Warburtons Contract

Renaultman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Darlington
As a personal favour, I would ask that this kind of speculation be kept off the internet. I’d hate to see someone kicked when they are down, especially a farmer owned business.

I sympathise with growers frustrated with Openfield - they need to be competitive to thrive but threads like these only benefit the multinationals we all love to hate.

Just my opinion.
Totally agree.
 

D14

Member
Just seen this news on the Farmers Weekly website... More bad news for Openfield as they now lose their flagship contract to Frontier:


Who's going to be selling to openfield going forward in large clumps off farm? They were the ones sending our grovelling letters to farmers weren't they?
 

Hedger

Member
I for one will stick with Openfield for the majority of my combinables, the way Warburtons have treated them and its 300 farmer suppliers is bang out of order to my mind without even consulting them!
The Warburtons contract was not large in the grand scheme of things at 150000tons when considering the amount of tonnage Openfield deal with and I'm sure they will have something in the pipline come 2022.
You want more buyers not less and Frontier runs with the fox and hunts with the hounds more than most thats for sure.


And there lies the issue, the way Openfield have acted in recent years towards Warburtons has led to this moment, so farmers should be cross with Openfield, not Warburtons.

Doesn't matter how large or small a contract is, actually even saying it's not a big contract for Openfield is why they no longer have it, put yourself in the customers shoes.

Warbs also don't fancy propping up Openfield forever given their current financials. Neither do other merchants or consumers, hence why most can't get credit insurance to deal with them.
 

Widgetone

Member
Trade
Location
Westish Suffolk
No great fan of Openfield ( those silly ties, and a rather evangelical approach! ) but don't like Frontier getting so big either.
Does anyone have any stats on how much % market share the top 10 actually have, and who they are?
Asking for a friend.
 

homefarm

Member
Location
N.West
The risk for any premium big brand is not having the correct quantity and quality of raw material to meet demand on any day throughout the year.
it is what Frontier was set up for to provide ABF and Cargill with a reliable quality supply. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier_Agriculture.

They have been very successful in this. Would the likes of Cerestar and the Ethanol plants have been built without them guaranteeing supply?

For a premium brand they do a fantastic job in managing this risk. I am sure Frontier have not won this contract on price but their reputation to deliver what the customer wants when he wants it.
If Openfield were not even considered then it is Openfield who have let the 300 farmers down.

Did they listen or even ask what exactly what Warburtons wanted or deliver " just on spec blended rubbish " like they did at Burton on Trent.

loss of autonomy is a big worry. Growing packages etc. It’s why I’m against GM/GE as the yanks are screwed basically.
I for one will stick with Openfield for the majority of my combinables, the way Warburtons have treated them and its 300 farmer suppliers is bang out of order to my mind without even consulting them!
The Warburtons contract was not large in the grand scheme of things at 150000tons when considering the amount of tonnage Openfield deal with and I'm sure they will have something in the pipline come 2022.
You want more buyers not less and Frontier runs with the fox and hunts with the hounds more than most thats for sure.

I agree we want more buyers for our grain but Frontier Openfield etc are not grain buyers. They are the marketing arm of UK farmers.
Warburtons, Coors Cerestar are grain buyers . We need more like them

It is not a matter of running with the fox and the hounds but providing a service to our customers the real grain buyers so the can prosper and are happy to produce and hopefully expand in the UK.
 
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Wobblebox

Member
Arable Farmer
I was told the Cargills have a hand in at least 30% of global wheat traded.
Also, that they can give larger mills 90 days credit, for mills like Moy Park and Warburtons, they can get a full production cycle and revenue in before having to pay for the wheat. Don’t know if these are standard terms or if Openfield offered them
 

lloyd

Member
Location
Herefordshire
Ask yourselves which company has been the best at importing wheat in 2012
and OSR this last .
The Americans(Cargill) will be well set up through Frontier and these old faithful
buyers wont give a sh*t as long as it cheap and guaranteed supply.
 

Hedger

Member
The risk for any premium big brand is not having the correct quantity and quality of raw material to meet demand on any day throughout the year.
it is what Frontier was set up for to provide ABF and Cargill with a reliable quality supply. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier_Agriculture.

They have been very successful in this. Would the likes of Cerestar and the Ethanol plants have been built without them guaranteeing supply?

For a premium brand they do a fantastic job in managing this risk. I am sure Frontier have not won this contract on price but their reputation to deliver what the customer wants when he wants it.
If Openfield were not even considered then it is Openfield who have let the 300 farmers down.

Did they listen or even ask what exactly what Warburtons wanted or deliver " just on spec blended rubbish " like they did at Burton on Trent.




I agree we want more buyers for our grain but Frontier Openfield etc are not grain buyers. They are the marketing arm of UK farmers.
Warburtons, Coors Cerestar are grain buyers . We need more like them

It is not a matter of running with the fox and the hounds but providing a service to our customers the real grain buyers so the can prosper and are happy to produce and hopefully expand in the UK.

Agree with all of this, I believe Frontier offering has removed some "bloat" from the agreement and are willing to engage in activities which promote the Warburton brand as sustainable etc to British public. Something Openfield couldn't be bothered to do.

People do seem to forget there is still plenty choice of buyers outside of the multinationals.
 

Hedger

Member
Ask yourselves which company has been the best at importing wheat in 2012
and OSR this last .
The Americans(Cargill) will be well set up through Frontier and these old faithful
buyers wont give a sh*t as long as it cheap and guaranteed supply.

Apart from the long term growing contracts in UK and Canada...
 

JCfarmer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
warks
And there lies the issue, the way Openfield have acted in recent years towards Warburtons has led to this moment, so farmers should be cross with Openfield, not Warburtons.

Doesn't matter how large or small a contract is, actually even saying it's not a big contract for Openfield is why they no longer have it, put yourself in the customers shoes.

Warbs also don't fancy propping up Openfield forever given their current financials. Neither do other merchants or consumers, hence why most can't get credit insurance to deal with them.
Why are they propping up Openfield???
Openfields profits are 10% up on 2018
Can't get credit insurance probably because Openfield do it cheaper themselves at 50p ton which I don't use to be honest although nothing wrong with an advance payment with the crop still in your shed but that goes for any of them.
Who do you work for Hedger?
 

Hedger

Member
Why are they propping up Openfield???
Openfields profits are 10% up on 2018
Can't get credit insurance probably because Openfield do it cheaper themselves at 50p ton which I don't use to be honest although nothing wrong with an advance payment with the crop still in your shed but that goes for any of them.
Who do you work for Hedger?

It's a bit of a golden goose contract, enough said.
Turnover up, gross profit down, operating at a loss again but directors paid more, sounds very successful to me. Happy to provide accounts on this.
Again that's insurance for farmers, not consumers.
I work for UK consumer.
 
@Hedger Could you share the Openfield results for this year, I thought they had made money (for a change) this year but I maybe wrong?

I feel sorry for their decline, they have some good Reps and have a place, but I can't see the rot stopping for them anytime soon....
 
British farmers have never been very good at cooperation
how many farmers have short memories trade with merchants that offer 50p more and pay late then when a crisis hits go bust loosing several loads of grain which takes a lot of 50ps to get back
this was why coops started as the grain always belonged to the farmer and never belonged to the merchant as the coop acts as agent

Farmers will not benefit From merchants taking more grain in the long run

the British food industry needs to start worrying about where it get its raw materials from
because if the grain is not produced in the uk the processed food will eventually all be imported direct taking the processors out of the system
the most profitable acres I have are in stewardship in terms or return on investment and no weather or bad debt risk
the alternative will be niche selling direct to the public

oilseed rape market this year and the next few will be half what it was
will the crushers survive a gm food scare
 

JCfarmer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
warks
The risk for any premium big brand is not having the correct quantity and quality of raw material to meet demand on any day throughout the year.
it is what Frontier was set up for to provide ABF and Cargill with a reliable quality supply. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier_Agriculture.

They have been very successful in this. Would the likes of Cerestar and the Ethanol plants have been built without them guaranteeing supply?

For a premium brand they do a fantastic job in managing this risk. I am sure Frontier have not won this contract on price but their reputation to deliver what the customer wants when he wants it.
If Openfield were not even considered then it is Openfield who have let the 300 farmers down.

Did they listen or even ask what exactly what Warburtons wanted or deliver " just on spec blended rubbish " like they did at Burton on Trent.




I agree we want more buyers for our grain but Frontier Openfield etc are not grain buyers. They are the marketing arm of UK farmers.
Warburtons, Coors Cerestar are grain buyers . We need more like them

It is not a matter of running with the fox and the hounds but providing a service to our customers the real grain buyers so the can prosper and are happy to produce and hopefully expand in the UK.
Gawd I look at Frontiers wikipedia page and it reminds me of Monsanto!
Refering to the "just on spec blended rubbish", it was Frontier importing utter shite OSR BY THE LARGE SHIP load and having to blend it with UK grown(to a far higher standard with no neonics etc etc) and holding the price down for osr in this country.
homefarm you most certainly are running with the fox and hunting with the hounds, love the name by the way. Great PR! (y);)
I don't see Openfield doing that with our combinables.
 
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homefarm

Member
Location
N.West
Gawd I look at Frontiers wikipedia page and it reminds me of Monsanto!
Refering to the "just on spec blended rubbish", it was Frontier importing utter shite OSR BY THE LARGE SHIP load and having to blend it UK grown(to a far higher standard with no neonics etc etc) and holding the price down for osr in this country.
homefarm you most certainly are running with the fox and hunting with the hounds, love the name by the way. Great PR! (y);)
I don't see Openfield doing that with our combinables.

OSR growing in the UK is in big decline and they need to import to maintain production.
No imports means the crushers close. Is that what you want?

How will that help if we learn how to grow it again in a couple of years?

If you still had OSR left on your farm unwanted by any buyer I could understand your comments but the fact that they needed uk rape to blend with the imported must have been good for UK sales.

The price paid for osr is not set by a boat arriving in Liverpool.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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

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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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