Why do you deal with your Grain Merchant?

I was thinking earlier the reasons people deal with the grain merchants they do, obviously there are several different reasons but what is important to you:

Financial Security?
Pay the best prices?
Supporting small local merchants?
Good relationship with local Rep?
Access to unique grain contracts?
Good market information?
Service levels (admin, haulage, payment)?
Access to local markets mills / ports / stores?
History?
Etc etc....

What do people value....
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Simplicity. Almost all of it now goes to Frontier. They send feed to Flixborough which is an easy, quick tip which gives us feedback in the hour. They market our quality grain through woldgrain. I get on well with their rep who tollerates my annoying questions as he knows he's getting the grain in the end.

I buy all my inputs through a buying group.

I haven't heard from my open-field rep in five years. I fully expect now I'm only making 400t of grain that noone will be calling me on spec.
 

T Hectares

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Berkshire
I deal with several companies, the majority goes through a couple but they all have their benefits and markets

It pays to cast the net wide when getting bids as prices can vary over £6/t on the same day !!

One thing I have learnt is to stick to merchants, an idea we had to be mutually beneficial with a direct market is the only arrangement I've had so far that hasn't ended well
 

Barleymow

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Ipswich
Never have any claims, pays within a week of movement, advance payments if needed too.Shame he is in his 80's never had a written contract not needed
 

Lincsman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
A lot of "He's" here, I have found some of the younger "she's" put more effort into the job and get results, sadly one went to pastures new last year... Becca for anyone in East Yorks?
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Because he has never messed me about, always stuck to his word and always paid. He has often done his best to help me out, finding homes for some more challenging quality levels such as bushelweight in 2012 and sometimes borderline moisture levels but for my part I am always up front with them anyway and don't try to pass stuff off. Huge company but good reps and service.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
My best buyer was the late Fiona Cobbold at Frontier. When she rang to say that today was a good day to sell, it always was right. Got a good contact at ADM now.

I deal with 4 regularly. Each have their good points and bad. One firm isn't great on feed barley but good on the rest. I have a good relationship with all of them. The ones who have messed me around don't get much business, if any.
 

DanniAgro

Member
I remember the "good" ole days 30 years ago when, if my then grain merchant phoned up to ask if I wanted to sell, I knew that the market was going to rise sharply, so it was better to sit back for a month and get that increase for myself. Thank good that cut throat is history now. Of course, you could say that it was kind of him to let me know that markets were rising.
Nowadays I use Western Arable, since my small sales mean that no larger buyer would be interested, and they treat me pretty well considering the tiny profit I must make for them.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.1%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 67 35.3%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,294
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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