It has been somewhat of a harrowing year for the OSR crop, with wide spread establishment issues followed by flea beetle larval damage leading to a number of crops unfortunately being ripped up.The remaining crops have gone on to endure some late frosts during flowering but, thanks to recent rainfall and warm weather, the good crops are now coming ...

WHEAT Weather and politics send markets lower Changing weather conditions brought rain to the UK and the near continent this week. This was seen as beneficial for wheat crops and triggered a fall in French and London wheat futures, pushing them down to fresh contract lows.In recent weeks, new crop wheat prices have traded in a narrow range, support...

WHEAT Offered market as sellers exit Old crop markets have slipped lower during the week as more abundant supplies of both feed wheat and quality wheat seek demand. Buyers have taken the majority of their old crop cover now, however, the transition month of July to new crop could still prove interesting. Confidence grows that the UK balance sheet w...

WHEAT UK demand dwindling Old crop futures and physical prices continued to feel the pressure this week as buyers proved hard to find. Consumer buyers remain absent from the market and their hand-to-mouth approach seems to be working, as May LIFFE futures lost another £3 since returning from the Easter break. We have now entered the first notice pe...

The rise in temperatures forecast this weekend beckons the prospect of one of the warmest Easters on record. While many people's thoughts will turn to firing up the barbecue or joining a queue of traffic heading for the nearest beach, arable farmers will earmark the time to get out and on with spring land work. Generally dry conditions have allowed...

WHEAT USDA publish a bearish report The USDA published their April World Supply and Demand report on Tuesday afternoon and, as expected, it held bearish data – particularly for corn. World corn production jumped six million tonnes, with increases seen for most of the major producers. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico were up, reflecting the favourable g...

WHEAT UK markets look to new crop A week is a long time in politics and it seems even longer in the grain trade with old crop markets fading again this week. Remaining markets are focused on sourcing final July cover; the last stop for consumers before significantly cheaper new crop supplies are available. Attention is now turning to new crop for c...

WHEAT UK wheat prices flatten Domestically, futures and delivered markets remain thin with a large portion of the old-crop market still to play out. Northern feed wheat premiums remain elevated to encourage the trade-flow of grains from further south but, in the main, consumers remain subdued with a 'hand-to-mouth' approach to buying. This said, lo...

WHEAT Spring is the season of risk Market support has held in wheat markets since the lows of the previous week. Speculators have large bearish positions laid on in grains for crops that are still very exposed to adverse planting and growing conditions as dormancy breaks. The strength of rebound in wheat futures has been largely led by corn as mark...

WHEAT Turbulent wheat markets The world's wheat markets started the week extending their recent downward trend. Speculative fund selling took the US CBOT wheat futures to contract lows on Monday, pulling European and UK wheat futures lower too. Their motivation comes from slow US wheat export pace and expectations for a bounce back in production fo...

WHEAT UK old crop sinks lower The absence of any significant consumer demand facilitated a further £5/t drop in futures and delivered prices this week. To some extent, this season the UK wheat grower has been sheltered slightly from rock-bottom global prices because of currency but UK markets followed the rest of the world lower this week. Due to t...

WHEAT Negative world markets World markets are currently showing little signs of recovery whilst major exporters compete to win upcoming tenders. Coupled with this, we're also seeing non commercial funds willing to sell wheat lower given the promising outlook of wheat production for 2019. UK finding some support UK markets found support this week f...

WHEATWeak wheat markets Wheat markets made notable losses earlier this week, led lower by US CBOT futures that hit contract lows. By close of business on Wednesday, CBOT losses amounted to 6% and this was partly attributed to US wheat being uncompetitive and missing out on recent export trade. Syria and Bangladesh bought 200,000 tonnes and 50,000 t...

WHEAT Global prices move lower Chicago wheat futures traded at their lowest level since the start of 2019 yesterday and Kansas Corn was no different. Both markets were forced lower by disappointing export data. US wheat sales currently sit 8% behind this time last year as they've struggled to compete with cheap Russian wheat. Matif also closed €3/t...

WHEAT Slow UK trade The domestic wheat market slowed to a crawl this week. A lack of fresh news, combined with sterling strength, saw both old and new crop prices slip lower.Despite Defra's estimate showing a surplus on the UK balance sheet, the old crop premium to new crop remains resolute. Spot feed wheat is trading at £25/t above harvest prices....

WHEAT Firm pound pushes old crop prices lower Brexit uncertainty continues to fuel huge shifts in the value of the pound. This week the pound appreciated significantly against a host of other currencies reaching 1.16 against the Euro, a level which was last seen in May 2017. Domestic demand for old crop remains strong, but if the UK has an exportab...

WHEAT Lost opportunity Domestic wheat markets have given back all of this month's gains during this week. Milling markets have also softened, with notable sellers pressurising the premiums by around £2/t versus feed as markets transit from being bid for weeks to offered. It seems that political uncertainty continues which is putting people off maki...

The use of phosphate fertilisers has always caused more confusion than other nutrients.Choice of fertiliser to give the best long and short term availability is often a topic we are asked by growers. Different forms of phosphate (such as orthophosphate or dicalcium phosphate) and the complex relationship that phosphate has with calcium, iron and pH...

WHEAT International trade This week we have seen significant international trade, with North African countries making sizeable wheat purchases for delivery during February and March. Initially, Algeria confirmed they were buying 550,000 tonnes of optional origin wheat. This lifted European prices, as the French have supplied over 80% of Algerian im...

WHEAT Global markets US and EU markets started the new year trading firmer, led by stronger US wheat prices which are now able to compete against cheaper origins with the prospect of increasing exports. However, the Russian Agricultural Ministry have increased wheat production figures by two million tonnes to 72 million. This means that despite hig...