Contract to entice white wheat growers

A new contract to attract growers of two speciality white wheat varieties has been launched by Openfield.

It is offering a premium of £30/t over feed for the spring variety Zircon and winter variety Heroldo, with the option to receive a reduced premium of £25/t for samples that meet the minimum 11% protein, but have lower Hagbergs and specific weights (see below).

Both wheats will be used for the production of breakfast cereals by Weetabix and Morning Foods.

“There is strong market demand for these varieties and as such we are offering what we believe is the best premium in the market,” said Chris Martin, contracts manager for Openfield.

With Group 1 wheats currently attracting premiums of around £20/t and Group 2s nearer £13-15/t, Mr Martin reckoned the gross margin from the white wheats would outperform open market varieties.

Provided crops were managed well, growers should have no problem hitting the required specification, he added. “Despite an official Hagberg of 179, 40% of commercial crops met the target of 225 and no commercial crops have been rejected for exceeding the mycotoxin threshold of 700ppb.

“We do advise, however, that both varieties are sprayed with glyphosate once the crop reaches 30% moisture to kill off secondary tillers, ensure consistent ripening and preserve Hagbergs.”