Market update - February

Fertiliser

Nitrogen

Nitrogen markets remain stable.

The last of the Urea for this season is hitting our shores now, with no further cargoes to be expected to be purchased due to the uncertainty of Brexit & currency. Bartholomews have both straight Granular Urea and Urea + Sulphur products available for prompt delivery in early February. Take advantage of the cheapest source of nitrogen whilst stocks last.

MOP

Potash prices continue to firm as the UK meet the rising replacement costs.  Call the Bartholomews fertiliser department (01243 755630) and stay ahead of the next price rise.

Using PotashpluS (37K+8CaO+3MgO+23SO3) & Polysulphate (14K+17CaO+6MgO+48SO3) is a competitive alternative to straight MOP, with the additions of macronutrients Magnesium, Sulphur, calcium and other important micronutrients such as Boron

Feed

Proteins- Rapemeal continues to see very little movement on the nearby. The outlook still looks the same, that rapemeal is tight and is likely to become technical the closer we get to May/Jul. Looking further ahead to Aug/Oct, prices are trading at around £10 discount at the moment.

Soya came back again towards the end of last week purely on the back of currency reaching back up to 1.31 against the dollar. In terms of movements on Chicago, South American shipments are tight because the smaller crop is meaning farmers are holding onto their crop in the hope of achieving a better price. This means any benefit we are seeing on prices at the moment is purely currency driven and that can change very quickly, depending on the current headlines! If you have no cover for this coming summer, it would be worth taking some to protect against any adverse currency change.

Energies/Fibres- Soya Hulls for the summer and next winter look good value against sugarbeet and barley at the moment. Ground Maize has dropped back for the winter making it an extremely good value starch product especially as other alternative starch sources such as maize silage and bread will be short this winter.

Grain Marketing Update

Bartholomews Milling Wheat conference at Sparsholt College on 28th February 2019

The recent closure of Hovis Ltd in Southampton has placed an additional uncertainty into the local marketplace with regards to milling wheat production, and how farmers should respond to the cultivation and marketing of Harvest 2019 crop in the ground.  Furthermore, growers need to address the correct planting intentions for Harvest 2020.  With these challenges in mind, Bartholomews are hosting a milling wheat conference to demonstrate how we can support farm businesses during this time.  We have three independent speakers confirmed to discuss aspects of the feed and milling wheat sectors, in addition to our own grain traders and agronomists who will be offering an insight into the economic and agronomic advantages of quality milling wheat production.

For those wishing to attend this one-off event, please email info@bartholomews.co.uk or call Bartholomews on 01243 784171.  We expect the conference to be oversubscribed, and therefore ask you to book your space in advance by committing to a £20 fee (which will be deducted from your account for ease).  We look forward to welcoming you to what promises to be an informative event.