery in such circumstances.

Over-the-counter contracts may have terms that make them less marketable than Futures Contracts or cleared swaps. Over-the-counter contracts are less marketable because they are not traded on an exchange, do not have uniform terms and conditions, and are entered into based upon the creditworthiness of the parties and the availability of credit support, such as collateral, and in general, they are not transferable without the consent of the counterparty. These conditions make such contracts less liquid than standardized futures contracts traded on a commodities exchange and diminish the ability to realize the full value of such contracts. In addition, even if collateral is used to reduce counterparty credit risk, sudden changes in the value of over-the-counter transactions may leave a party open to financial risk due to a counterparty default since the collateral held may not cover a party’s exposure on the transaction in such situations. In general, valuing OTC derivatives is less certain than valuing actively traded financial instruments such as exchange traded futures contracts and securities or cleared swaps because the price and terms on which such OTC derivatives are entered into or can be terminated are individually negotiated, and those prices and terms may not reflect the best price or terms available from other sources. In addition, while market makers and dealers generally quote indicative prices or terms for entering into or terminating OTC contracts, they typically are not contractually obligated to do so, particularly if they are not a party to the transaction. As a result, it may be difficult to obtain an independent value for an outstanding OTC derivatives transaction.

There are Risks Associated with Trading in International Markets

A significant portion of the Futures Contracts entered into by the Funds is traded on United States exchanges.  However, a portion of the Funds’ trades may take place on markets or exchanges outside the United States.  Some non-U.S. markets present risks because they are not subject to the same degree of regulation as their U.S. counterparts.  None of the CFTC, NFA, or any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign boards of trade or exchanges, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, nor has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign board of trade or exchange or of any applicable non-U.S. laws.  Similarly, the rights of market participants, such as the Funds, in the event of the insolvency or bankruptcy of a non-U.S. market or broker are also likely to be more limited than in the case of U.S. markets or brokers.  As a result, in these markets, the Funds have less legal and regulatory protection than it does when they trade domestically. Currently the Funds do not place trades on any markets or exchanges outside of the United States and do not anticipate doing so in the foreseeable future. In some of these non-U.S. markets, the performance on a futures contract is the responsibility of the counterparty and is not backed by an exchange or clearing corporation and therefore exposes the Funds to credit risk.  Additionally, trading on non-U.S. exchanges is subject to the risks presented by exchange controls, expropriation, increased tax burdens and exposure to local economic declines and political instability.  An adverse development with respect to any of these variables could reduce the profit or increase the loss earned on trades in the affected international markets.

The price of any non-U.S. Commodity Interest and, therefore, the potential profit and loss on such investment, may be affected by any variance in the foreign exchange rate between the time the order is placed and the time it is liquidated, offset or exercised. As a result, changes in the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar may cause losses to a Fund even if the contract is profitable. The Funds invest primarily in Commodity Interests that are traded or sold in the United States. However, a portion of the trades for a Fund may take place in markets and on exchanges outside the United States. Some non-U.S. markets present risks because they are not subject to the same degree of regulation as their U.S. counterparts. In some of these non-U.S. markets, the performance on a contract is the responsibility of the counterparty and is not backed by an exchange or clearing corporation and therefore exposes a Fund to credit risk. Trading in non-U.S. markets also leaves a Fund susceptible to fluctuations in the value of the local currency against the U.S. dollar.

Some non-U.S. exchanges also may be in a more developmental stage so that prior price histories may not be indicative of current price dynamics. In addition, a Fund may not have the same access to certain positions on foreign trading exchanges as do local traders, and the historical market data on which the Sponsor bases its strategies may not be as reliable or accessible as it is for U.S. exchanges.

The Funds are Treated as Partnerships for Tax Purposes which Means that There May be a Lack of Certainty as to Tax Treatment for an Investor’s Gains and Losses

Cash or property will be distributed at the sole discretion of the Sponsor, and the Sponsor currently does not intend to make cash or other distributions with respect to Shares. You will be required to pay U.S. federal income tax and, in some cases, state, local, or foreign income tax, on your allocable share of a Fund’s taxable income, without regard to whether you receive distributions or the amount of any distributions. Therefore, the tax liability resulting from your ownership of Shares may exceed the amount of cash or value of property (if any) distributed.

Due to the application of the assumptions and conventions applied by a Fund in making allocations for U.S. federal income tax purposes and other factors, your allocable share of the Fund’s income, gain, deduction or loss may be different than your economic profit or loss from your Shares for a taxable year. This difference could be temporary or permanent and, if permanent, could result in your being taxed on amounts in excess of your economic income.

The Funds are treated as partnerships for United States federal income tax purposes. The U.S. tax rules pertaining to entities taxed as partnerships are complex and their application to publicly traded partnerships such as the Funds are in many respects uncertain. The Funds apply certain assumptions and conventions in an attempt to comply with the intent of the applicable rules and to report taxable income, gains, deductions, losses and credits in a manner that properly reflects Shareholders’ economic gains and losses. These assumptions and conventions may not fully comply with all aspects of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and applicable Treasury Regulations, however, and it is possible that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) will successfully challenge our allocation methods and require us to reallocate items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit in a manner that adversely affects you. If this occurs, you may be required to file an amended tax return and to pay additional taxes plus deficiency interest.

 

The Trust has received an opinion of counsel that, under current U.S. federal income tax laws, the Funds will be treated as partnerships that are not taxable as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes, provided that (i) at least 90 percent of each Fund’s annual gross income consists of “qualifying income” as defined in the Code, (ii) the Funds are organized and operated in accordance with its governing agreements and applicable law, and (iii) the Funds do not elect to be taxed as corporations for federal income tax purposes. Although the Sponsor anticipates that the Funds have satisfied and will continue to satisfy the “qualifying income” requirement for all of its taxable years, that result cannot be assured. The Funds have not requested and will not request any ruling from the IRS with respect to its classification as partnerships not taxable as corporations for federal income tax purposes. If the IRS were to successfully assert that the Funds are taxable as corporations for federal income tax purposes in any taxable year, rather than passing through its income, gains, losses and deductions proportionately to Shareholders, each Fund would be subject to tax on its net income for the year at corporate tax rates. In addition, although the Sponsor does not currently intend to make distributions with respect to Shares, any distributions would be taxable to Shareholders as dividend income. Taxation of the Funds as corporations could materially reduce the after-tax return on an investment in Shares and could substantially reduce the value of your Shares.

Risks Specific to the Teucrium Corn Fund

Investors may choose to use the Fund as a means of investing indirectly in corn, and there are risks involved in such investments. The risks and hazards that are inherent in corn production may cause the price of corn to fluctuate widely. Price movements for corn are influenced by, among other things: weather conditions, crop failure, production decisions, governmental policies, changing demand, the corn harvest cycle, and various economic and monetary events. Corn production is also subject to U.S. federal, state and local regulations that materially affect operations.

The price movements for corn are influenced by, among other things, weather conditions, crop disease, transportation difficulties, various planting, growing and harvesting problems, governmental policies, changing demand, and seasonal fluctuations in supply. More generally, commodity prices may be influenced by economic and monetary events such as changes in interest rates, changes in balances of payments and trade, U.S. and international inflation rates, currency valuations and devaluations, U.S. and international economic events, and changes in the philosophies and emotions of market participants. Because the Fund invests primarily in interests in a single commodity, it is not a diversified investment vehicle, and therefore may be subject to greater volatility than a diversified portfolio of stocks or bonds or a more diversified commodity pool.

The Fund is subject to the risks and hazards of the corn market because it invests in Corn Interests. The risks and hazards that are inherent in the corn market may cause the price of corn to fluctuate widely. If the changes in percentage terms of the Fund’s Shares accurately track the percentage changes in the Benchmark or the spot price of corn, then the price of its Shares will fluctuate accordingly.

The price and availability of corn is influenced by economic and industry conditions, including but not limited to supply and demand factors such as: crop disease and infestation (including, but not limited to, Leaf Blight, Ear Rot and Root Rot); transportation difficulties; various planting, growing, or harvesting problems; and severe weather conditions (particularly during the spring planting season and the fall harvest) such as drought, floods, or frost that are difficult to anticipate and which cannot be controlled. Demand for corn in the United States to produce ethanol has also been a significant factor affecting the price of corn. In turn, demand for ethanol has tended to increase when the price of gasoline has increased, and has been significantly affected by United States governmental policies designed to encourage the production of ethanol. Recent changes in government policy have the potential to reduce the demand for ethanol over the next several years. Additionally, demand for corn is affected by changes in consumer tastes, national, regional and local economic conditions, and demographic trends. Finally, because corn is often used as an ingredient in livestock feed, demand for corn is subject to risks associated with the outbreak of livestock disease.

Corn production is subject to United States federal, state, and local policies and regulations that materially affect operations. Governmental policies affecting the agricultural industry, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies, incentives, acreage control, and import and export restrictions on agricultural commodities and commodity products, can influence the planting of certain crops, the location and size of crop production, the volume and types of imports and exports, the availability and competitiveness of feedstocks as raw materials, and industry profitability. Additionally, corn production is affected by laws and regulations relating to, but not limited to, the sourcing, transporting, storing, and processing of agricultural raw materials as well as the transporting, storing and distributing of related agricultural products. U.S. corn producers also must comply with various environmental laws and regulations, such as those regulating the use of certain pesticides, and local laws that regulate the production of genetically modified crops. In addition, international trade disputes can adversely affect agricultural commodity trade flows by limiting or disrupting trade between countries or regions.

Seasonal fluctuations in the price of corn may cause risk to an investor because of the possibility that Share prices will be depressed because of the corn harvest cycle. In the United States, the corn market is normally at its weakest point, and corn prices are lowest, shortly before and during the harvest (between September and November), due to the high supply of corn in the market. Conversely, corn prices are generally highest during the winter and spring (between December and May), when farmer-owned corn has largely been sold and used. Seasonal corn market peaks generally occur around February or March. These normal market conditions are, however, often influenced by weather patterns, and domestic and global economic conditions, among others factors, and any specific year may not necessarily follow the traditional seasonal fluctuations described above. In the futures market, these seasonal fluctuations are typically reflected in contracts expiring in the relevant season (e.g., contracts expiring during the harvest season are typically priced lower than contracts expiring in the winter and spring). Thus, seasonal fluctuations could result in an investor incurring losses upon the sale of Fund Shares, particularly if the investor needs to sell Shares when the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts are, in whole or part, Corn Futures Contracts expiring in the fall.

The CFTC and U.S. designated contract markets such as the CBOT have established position limits on the maximum net long or net short futures contracts in commodity interests that any person or group of persons under common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by the Fund is not) may hold, own or control. For example, the current position limit for investments at any one time in Corn Futures Contracts are 600 spot month contracts, 33,000 contracts expiring in any other single month, and 33,000 total for all months. Cleared Corn Swaps are subject to position limits of 33,000 in any single month and 33,000 total for all months, and are measured separately from, the limits on Corn Futures Contracts. However, under rules proposed by the CFTC, Corn Futures Contracts, Cleared Corn Swaps, and over-the-counter corn contracts will be subject to a single position limit. These position limits are fixed ceilings that the Fund would not be able to exceed without specific CFTC authorization.

All of these limits may potentially cause a tracking error between the price of the Shares and the Benchmark. This may in turn prevent you from being able to effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against corn-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in corn.

 

The Fund does not intend to limit the size of the offering and will attempt to expose substantially all of its proceeds to the corn market utilizing Corn Interests. If the Fund encounters position limits, accountability levels, or price fluctuation limits for Corn Futures Contracts and/or Cleared Corn Swaps on the CBOT, it may then, if permitted under applicable regulatory requirements, purchase Other Corn Interests and/or Corn Futures Contracts listed on foreign exchanges. However, the Corn Futures Contracts available on such foreign exchanges may have different underlying sizes, deliveries, and prices. In addition, the Corn Futures Contracts available on these exchanges may be subject to their own position limits and accountability levels. In any case, notwithstanding the potential availability of these instruments in certain circumstances, position limits could force the Fund to limit the number of Creation Baskets that it sells.

Risks Specific to the Teucrium Soybean Fund

Investors may choose to use the Fund as a means of investing indirectly in soybeans, and there are risks involved in such investments.  The risks and hazards that are inherent in soybean production may cause the price of soybean to fluctuate widely.  Global price movements for soybean are influenced by, among other things: weather conditions, crop failure, production decisions, governmental policies, changing demand, the soybean harvest cycle, and various economic and monetary events.  Soybean production is also subject to domestic and foreign regulations that materially affect operations.

As discussed in more detail above, price movements for soybeans are influenced by, among other things, weather conditions, crop disease, transportation difficulties, various planting, growing and harvesting problems, governmental policies, changing demand, and seasonal fluctuations in supply.  More generally, commodity prices may be influenced by economic and monetary events such as changes in interest rates, changes in balances of payments and trade, U.S. and international inflation rates, currency valuations and devaluations, U.S. and international economic events, and changes in the philosophies and emotions of market participants.  Because the Fund invests primarily in interests in a single commodity, it is not a diversified investment vehicle, and therefore may be subject to greater volatility than a diversified portfolio of stocks or bonds or a more diversified commodity pool.

The Fund is subject to the risks and hazards of the soybean market because it invests in Soybean Interests.  The risks and hazards that are inherent in the soybean market may cause the price of soybeans to fluctuate widely.  If the changes in percentage terms of the Fund’s Shares accurately track the percentage changes in the Benchmark or the spot price of soybeans, then the price of its Shares will fluctuate accordingly.

The price and availability of soybeans is influenced by economic and industry conditions, including but not limited to supply and demand factors such as: crop disease; weed control; water availability; various planting, growing, or harvesting problems; severe weather conditions such as drought, floods, heavy rains, frost, or natural disasters that are difficult to anticipate and which cannot be controlled; uncontrolled fires, including arson; challenges in doing business with foreign companies; legal and regulatory restrictions; transportation costs; interruptions in energy supply; currency exchange rate fluctuations; and political and economic instability.  Additionally, demand for soybeans is affected by changes in international, national, regional and local economic conditions, and demographic trends.  The increased production of soybean crops in South America and the rising demand for soybeans in emerging nations such as China and India have increased competition in the soybean market.

The supply of soybeans could be reduced by the spread of soybean rust.  Soybean rust is a wind-borne fungal disease that attacks soybeans.  Although soybean rust can be killed with chemicals, chemical treatment increases production costs for farmers.

Soybean production is subject to United States and foreign policies and regulations that materially affect operations.  Governmental policies affecting the agricultural industry, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies, incentives, acreage control, and import and export restrictions on agricultural commodities and commodity products, can influence the planting of certain crops, the location and size of crop production, the volume and types of imports and exports, and industry profitability.  Additionally, soybean production is affected by laws and regulations relating to, but not limited to, the sourcing, transporting, storing and processing of agricultural raw materials as well as the transporting, storing and distributing of related agricultural products.  Soybean producers also may need to comply with various environmental laws and regulations, such as those regulating the use of certain pesticides.  In addition, international trade disputes can adversely affect agricultural commodity trade flows by limiting or disrupting trade between countries or regions.

Because processing soybean oil can create trans-fats, the demand for soybean oil may decrease due to heightened governmental regulation of trans-fats or trans-fatty acids.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently requires food manufacturers to disclose levels of trans-fats contained in their products, and various local governments have enacted or are considering restrictions on the use of trans-fats in restaurants.  Several food processors have either switched or indicated an intention to switch to oil products with lower levels of trans-fats or trans-fatty acids.

In recent years, there has been increased global interest in the production of biofuels as alternatives to traditional fossil fuels and as a means of promoting energy independence.  Soybeans can be converted into biofuels such as biodiesel.  Accordingly, the soybean market has become increasingly affected by demand for biofuels and related legislation.

The costs related to soybean production could increase and soybean supply could decrease as a result of restrictions on the use of genetically modified soybeans, including requirements to segregate genetically modified soybeans and the products generated from them from other soybean products.

Seasonal fluctuations in the price of soybeans may cause risk to an investor because of the possibility that Share prices will be depressed because of the soybean harvest cycle.  In the futures market, fluctuations are typically reflected in contracts expiring in the harvest season (i.e., contracts expiring during the fall are typically priced lower than contracts expiring in the winter and spring).  Thus, seasonal fluctuations could result in an investor incurring losses upon the sale of Fund Shares, particularly if the investor needs to sell Shares when the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts are, in whole or part, Soybean Futures Contracts expiring in the fall.

The CFTC and U.S. designated contract markets have established position limits on the maximum net long or net short futures contracts in commodity interests that any person or group of persons under common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by the Fund is not) may hold, own or control.  For example, the current position limit for investments at any one time in the Soybean Futures Contracts are 600 spot month contracts, 15,000 contracts expiring in any other single month, and 15,000 total for all months.  Cleared Soybean Swaps (i.e., Soybean Calendar Swaps as currently offered on the CBOT) are subject to position limits that are currently measured separately from the limits on Soybean Futures Contracts.  The position limits for Cleared Soybeans Swaps are 15,000 contracts expiring in any other single month, and 15,000 total for all months.  However, under rules proposed by the CFTC, Soybean Futures Contracts, Cleared Soybean Swaps, and over-the-counter soybean contracts will be subject to a single position limit. These position limits are fixed ceilings that the Fund would not be able to exceed without specific CFTC authorization.

 

All of these limits may potentially cause a tracking error between the price of the Shares and the Benchmark.  This may in turn prevent you from being able to effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against soybean-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in soybeans.

If the Fund encounters position limits or price fluctuation limits for Soybean Futures Contracts and/or Cleared Soybean Swaps on the CBOT, it may then, if permitted under applicable regulatory requirements, purchase Other Soybean Interests and/or Soybean Futures Contracts listed on foreign exchanges.  However, the Soybean Futures Contracts available on such foreign exchanges may have different underlying sizes, deliveries, and prices.  In addition, the Soybean Futures Contracts available on these exchanges may be subject to their own position limits or similar restrictions.  In any case, notwithstanding the potential availability of these instruments in certain circumstances, position limits could force the Fund to limit the number of Creation Baskets that it sells.

Risks Specific to the Teucrium Sugar Fund

Investors may choose to use the Fund as a means of investing indirectly in sugar, and there are risks involved in such investments.  The risks and hazards that are inherent in sugar production may cause the price of sugar to fluctuate widely.  Global price movements for sugar are influenced by, among other things: weather conditions, crop failure, production decisions, governmental policies, changing demand, the sugar harvest cycle, and various economic and monetary events.  Sugar production is also subject to domestic and foreign regulations that materially affect operations.

As discussed in more detail above, price movements for sugar are influenced by, among other things, weather conditions, crop disease, transportation difficulties, various planting, growing and harvesting problems, governmental policies, changing demand, and seasonal fluctuations in supply.  More generally, commodity prices may be influenced by economic and monetary events such as changes in interest rates, changes in balances of payments and trade, U.S. and international inflation rates, currency valuations and devaluations, U.S. and international economic events, and changes in the philosophies and emotions of market participants.  Because the Fund invests primarily in interests in a single commodity, it is not a diversified investment vehicle, and therefore may be subject to greater volatility than a diversified portfolio of stocks or bonds or a more diversified commodity pool.

The Fund is subject to the risks and hazards of the world sugar market because it invests in Sugar Interests.  The two primary sources for the production of sugar are sugarcane and sugar beets, both of which are grown in various countries around the world.  The risks and hazards that are inherent in the world sugar market may cause the price of sugar to fluctuate widely.  If the changes in percentage terms of the Fund’s Shares accurately track the percentage changes in the Benchmark or the spot price of sugar, then the price of its Shares will fluctuate accordingly.

The global price and availability of sugar is influenced by economic and industry conditions, including but not limited to supply and demand factors such as: crop disease; weed control; water availability; various planting, growing, or harvesting problems; severe weather conditions such as drought, floods, or frost that are difficult to anticipate and which cannot be controlled; uncontrolled fires, including arson; challenges in doing business with foreign companies; legal and regulatory restrictions; fluctuation of shipping rates; currency exchange rate fluctuations; and political and economic instability.  Global demand for sugar to produce ethanol has also been a significant factor affecting the price of sugar.  Additionally, demand for sugar is affected by changes in consumer tastes, national, regional and local economic conditions, and demographic trends.  The spread of consumerism and the rising affluence of emerging nations such as China and India have created demand for sugar.  An influx of people in developing countries moving from rural to urban areas may create more disposable income to be spent on sugar products, and might also reduce sugar production in rural areas on account of worker shortages, all of which would result in upward pressure on sugar prices.  On the other hand, public health concerns regarding obesity, heart disease and diabetes, particularly in developed countries, may reduce demand for sugar.  In light of the time it takes to grow sugarcane and sugar beets and the cost of new facilities for processing these crops, it may not be possible to increase supply quickly or in a cost-effective manner in response to an increase in demand for sugar.

Sugar production is subject to United States and foreign policies and regulations that materially affect operations.  Governmental policies affecting the agricultural industry, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies, incentives, acreage control, and import and export restrictions on agricultural commodities and commodity products, can influence the planting of certain crops, the location and size of crop production, the volume and types of imports and exports, and industry profitability.  Many foreign countries subsidize sugar production, resulting in lower prices, but this has led other countries, including the United States, to impose tariffs and import restrictions on sugar imports.  Sugar producers also may need to comply with various environmental laws and regulations, such as those regulating the use of certain pesticides.

Seasonal fluctuations in the price of sugar may cause risk to an investor because of the possibility that Share prices will be depressed because of the sugar harvest cycle.  In the futures market, contracts expiring during the harvest season are typically priced lower than contracts expiring in the winter and spring.  While the sugar harvest seasons varies from country to country, prices of Sugar Futures Contracts tend to be lowest in the late spring and early summer, reflecting the harvest season in Brazil, the world’s leading producer of sugarcane.  Thus, seasonal fluctuations could result in an investor incurring losses upon the sale of Fund Shares, particularly if the investor needs to sell Shares when the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts are, in whole or part, Sugar Futures Contracts expiring in the late spring or early summer.

U.S. designated contract markets such as the ICE Futures and the NYMEX have established position limits and accountability levels on the maximum net long or net short Sugar Futures Contracts that any person or group of persons under common trading control may hold, own or control.  The CFTC has not currently set position limits for Sugar Futures Contracts, and the ICE Futures and the NYMEX have established position limits only on spot month Sugar No. 11 Futures Contracts. For example, the ICE Futures’ position limit for Sugar No. 11 Futures Contracts is 5,000 spot month contracts, whereas the NYMEX Sugar No. 11 Futures limit is 1,000 contracts, generally applicable only during the last month before expiration and limits on 9,000 contracts for a single month or cumulative amount. All Sugar Futures Contracts held under the control of the Sponsor, including those held by any future series of the Trust, will be aggregated in determining the application of these position limits. However, because spot month contracts are not Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and the Fund’s roll strategy calls for the sale of all spot month Sugar No.11 Futures Contracts prior to the time the position limits would become applicable, it is unlikely that position limits on Sugar Futures Contracts will come into play.

NYMEX has designated position limits on NYMEX No. 11 Sugar futures of 1,000 contracts for Expiration Month.  In addition, accountability levels of 9,000 contracts for any one month and a maximum of 9,000 contracts for all combined months have been established.

 

In contrast to position limits, accountability levels are not fixed ceilings, but rather thresholds above which an exchange may exercise greater scrutiny and control over an investor, including by imposing position limits on the investor.  For example, the current ICE Futures-established accountability level for investments in Sugar No. 11 Futures Contracts for any one month is 10,000, and the accountability level for all combined months is 15,000.  (The current accountability level for Sugar No. 11 Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX is 9,000 for any one month, and 9,000 for all combined months, and ICE Futures has established no accountability level with regard to Sugar No. 16 Futures Contracts.  However, ICE Futures has established position limits for Sugar No. 16 Futures Contracts of 1,000 for any one month, and 1,000 for all combined months.)   However, under rules proposed by the CFTC, Sugar Futures Contracts and over-the-counter sugar contracts will be subject to a single position limit.  Even though accountability levels are not fixed ceilings, the Fund does not intend to invest in Sugar Futures Contracts in excess of any applicable accountability levels. 

All of these limits may potentially cause a tracking error between the price of the Shares and the Benchmark.  This may in turn prevent you from being able to effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against sugar-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in sugar.

If the Fund encounters accountability levels, position limits, or price fluctuation limits for Sugar Futures Contracts on ICE Futures, it may then, if permitted under applicable regulatory requirements, purchase Other Sugar Interests and/or Sugar Futures Contracts listed on the NYMEX or foreign exchanges.  However, the Sugar Futures Contracts available on such foreign exchanges may have different underlying sizes, deliveries, and prices.  In addition, the Sugar Futures Contracts available on these exchanges may be subject to their own position limits and accountability levels.  In any case, notwithstanding the potential availability of these instruments in certain circumstances, position limits could force the Fund to limit the number of Creation Baskets that it sells.

Risks Specific to the Teucrium Wheat Fund

Investors may choose to use the Fund as a means of investing indirectly in wheat, and there are risks involved in such investments.  The risks and hazards that are inherent in wheat production may cause the price of wheat to fluctuate widely.  Price movements for wheat are influenced by, among other things: weather conditions, crop failure, production decisions, governmental policies, changing demand, the wheat harvest cycle, and various economic and monetary events.  Wheat production is also subject to U.S. federal, state and local regulations that materially affect operations.

As discussed in more detail above, price movements for wheat are influenced by, among other things, weather conditions, crop disease, transportation difficulties, various planting, growing and harvesting problems, governmental policies, changing demand, and seasonal fluctuations in supply.  More generally, commodity prices may be influenced by economic and monetary events such as changes in interest rates, changes in balances of payments and trade, U.S. and international inflation rates, currency valuations and devaluations, U.S. and international economic events, and changes in the philosophies and emotions of market participants.  Because the Fund invests primarily in interests in a single commodity, it is not a diversified investment vehicle, and therefore may be subject to greater volatility than a diversified portfolio of stocks or bonds or a more diversified commodity pool.

The Fund is subject to the risks and hazards of the wheat market because it invests in Wheat Interests.  The risks and hazards that are inherent in the wheat market may cause the price of wheat to fluctuate widely.  If the changes in percentage terms of the Fund’s Shares accurately track the percentage changes in the Benchmark or the spot price of wheat, then the price of its Shares will fluctuate accordingly.

The price and availability of wheat is influenced by economic and industry conditions, including but not limited to supply and demand factors such as: crop disease; weed control; water availability; various planting, growing, or harvesting problems; severe weather conditions such as drought, floods, or frost that are difficult to anticipate and which cannot be controlled.  Demand for food products made from wheat flour is affected by changes in consumer tastes, national, regional and local economic conditions, and demographic trends.  More specifically, demand for such food products in the United States is relatively unaffected by changes in wheat prices or disposable income, but is closely tied to tastes and preferences.  For example, in recent years the increase in the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets caused the consumption of wheat flour to decrease rapidly before rebounding somewhat after 2005.  Export demand for wheat fluctuates yearly, based largely on crop yields in the importing countries.

Wheat production is subject to United States federal, state and local policies and regulations that materially affect operations.  Governmental policies affecting the agricultural industry, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies, incentives, acreage control, and import and export restrictions on agricultural commodities and commodity products, can influence the planting of certain crops, the location and size of crop production, the volume and types of imports and exports, the availability and competitiveness of feedstocks as raw materials, and industry profitability.  Additionally, wheat production is affected by laws and regulations relating to, but not limited to, the sourcing, transporting, storing and processing of agricultural raw materials as well as the transporting, storing and distributing of related agricultural products.  U.S. wheat producers also must comply with various environmental laws and regulations, such as those regulating the use of certain pesticides, and local laws that regulate the production of genetically modified crops.  In addition, international trade disputes can adversely affect agricultural commodity trade flows by limiting or disrupting trade between countries or regions.

Seasonal fluctuations in the price of wheat may cause risk to an investor because of the possibility that Share prices will be depressed because of the wheat harvest cycle.  In the United States, the market for winter wheat, the type of wheat upon which CBOT Wheat Futures Contracts are based, is at its lowest point, and wheat prices are lowest, shortly before and during the harvest (in the spring or early summer), due to the high supply of wheat in the market.  Conversely, winter wheat prices are generally highest in the fall or early winter, when the wheat harvested that year has largely been sold and used.  In the futures market, these seasonal fluctuations are typically reflected in contracts expiring in the relevant season (e.g., contracts expiring during the harvest season are typically priced lower than contracts expiring in the fall and early winter).  Thus, seasonal fluctuations could result in an investor incurring losses upon the sale of Fund Shares, particularly if the investor needs to sell Shares when the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts are, in whole or part, Wheat Futures Contracts expiring in the spring.

Position limits and daily price fluctuation limits set by the CFTC and the exchanges have the potential to cause tracking error, which could cause the price of Shares to substantially vary from the Benchmark and prevent you from being able to effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against wheat-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in wheat.

 

The CFTC and U.S. designated contract markets such as the CBOT have established position limits on the maximum net long or net short futures contracts in commodity interests that any person or group of persons under common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by the Fund is not) may hold, own or control.  For example, the current position limit for investments at any one time in CBOT Wheat Futures Contracts are 600 spot month contracts, 12,000 contracts expiring in any other single month and 12,000 contracts total for all months. Cleared Wheat Swaps (i.e., Wheat Calendar Swaps as offered on the CBOT) are subject to position limits that are currently measured separately from the limits on Wheat Futures Contracts.  The position limits for Cleared Wheat Swaps are 12,000 contracts expiring in any other single month and 12,000 contracts total for all months. However, under rules proposed by the CFTC, Wheat Futures Contracts, Cleared Wheat Swaps, and over-the-counter wheat contracts will be subject to a single position limit. These position limits are fixed ceilings that the Fund would not be able to exceed without specific CFTC authorization.

If the Fund encounters position limits, accountability levels, or price fluctuation limits for Wheat Futures Contracts and/or Cleared Wheat Swaps on the CBOT, it may then, if permitted under applicable regulatory requirements, purchase Other Wheat Interests and/or Wheat Futures Contracts listed on foreign exchanges.  However, the Wheat Futures Contracts available on such foreign exchanges may have different underlying sizes, deliveries, and prices.  In addition, the Wheat Futures Contracts available on these exchanges may be subject to their own position limits and accountability levels.  In any case, notwithstanding the potential availability of these instruments in certain circumstances, position limits could force the Fund to limit the number of Creation Baskets that it sells.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

(a)

 None.


(b)

On July 31, 2010, for all Funds listed below except the Teucrium Agricultural Fund for which the contribution was made on April 1, 2011, the Sponsor made the following capital contributions and received the following shares for that contribution prior to each Fund’s commencement of operations; such shares were sold in private offerings exempt from registration under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended:

 

 

1.

a $100 capital contribution to the Teucrium Soybean Fund, another series of the Trust, in exchange for four shares of such fund;

 

 

2.

a $100 capital contribution to the Teucrium Sugar Fund, another series of the Trust, in exchange for four shares of such fund; and

 

 

3.

a $100 capital contribution to the Teucrium Wheat Fund, another series of the Trust, in exchange for four shares of such fund.

 

 

4.

a $100 capital contribution to the Teucrium Agricultural Fund, another series of the Trust, in exchange for two shares of such fund.

 

 

The original registration statement on Form S-1 registering 30,000,000 common units, or “Shares,” of the Teucrium Corn Fund (File No. 333-162033) was declared effective on June 7, 2010. A second registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-187463) which replaced the original registration statement was declared effective on April 30, 2013. From June 9, 2010 (the commencement of operations) through March 31, 2015, 11,125,000 Shares of the Fund were sold at an aggregate offering price of $390,331,583. The Fund paid fees to Foreside Fund Services, LLC for its services to the Fund from June 9, 2010 (the commencement of operations) through March 31, 2015 in an amount equal to $575,235, resulting in net offering proceeds of $389,765,348. The offering proceeds were invested in corn futures contracts and cash and cash equivalents in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective stated in the prospectus.

 

 

The original registration statement on Form S-1 registering 10,000,000 common units, or “Shares,” of Teucrium Soybean Fund (File No. 333-167590) was declared effective on June 17, 2011. A second registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-196210) which replaced the original registration statement was declared effective on June 30, 2014. From September 19, 2011 (the commencement of the offering) through March 31, 2015, 1,350,000 Shares of the Fund were sold at an aggregate offering price of $31,955,612  The Fund paid fees to Foreside Fund Services, LLC for its services to the Fund through March 31, 2015 in an amount equal to $38,476, resulting in net offering proceeds of $31,917,136.  The offering proceeds were invested in soybean futures contracts and cash and cash equivalents in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective stated in the prospectus.

 

 

The original registration statement on Form S-1 registering 10,000,000 common units, or “Shares,” of Teucrium Sugar Fund (File No. 333-167585) was declared effective on June 17, 2011. A second registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-196211) which replaced the original registration statement was declared effective on June 30, 2014. From September 19, 2011 (the commencement of the offering) through March 31, 2015, 500,000 Shares of the Fund were sold at an aggregate offering price of $9,968,416  The Fund paid fees to Foreside Fund Services, LLC for its services to the Fund through March 31, 2015 in an amount equal to $12,806, resulting in net offering proceeds of $9,995,610   The offering proceeds were invested in sugar futures contracts and cash and cash equivalents in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective stated in the prospectus.

 

 

The original registration statement on Form S-1 registering 10,000,000 common units, or “Shares,” of Teucrium Wheat Fund (File No. 333-167591) was declared effective on June 17, 2011. A second registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-196209) which replaced the original registration statement was declared effective on June 30, 2014. From September 19, 2011 (the commencement of the offering) through March 31, 2015, 3,725,000 Shares of the Fund were sold at an aggregate offering price of $54,830,083  The Fund paid fees to Foreside Fund Services, LLC for its services to the Fund through March 31, 2015 in an amount equal to $54,394, resulting in net offering proceeds of $54,775,689   The offering proceeds were invested in wheat futures contracts and cash and cash equivalents in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective stated in the prospectus.

 

 

 

The registration statement on Form S-1 registering 5,000,000 common units, or “Shares,” of Teucrium Agricultural Fund (File No. 333-173691) was declared effective on February 10, 2012. A second registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-201953) which replaced the original registration statement was declared effective on April 30, 2015. From March 28, 2012 (the commencement of the offering) through March 31, 2015, 350,000 Shares of the Fund were sold at an aggregate offering price of $17,706,578. The Fund paid fees to Foreside Fund Services, LLC for its services to the Fund through March 31, 2015 in an amount equal to $5,617, resulting in net offering proceeds of $17,700,961 The offering proceeds were invested in Shares of the Underlying Funds and cash and cash equivalents in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective stated in the prospectus.

(c)

The following chart shows the number of Shares redeemed by Authorized Participants for the three months ended March 31, 2015:

Issuer Purchases of CORN Shares:

Period

 

Total Number of
Shares
Purchased

 

Average
Price
Paid per
Share

 

Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs

 

Maximum Number (or
Approximate Dollar
Value) of Shares that
May Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs

January 1 to January 31, 2015

  475,000   $ 26.57   N/A   N/A

February 1 to February 28, 2015

  150,000   $ 25.85   N/A   N/A

March 1 to March 31, 2015

  250,000   $ 25.32   N/A   N/A

Total

  875,000   $ 26.09    

Issuer Purchases of SOYB Shares:

Period

 

Total Number of
Shares
Purchased

 

Average
Price
Paid per
Share

 

Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs

 

Maximum Number (or
Approximate Dollar
Value) of Shares that
May Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs

January 1 to January 31, 2015

  100,000   $ 20.29   N/A   N/A

February 1 to February 28, 2015

  125,000   $ 19.93   N/A   N/A

March 1 to March 31, 2015

  25,000   $ 19.62   N/A   N/A

Total

  250,000   $ 20.04    

Issuer Purchases of WEAT Shares:

Period

 

Total Number of
Shares
Purchased

 

Average
Price
Paid per
Share

 

Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs

 

Maximum Number (or
Approximate Dollar
Value) of Shares that
May Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs

January 1 to January 31, 2015

  150,000   $ 11.94   N/A   N/A

February 1 to February 28, 2015

  -   $ -   N/A   N/A

March 1 to March 31, 2015

  50,000   $ 11.42   N/A   N/A

Total

  200,000   $ 11.81    

Issuer Purchases of TAGS Shares: Nothing to Report

Issuer Purchases of CANE Shares: Nothing to Report

 

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

None.

Item 5. Other Information

(a) None.

(b) Not Applicable.

Item 6. Exhibits

The following exhibits are filed as part of this report as required under Item 601 of Regulation S-K:


31.1   Certification by the Principal Executive Officer of the Registrant pursuant to Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 of the Exchange Act. (1)
   
31.2   Certification by the Principal Financial Officer of the Registrant pursuant to Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 of the Exchange Act. (1)
   
32.1   Certification by the Principal Executive Officer of the Registrant pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. (1)
   
32.2   Certification by the Principal Financial Officer of the Registrant pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. (1)
   
101.INS   XBRL Instance Document
   
101.SCH   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema
         
101.CAL   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
   
101.DEF   XBRL Taxonomy Definition Linkbase
   
101.LAB   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase
   
101.PRE   XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase 
         
  (1)                        Filed herewith.

 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Teucrium Commodity Trust (Registrant)


     

By:

Teucrium Trading, LLC

 

its Sponsor

     

     

By:

/s/ Barbara Riker

 

Name:

Barbara Riker

 

Chief Financial Officer

     

     

 

Date: May 11, 2015

 

 

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