Orion Farming Monthly Newsletter December 2025
- Orion Farming Group
- Nov 30, 2025
- 4 min read
View the whole newsletter on the flip book above
Simply click on the titles below to expand the content!
Orion Christmas Office Hours
The Orion office will be closed from 24th December up to and including 2nd Jan.
I will check for urgent emails and messages during this time and will respond where necessary.
Urgent fuel and feed requirements can be ordered directly with suppliers if necessary.
Wishing all Members and Families a Happy Christmas & New year- Stuart
BLOG TOPICS for December 2025
Arable Update
I’m pleased to say that the weather has still been playing ball and crops are going into the winter period looking well.
It looks as if planting levels within the Orion Farming group members are like national trends. Winter Wheat plantings are up around 10% on this time last year, OSR up around 20% and a slight increase in Winter Beans. Total UK winter wheat plantings are estimated at 1.72 million Ha compared to 1.65 million this time last year.
We have still been battling with Chemical supply issues, but thankfully Shelley has managed this well and had done a great job making sure everyone got what they needed.
Fertiliser prices have been creeping upwards again with Nitram at around £400+/t for Feb and Urea at £425+/t as I write this. There are no indications at this stage to see it falling in the near future.
A number of people have asked me about the Carbon Tax on Fertiliser planned to be introduced in 2027. Simon Joyce from Bartholomews has written a summary of the position and implementation of this tax below.
The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) is supported by government at different rates, offering subsidies/lower taxes to their fertiliser producers.
On the 1st Jan 26 EU CBAM implementation all fertilisers will be benchmarked against the same EU carbon tax.
EU producers will be exposed to higher production costs centres.
As the market tightens, EU producers will prioritise their domestic market first, reducing the flow into the UK and increasing replacement values.
70% of UK imports are reliant on European producers!
With tighter supplies and higher prices due to the added carbon costs for Q1 2026, it is strongly advised that growers purchase and deliver their fertiliser requirements for the Spring before the end of January 2026.
Orion App and Website
We are making changes to the Orion website and Orion app. We have decided to improve aspects of our website such as ordering/messaging, supplier information, and ease of use on a mobile. These improvements will mean the Orion App will no longer be required.
On 31st December we will switch off the Orion App. If you had been using the app, please revert to using the Orion Website for order placing, electricity reading messages, logging in to view accounts. Improvements to the website will take place gradually over the coming weeks.
If you have any questions, please get in touch.
Feed and Livestock
Q1 2025 Group mineral tender
An invitation has been sent to suppliers asking them to tender for the Group minerals for Q1 2026.
A decision will be made by the 22nd December and members will be informed as to which supplier has been successful, at that time.
Ground Rock Salt
With the onset of winter there will inevitably be periods when the temperature drops below freezing, resulting in icy yards and footpaths. In which case it might be an idea to have a pallet of ground rock salt to hand to throw down in such areas to avoid any accidents or injuries. It’s significantly cheaper than regular granular salt and orders can be placed through the office.
Weekly Straights Update
The Weekly Straights Update, plotting the prices of core straights products has been a regular feature sent out to members for many years and over time it has been developed and improved to give a much more accurate representation of the fluctuation in prices. It’s easy to navigate and the graphs and spreadsheets are clear and precise. Finally, as an added bonus you’ll receive the ‘totally irrelevant but quite interesting facts’ on a weekly rather than a monthly basis!! If you’d like to receive the update, please contact the office and your email address will be added to the distribution list.
And finally, totally irrelevant but quite interesting festive facts…….
During the Christmas truce of 1914, one English soldier got his haircut from a German who used to be his barber in Holborn, from 1541 to 1555, playing bowls was illegal for commoners, except on Christmas Day and the French don’t have Christmas pudding or Christmas crackers at Christmas.
Joe Cobb, Feed & Livestock Manager, 01865 393 139
Feed and Livestock deliveries in the lead up to Christmas
With less than a month until Christmas, please ensure you order all your requirements in plenty of time., particularly compound feed, ( for those members who are supplied by GLW, they’re currently quoting 7 working days lead time) and minerals, which can take in excess of 10 working days. Haulage becomes increasingly stretched at this time of the year, so please bear this in mind as well. Also, ensure you have enough of your requirements to last you well into the New Year, realistically things will probably not get back to normal until after the 5th January.
New Suppliers
Landmark Systems
Landmark Systems, provide award winning farm & estate management software.
They are offering a 12.5% discount to Orion members.
Visit www.landmarksystems.co.uk
Clear Utility Systems
So many people are frustrated with their water provider. We have started working with a new supplier called Clear Utility Solutions. They have provided good quotes and an efficient service to a couple of members already.
Contact Stuart for contact details or if you would like him to arrange a quote.
Fuel supplier Xmas availability
Electricity supply deals for members
We now have more capacity for members to join Orion’s electricity supply offer.
We are working with Npower to provide cheaper quotes and to ease the burden of billing. Please get in touch and we can provide you with a quote.
2026 Diaries
We will have lots of free 2026 diaries, calendars and wall planners delivered to the office in the coming weeks. Let us know if you would like any and we will get them sent out to you!
