It is July 2017. A mining company has just discovered a small deposit of gold. It will take 6 months to construct the mine. The gold will then be extracted on a more or less continuous basis for 1 year. Futures contracts on gold are available with delivery months every 2 months from August 2017 to December 2018. Each contract is for the delivery of 100 ounces. Discuss how the mining company might use futures markets for hedging.