Prices & Trends

In theory, it should be fairly easy to farm while staying two metres away from every other human being. Open fields and solitary tractor cabs mean arable farming is fairly self-isolating at the best of times. There are clearly fewer face-to-face meetings than, say, being Prime Minister.

US corn area is up for debate as prices have moved lower since recent planting and stock data was taken, meaning farmers planting decisions could easily change.

Labour availability, supply chain disruption and volatile prices are the issues uniting farmers around the world as the global industry reacts to coronavirus.

Panic buying of products such as bread and potatoes due to coronavirus fears is supporting prices in these sectors.

With 40 per cent of food eaten out of the home in the UK, the Government’s decision to close pubs and restaurants will have a major impact on demand.

Concerns have been raised that cattle prices could drop over the coming weeks, with demand for steaks from both the food service sector and retailers plummeting due to the coronavirus epidemic.

The widening gap between the highest and lowest milk prices was brought into sharp focus when Arla announced it was increasing its manufacturing milk price by nearly 1ppl at a time when Meadow Foods said it would drop its by 2ppl.

British beef farms are among the world’s least profitable, an international study of performance has showed.

Excess moisture in the US Midwest may delay sowings in some of the early-sown states, although the main sowing period is still a few weeks away, which may allow fields to dry.

Grocery staples including potatoes, butter and mince are at the heart of a new supermarket price battle as Tesco tries to dent the expansion of discounter Aldi by matching its prices.