Monday Market Briefing - 25th April 2022

A quieter tone last week with less tender activity to drive buying, but markets generally held onto the gains of the previous week on old and new crops. We start the new week with sharply lower Currency which will help maintain support for UK prices. Anecdotally we hear that some French and German farmers are switching out of nitrogen intensive corn in favour of additional spring barley acres. Corn is an important crop in both Countries so it’s a plausible idea if impossible to quantify at this stage - but it does emphasise again just how unpredictable all new crop supply is going to be.

European Crops generally are holding onto their excellent ratings as spring progresses, Scandinavia has a modest moisture deficit currently but other areas appear pretty close to normal. However, most farmers will be reluctant to engage in further spring-crop selling until some more rain appears in the forecast. So the pattern continues, buyers have to work hard to attract offers when they want to buy, and markets remain supported.

Have a good week.