What’s the point in straw merchants?

[bobk]

I give them plenty notice when i am getting low, I will give them contacts of other growers who may have straw to sell. Its no different to selling the grain we grow, when its gone its gone.

I told mine last June straw would short

 

[MR CASE]

I did as well,

 

[7610 super q]

I'm amazed by how many that left it till January to source straw.

 

[bobk]

I'm amazed by how many that left it till January to source straw.

Hoping for an early spring ...

 

[4course]

in that case I defer as I would never tell anyone id run out of anything they wanted to buy

apologies one and all im replying to MR CASE post60

 

[glasshouse]

1976 & 77 were unbelievable to be in spuds. Every potato farmer that year had a brand new car AND land rover, all P plated of course!

I knew a man bought 12 new masseys
550 to 595

 

[glasshouse]

A few years back I took a cut of hay from a field that nobody wanted, agreed a price per bale, I baled it and stored it then it rained for about 3 or 4 weeks. Me and the land owner agreed for us to do the same next year and we would graze the grass as well
I gave a fair price per bale and sold them to a neighbour for the going rate that winter which was strong, he asked where it was from as it was great stuff!
Then it’s gets to spring and the landowner rang to say he has been offered £15 a bale out the field by somebody (the man I sold it to in winter) and had taken the deal.
So I thought well that’s fine, we had a deal but feck it, it’s only 10 acre of grass.
Then it’s a wet time, it gets to late July and no hay making weather has come, the man then goes back on his word and says he doesn’t want it the crop now because it’s such a wet time, so I get a phone call asking if I could cut this field again and buy the crop by the bale again!
the landowner thinks I won the lottery by cutting, tedding and baling his field the first year, and the buyer thinks he has been fleeced and paid to much
They think they will cut out the contractor and both gain
A wet time comes and suddenly nobody wants this field of dead wet grass

That happens every year
Theres always a dork somewhere.

 

[glasshouse]

A few years back I took a cut of hay from a field that nobody wanted, agreed a price per bale, I baled it and stored it then it rained for about 3 or 4 weeks. Me and the land owner agreed for us to do the same next year and we would graze the grass as well
I gave a fair price per bale and sold them to a neighbour for the going rate that winter which was strong, he asked where it was from as it was great stuff!
Then it’s gets to spring and the landowner rang to say he has been offered £15 a bale out the field by somebody (the man I sold it to in winter) and had taken the deal.
So I thought well that’s fine, we had a deal but feck it, it’s only 10 acre of grass.
Then it’s a wet time, it gets to late July and no hay making weather has come, the man then goes back on his word and says he doesn’t want it the crop now because it’s such a wet time, so I get a phone call asking if I could cut this field again and buy the crop by the bale again!
the landowner thinks I won the lottery by cutting, tedding and baling his field the first year, and the buyer thinks he has been fleeced and paid to much
They think they will cut out the contractor and both gain
A wet time comes and suddenly nobody wants this field of dead wet grass

Thats why you need your own kit , as contractors would “cut your grass “ in a trice

 

[czechmate]

In this internet age, they have no point. They are pointless.

 

[glasshouse]

If it

Discuss that?

We are occasional straw sellers depending on price. If we can achieve £70/t and over we will bale and sell. If it’s less we chop it. Normally we’d sell to a merchant for ease. However this year we’ve sold direct to end users mainly because they are coming direct to us. They’ve been asking merchant truck drivers where stuffs been collected from and then googled for contact details. They’ll pay up front and arrange their own collection. Everybody is happy because we get the price we want but the buyer has cut out the merchants profit on the transport cost as well as the profit on the straw sale.

if it wasnt for straw merchants putting their balls on the line at harvest time and buying it up. there would be even less straw available now.

 

[Devil's advocate]

I'm only small but niche with nearly all small bales.

My main market is local retail but I sell to one merchant & a few local farmers..

I do not begrudge the merchant is small mark up, he pays on collection & will take edge or floor bales out of store. I make the effort to supply him when we are short. But we can store almost two years of crop, so it helps in a year like this one.

My farmer customers are fair, but I've dealt with very difficult farmers in the past.

 

[MR CASE]

in that case I defer as I would never tell anyone id run out of anything they wanted to buy

apologies one and all im replying to MR CASE post60

What are the merchants telling their customers when they cannot find any to supply? If i can sell all the straw now i will, who knows what harvest 21 will bring???

 

[Nearly]

I told mine last June straw would short

I did as well,

Ordered 2 loads in May. Only one arrived.
2nd one was ordered to resell now and would have paid for both!
Anyone can try to be a dealer.

 

[Devil's advocate]

What are the merchants telling their customers when they cannot find any to supply? If i can sell all the straw now i will, who knows what harvest 21 will bring???

Very difficult for someone like me in retail.

I would love to just empty the barn, but my customers would struggle to find a supplier, some of mine fill their cars up alternate days.

 

[Will 1594]

What are the merchants telling their customers when they cannot find any to supply? If i can sell all the straw now i will, who knows what harvest 21 will bring???

Do you not keep any back for regulars , or just sell to any one at the highest price , until its all gone

 

[CopperBeech]

A lot of this will depend on location etc.

Theres one guy / operation here who does pretty much all of the straw on the local estates. We are talking 6000-2500 acre farms, several of them all next to each other. As the crops come down, he's on it, straw is sorted, baled, lifted and barn stored. Some goes off the field but a hell of a lot goes under cover. Trying to organise many many farmers from a long way away to all come up and bale and cart their straw in time would be a nightmare, especially as most of that ground goes back to crops or cover crops fairly sharpish.

 

[MR CASE]

Yes i will be keeping some back for people who have asked and are using it into june. But i am turning any new enquiries away

 

[ollie989898]

What a niggardly attitude.
Do you think i'm going to chase such a low value product 100 miles plus from my yard gate, when there's a queue of traders ready to do that for me?
why would I expect them to work for nothing?
There's nothing stopping you buying a wagon and taking their cut yourself is there?

As it happens, I run a flatbed lorry for one of my diversifications, but I couldn't get anywhere near viability fetching it myself.

I seldom begrudge a trading partner a living, and despair of farmers- or anyone- who do.
It makes them look pathetic.

Can I sign you up for 25 acres then? Or just 23 next year?

Lot to be said for letting another bloke make a living out of solving hassle.

 

[MR CASE]

Ordered 2 loads in May. Only one arrived.
2nd one was ordered to resell now and would have paid for both!
Anyone can try to be a dealer.

Bad crack, not much help but I will be able to bring you some for you after this harvest if its any help.

 

[4course]

Very difficult for someone like me in retail.

I would love to just empty the barn, but my customers would struggle to find a supplier, some of mine fill their cars up alternate days.

those little bales add up just not yet at £200/t but not far off