Orion Farming Monthly Newsletter August 2026

Stuart Goodinson
Aug 2
4 min read

Updated: Aug 3

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It’s an early harvest, which is one good thing but I am hearing very mixed results on yields.

It seems the rain we did get came too late and yields are generally lower than hoped and expected. We have seen some lift in grain prices, but we need more.

Planning and buying for the new season is well under way. The demand for OSR seed has been higher than usual. There has been strong interest in the newer wheats like LG Defiance, but also a strong interest in the well-known varieties like Graham, which has yielded well despite its yellow rust vulnerability. Prices are starting to creep up and I have seen some of the more popular varieties selling out.

Fertiliser has been a continued rollercoaster. Yara and CF unexpectedly announced drops in their ammonium nitrate prices in July, but only on a very limited tonnage. A confusing and annoying strategy as it was not what we were told was going to happen with the market.

The resumption of action in Iran is seeing prices moving back up to where they were again.

Written by Stuart Goodinson GM

Newsletter topics for August 2026

Membership reminders

ORDER CONFIRMATIONS

Please read and check all order confirmations when you receive them. With input markets so volatile, we want to ensure orders and prices are accurate and secured.

PURCHASING

We have noticed that members who buy products outside the Orion Farming Group can end up paying more than necessary. This has applied to feed products, seed and fertiliser. We are always happy to provide quotes to help ensure you get the best value.

SUPPLIERS

This month’s supplier focus is on concrete suppliers. We have 10 suppliers to the group who are in different areas so we should have a good spread, important as the main influence on price is their distance from a quarry.

Please see the back page for details.

Feed and Livestock

ROCKET SCIENCE

For many years The Orion Farming Group has prided itself on the mantra, ‘Save time, save money, join Orion’ and this strapline has never been more relevant than in today’s geopolitical uncertainty. With the instability of today’s input costs there has never been a better time to take maximum advantage of the potential savings that can be realised through the Group. To give a specific example and names will certainly not be named, a member in June purchased a tonne of minerals direct from a local agricultural merchant. Had said member re-directed his phone call to the office instead, he could have saved himself £261. At the risk of using an all too familiar cliché, ‘it’s not rocket science’ and at the end of the day it’s your monthly subscription that helps to achieve maximum savings on your behalf.

ANOTHER POTENTIAL WINNER

Yet again and what seems to be a recurring theme, another Orion member has been nominated, on this occasion, as one of the three finalists for Beef Farmer of the year category in the Farmers Weekly Awards 2026. This year it’s Hawes Farms based in Buckinghamshire, running 230 spring calving Stabiliser suckler cows and growing their own cereals beans and peas for crimping alongside grass. To quote the FW, ‘The Hawes are using high-growth sires and maternal genetics to produce progeny that finish quickly on largely home-grown feed. They are an excellent example of a profitable, mixed family farm’. We wish all the best at the award ceremony on the 1st October in London.

GAME FEED CONTACTS

Just a reminder that ForFarmers are once again the Group’s preferred game feed supplier and should you wish to place an order or require further technical advice, please contact either Jamie Horner 07341 883162 or Lauren Appleby 07387 526426 who will be able to help you with your enquiry.

GLW FUEL SURCHARGE

Back in April at the start of the Middle East Conflict when fuel prices increased dramatically, GLW were forced to impose a £3 per tonne fuel surcharge. This not only covered product that left the mill but also for raw materials coming into the mill. This surcharge was reviewed on a fortnightly basis and at the end of June, when it appeared that the situation in the Middle East had de-escalated, GLW took the decision to reduce the surcharge to £1.50 per tonne from 1st July. At the time of going to press, with attacks by both America and Iran increasing and seemingly no resolution in sight, GLW have stated that the £1.50 surcharge will remain in place at least until the end of August, at which time they will review the situation again.

And finally, totally irrelevant but quite interesting facts of the month…….

In 1954 the Soviet Union applied to join NATO and it takes five litres of water to grow a single almond.

Joe Cobb, Feed & Livestock Manager, 01865 393 139

Full Supplier Catalogue

Please see our list of recommended suppliers to the Orion Farming Group online.

You can either contact suppliers directly and quote your membership number, or call the office to discuss your requirements.

A full list of suppliers, along with the ability to search by product area, is available in the supplier catalogue: https://members.ofg.org.uk/MemberSection/SupplierCatalogue.aspx

THIS MONTH WE FOCUS ON CONCRETE SUPPLIERS

John Cantlay AKA Bob

John Cantlay has shared the sad news of the passing of his father Bob.

John aka Bob chaired the buying group for a long time and instigated the purchase of the current Orion headquarters in Fyfield.

In 1959 John founded a discussion group in Wallingford and the Sinodon Farmers was founded later joined by Thame Cash and Evenlode Farmers then much later on becoming the Oxford Farming Group which was then renamed the Orion Farming Group