In the UK, we don't have a domestic supply of artificial phosphorous fertiliser and so are therefore reliant on imported sources of nutrient phosphorus. Part of this means that we often experience some volatility in pricing, usually influenced by fluctuations in currency, available volume, country of origin and – more recently – political developme...

WHEAT Adverse weather supports UK prices The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) published their first provisional UK wheat supply and demand estimates for the 2019/20 season this week. The balance sheet contains the first production estimate from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affair (DEFRA) – 16.283 million ton...

Digital innovation, new technology and the million reasons why I have been doing everything wrong for the last 30 years seem to be everywhere at the moment. The press is full of stories about technology that promises me robots and self-driving tractors, as well as predictions of when my crops will next be under attack by everything from septoria to...

WHEAT USDA dampens grain markets The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published their October world supply and demand estimates on Thursday. Trader focus was on an expected cut in US corn yields given the delayed planting, plant maturity and harvest progress. However, the USDA actually increased yield albeit marginally on the previous...

WHEAT Exports This week, UK wheat markets have continued to focus on export trade flows in the south and east coast ports, with the north and west seeing limited fresh consumer demand. The port pull remains strong, with lorry freight significantly under pressure as vessels continue to arrive for wheat (and barley) ahead of the potential Brext deadl...

​While some of our customers are already familiar with our farm management platform, MyFarm, a recent upgrade has led to some exciting developments to its applications and overall functionality. Free to all Frontier customers, the latest version has been designed as a result of farmer-feedback. The platform now provides a one-stop shop to manage ev...

WHEAT Wheat prices continue to rise Demand for wheat supplies to UK ports saw prices rally to a near six-week high on Friday. This performance was matched by French wheat futures which were reacting to the fast EU export pace and a continued flow of tenders held by the world's major importers. Helped by continued euro weakness which hit a 28-month ...

WHEAT Big crops get bigger? There is an old saying that 'big crops get bigger' and it seems that it is true. This week well respected analyst, Strategie Grains' September report increased the size of the 2019 EU-28 wheat crop again to 144.5 million tonnes. This is 1.6 million tonnes up on the estimate they made last month and a hefty 17.6 million t...

WHEAT Latest USDA World Supply and Demand Report review The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published their September World Supply and Demand estimates on Thursday; it came with minor changes from the previous report and therefore no surprises. There were small cuts in world production for both wheat and corn, but increases in carry-...

 Choosing the seed rate is a crucial decision that every grower has to make before drilling, but how can you ensure you're using the optimum rate for your field? As well as the usual calculation, SOYL's MySOYL application – available as part of Frontier's MyFarm farm management platform - can help you to conduct specific trials to gain a bette...

WHEAT UK wheat prices bounceLondon wheat futures, together with French wheat futures, fell to new contract lows early this week under the weight of high yielding crops. However, the UK market subsequently enjoyed a £5 per tonne rally and moved higher by an unexpected wave of short covering. London futures were technically oversold and UK wheat was ...

Whilst the combines have been rolling, I have been speaking to an increasing number of customers and advisers who are looking to prepare for 2020 harvest crops. A common topic often covered is liming policy and the challenges associated with planning and prioritising applications. We have previously posted about the benefits of correcting soil pH a...

WHEAT UK wheat harvest progress As the UK wheat harvest progressed rapidly this week and pushed through 80% complete, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) estimated production might breach 16 million tonnes, the highest since 2015. They report yields of 8.8 to 9 tonnes per hectare which is 6 to 8% above average. However, with f...

WHEAT Wheat prices continue to fall US, French and UK wheat futures fell further this week, with all markets hitting new contract lows. Following numerous spells of inclement weather in recent weeks hampering the wheat harvest, much of the UK has been more settled in recent days. This has allowed combining to progress rapidly and, fortunately, nota...

Using satellites to get a different perspective of your farm really can open up a wealth of opportunities. Of course, we all know that satellite imagery isn't a new thing – people have been using it to take images of crops since 1995. However, the accuracy, resolution, frequency and our overall understanding of the technology has drastically improv...

WHEAT Heavy UK wheat crop weighs on prices London wheat futures fell to new contract lows this week as our market tried to find demand. Yields for most of the UK wheat crops harvested so far have been significantly higher than most expected, above the five year average, which points towards a sizeable exportable surplus. Recent sterling weakness ha...

​Markets fall following USDA corn and wheat predictions Another USDA report has been and gone without providing any fodder for the bulls. Instead, the report shocked the market by increasing the US corn and wheat output and markets tumbled to lower limits by close of play on Monday. The biggest surprises were the acreage and yields for corn. The ac...

WHEAT A good start to harvest Dry weather for most of the week led to good harvest progress being made into quality wheat in the southern and eastern counties. However, this has now stalled as low pressure weather systems take charge for the weekend. Data is limited at this point but high yields are a significant feature so far in this season's cam...

Last harvest, the prolonged hot weather greatly affected grass growth across the UK and caused a shortage of silage for many livestock farmers. To help meet demand, the majority of growers were baling their straw after harvest but, as explained in my blog at the time, this led to many questions about the impact on nutrient off take.  This year...

WHEAT UK reliant on export bids This week's market movements clearly highlighted the importance of exports for supporting new crop wheat prices. Huge devaluation of the pound this week saw the currency trade at a two-year low against the US dollar and euro, pushing the UK towards export parity. The result of this meant futures and physical prices r...