Straw prices rise in regions
Straw prices rise in regions
DISAPPOINTING yields from straw bought in the swath this summer is pushing up regional prices at auction, although selling is quieter than expected, say traders.
Buyers from across Wales and the Midlands attended Russell Baldwin & Brights annual sale at Tenbury Wells last Thursday where more than 600t of a wide variety of fodder and bedding was on offer.
Small bales of meadow hay caught many bids at £1.25 a bale but determined bidding by a few put the average at £1.38. Barley averaged £1.16, wheat at £1, and oat straw at £1.07, reports auctioneer Nick Champion.
Round bales were as popular as ever with a near total clearance of entries. Seed hay averaged £14 each, wheat £6.90, and oat £8.05, and pea haulm £5.25. The only entry of big square baled rape straw averaged £6.25.
At Uttoxeter the weekly produce sale has firmed with a smaller entries forward, comments Peter Oven of Bagshaws. Barley continues to command a premium with big square bales selling at £42/t against wheat at £38/t.
However, overall demand has eased nationally, says Chris Trower of the British Hay and Straw Merchants Association. *