Stephen Bumstead

14 December 2001




Stephen Bumstead

Stephen Bumstead farms

148ha (365 acre) from Ouse

Bank Farm, Great Barford,

Beds. He is a first

generation farmer and

council tenant, growing

combinable crops on three

blocks of land. He supports

LEAF and is the FWAG

county treasurer

THE season of overindulgence and feeding your face is almost upon us, which sets me thinking how can we as farmers obtain a fairer share of the price the consumer pays?

As a bulk commodity producer, I always feel our first "customer" is keeping me at arms length from the end-user in the market. Unless something goes wrong, of course.

I would like to see food chain partnerships formed with each link receiving a viable return for their commitment. Utopia? Maybe. Feasible? Yes – if we can deduct greed from the equation.

Large merchant traders will shoot me down in flames for this argument, claiming grain is traded on price alone. If that is fact then the public must be told that while we UK producers jump through ever tightening assurance hoops, certain traders are rumoured to be importing non-assured grain just to put a ceiling on the home market.

Is it any wonder we are not seeing the price levels the experts predicted? Taking into account delayed IACS payments, these traders anticipate forced cash-flow sales pushing markets down further. They are also talking next seasons market down, having consulted their crystal balls and seen a massive exportable surplus.

Seething yet? I am. It is time to get even. Contact your local grain co-operative and challenge it to obtain the best possible return. Our government has turned its back on arable farming so we must all help ourselves now. Only 30% of all grain is traded through farmer controlled businesses. Surely, if this figure was nearer 70%, farm incomes would rise.

We are battling on between wet spells trying to get drilled up, but our largest tractor is needed for most tasks. That means much switching of implements – a time consuming and filthy job. Hence I am looking for an additional 150hp machine to make life less stressful. Oh, by the way, for the grain traders reading, my IACS payment has just arrived. &#42

Contact your local grain co-op and challenge it to make the best price, says a seething Stephen Bumstead.


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