Planning for new season fertiliser? 

One of Openfield’s Fertiliser Traders, Lucy Hassall, encourages farmers to plan ahead and get ready for the new season of fertiliser buying.

The end of February saw record breaking temperatures allowing farmers to apply their spring applications earlier than expected. Those that were ordered by mid-January had their requirements on farm to use when needed. Later buyers were then faced with delivery delays and later than desired applications.

Organisation and planning have always been key, but the advantages of doing so have definitely increased over time. During the last couple of years, we have seen differing weather patterns and trends in the structure of fertiliser pricing which have favoured farmers who can take advantage of the early new season price to gain best value.

Having a close relationship with your fertiliser supplier, who will have a good knowledge of the fertiliser market can be a real advantage. They can help avoid disappointment on price increases and ensure deliveries to farm take place when the product is actually needed. Putting the time in now to plan and calculate their fertiliser needs in advance really can help to put farmers in a position to purchase the right product at the right time.

There are of course some farms that can’t take delivery in the earlier months due to storage space. Keeping up to date with the latest deals means that once farmers are in a position to buy, they have the best value for their required delivery period.

As a national supplier of fertiliser Openfield has strong relationships with all the leading suppliers across the country. This allows us to competitively service all areas with an extensive range of solid and liquid options.

Openfield also understands that cash flow can sometimes be a factor in purchasing. This is why we allow farmers to contra fertiliser orders against committed grain to assist with cashflow. Openfield has a team of Farm Business Managers who always have up to date information on the fertiliser markets and they look forward to your call.