Most futures contracts are offset by opposite trades before delivery time, with each party to the transaction selling (or buying) a futures contract that was initially bought (or sold). For example, if a farmer
(through his or her brokerage house and its trader on the Chicago Board of Trade) sells a corn contract in May for December delivery, his or her position may be offset by buying a December corn contract at any time before the end of the delivery period, which is about December 20. Such an offset usually occurs because the major motive in trading futures is to hold a temporary position, and then trade for money, and not to physically deliver or acquire a commodity (Hieronymus). Most hedgers offset because making or
taking delivery on futures would be more costly than delivering through normal channels, while speculators generally do not want to own the actual commodity.