Orion Farming Monthly Newsletter February 2026

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Its nice to start this newsletter with a little positivity! 

The change in the IHT threshold was a good step in the right direction and with SFI schemes opening again, all be it, with yet, unknown criteria change it gives us some options for future plans.

At the Oxford Faming Conference Rachel and I heard Emma Reynolds promise us that she was determined to drive through more certainty in policy going forward and to eliminate the uncertainty caused by rapid and ever-changing Government policy – sounds great, but let’s wait and see! 

There was a lot of interesting and thought-provoking stuff at the OFC, we particularly enjoyed Jak Bobo’ factual and philosophical presentation on the future of food production, the role of agriculture and the need for resilience in the future. 

I also spent the day at LAMMA. 

I caught up with many of Orion’s suppliers as well as speaking to some potential new ones. 

It was a very busy and well attended show. 

It now incorporates Croptec and next year will include DairyTec too and so it will become the UK’s largest agriculture show by far.

Written by Stuart Goodinson GM

Newsletter topics for February 2026

Supplier News 

Thomas Bell

POLY4 is produced from the same proven Polyhalite material, supplying; sulphur, potassium, magnesium and calcium in a crop available form.

POLY4’s uniform granulated structure means it dissolves efficiently for optimised release. Delivering consistent flow, spreading accuracy at wider bout widths and lower rates, while being gentle on modern spreading equipment.

The result is trusted nutrition, applied more precisely, efficiently, and with added confidence season after season.

https://www.thomas-bell.co.uk/poly4

MyPower - new supplier

MyPower have joined us as a locally based and highly recommended provider in the Solar power installation sector.

They specialise in larger scale installations and in particular in agriculture. Some of them are in our region. They have been designing and installing solar PV systems for businesses since 2010.

Mypower is a solar panel company that designs, supplies, and installs solar panels for businesses.

They install award winning photovoltaic (PV) systems, enabling companies to generate their own electricity, lower their long-term energy costs and reduce their impact on climate change.

Visit https://www.mypoweruk.com/case-studies/?category=8

Grain Market update from our partner and supplier Bartholomews

Market Update: Introducing the Bartholomews Grain Team

The January USDA world stocks update delivered a surprise corn production from the 2025 harvest has been revised up, not down. Markets had been bracing for tighter ending stocks, so the increase briefly pushed prices lower before recovering, helped by a softer Dollar.

The bigger picture remains unchanged: global grain supply is large, and while further downside feels limited, this update does little to support a bullish outlook anytime soon.

With new crop values offering no incentive to carry grain, attention is now shifting to wrapping up this season efficiently. January is traditionally a busy month for post Christmas selling, and we expect a steady flow of farm grain to come forward. Nearby slots are filling quickly, with much of the current trade now moving into April–May positions meaning summer movement is likely to tighten well before we get there.

Current Opportunities

We currently have strong demand for:

• Lower protein milling wheat – for early spring movement

• Winter oats – particularly into Bedford

If you’re holding grain that fits these profiles, now is an ideal time to discuss options.

Orion App and Website

A reminder about the improvements to the Supplier Search area. If you are looking for a specific product or supplier within the Orion Farming Group, you can use a keyword search to do this. The link to this is from the home page of the website - then click to go through to Catalogue via the button. This links directly to our database.

It is mobile optimised and works well with phone in ‘landscape orientation!

Feed and Livestock 

Game feed tender

An invitation has been sent to all game feed suppliers to submit their tender for the Group’s game feed for the 2026 season. Tenders have to be submitted by the 23rd February and members will be informed by email once a decision has been made. A reminder will also go out in April’s newsletter.

Hydramix & Envirolac

As reported in January’s newsletter, the lead times for both Envirolac and Hydramix cubicle lime had increased significantly and it would appear that since the start of the New Year, the situation has not improved. The lead time for Envirolac is still at least two weeks and the lead time for Hydramix is between three – four weeks. There are however alternatives available to both products that can be delivered in the usual three to five working day time frame. It’s worth mentioning that in the run up to Christmas the lead time for minerals also increased significantly and since the start of the New Year, there’s been no indication that this has reduced, so please bear this in mind when planning your requirements

Molasses for sheep

With lambing just around the corner the current Group supplier of molasses can offer a range of molasses products formulated specifically for ewes. Products include Sheepmol, 13.5% ME and low in protein, ideal for feeding to ewes to combat twin lamb disease and designed to feed if the lambing percentage of 180% is expected. It’s a popular product as it does not have a protein source, so lowers the risk of excessively large lambs at birth as well as other laming problems. Sheepmol Plus is the same product but with added vitamins and minerals. Stockmol 20 with 12.5% ME is a good general-purpose energy product. To maximise sugar intake this should be fed as a liquid feed for ewes carrying twins and triplets as well as part of a TMR. It can also be fed to cattle. All these products are available in 1.4T IBCs as well as in bulk, with a minimum delivery of 5 tonnes, which can be pumped into a tank or IBCs. Further details are held at the office.

Compound Feed

For members who want a compound feed that is suitable for both cattle and sheep, GLW can supply a product called Universal 16 nuts. It’s a 16% protein and is also available as a roll as well. The minimum tonnage they will deliver in bulk is 4 tonnes, however it’s also available in bags.

And finally, totally irrelevant but quite interesting facts…….

It takes about 200 tons of sand to build one detached house and a large latte contains more saturated fat than a cream doughnut.

Joe Cobb, Feed & Livestock Manager, 01865 393 139

Fertiliser Market update

IIt has been busy this month. Many people are ordering now for immediate delivery as there will be delivery and supply issues in late Feb/March. Nitram dropped £20/t unexpectedly, but I feel it will be a short-lived reduction. Please see following summary.

UK market

• CF has reduced Nitram prices to stimulate demand, with only 30 delivery days left before March.

• Imported  volumes look similar to last year, but cropping area is larger, implying there could be a higher demand.

• PKs: Demand still slow, but UK blenders are planning February production.

• Sulphur risk: A major German supplier has gone insolvent, potentially tightening UK supply.

Spring demand is building quickly, and delivery slots are already filling. Suppliers expect longer lead times again this year. 

Accept delivery dates when offered – declining slots may result in being pushed back later into the season.

Crop Protection

We are in meetings and getting spring season product availability and pricing sorted out. There will be some early order discount schemes, and we will let you know as soon as we have detail

Seeds

We have Maize pricing and availability ready for you. Please do get in touch.

It does look like spring planting will be much less than last year due to better conditions this autumn.

Nearly 50% of all wheat seed we ordered this spring was for group 1 varieties, much higher than in the past. Not a surprise as the premiums and contracts available on group 1s goes a little way to ameliorate the generally poor grain prices at the moment

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