Orion Farming Monthly Newsletter March 2026
- Orion Farming Group
- Mar 1
- 6 min read
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I’m hoping by the time you read this, things will have dried up a bit!
We are all keen to get going on the ground with fertiliser and agchem. I’m getting consistent reports of good, well-established crops, growing away nicely but showing early disease, including bad chocolate spot in beans, but I’m also hearing that weed control has been strong.
I attended DairyTec in February. A good one day show, meeting with current suppliers to discuss potential new products, including some interesting new silage sheet technology from Lallemand. (more later!) I also met a few companies who would like to be suppliers.
A work anniversary celebration at ORION HQ!
On 20th February, Shelley Dancey marked 30 years with Orion Farming.
We celebrated in the office with a card, flowers, cake and a special holiday gift.
She received many messages from the Board, and we all appreciate everything she does for Orion — here’s to the next 30 years!
Written by Stuart Goodinson GM
Newsletter topics for March 2026
Events
North East Cotswolds Cluster Group Trade Fair. 25th March. FarmED, Chipping Norton.
Orion will have a stand at the North East Cotswolds Cluster Group Trade Fair.
We are pleased to be supporting this group of 150 farmers who have come together to grow into an inclusive and pro-active group of local farmers, growers, landowners, foresters and advisers who work and learn together to enhance the natural capital on their land, tackle the climate emergency and build more resilient food and farming businesses.
The Trade Fair, is focussed on promoting, supporting and linking buyers and suppliers of products, services and skills across the Cotswolds rural community.
https://www.cotswoldfarmers.org/event-details/the-north-east-cotswolds-food-farming-and-rural-services-trade-fair
Cereals 10th-11th June at Diddly Squat Farm
Orion Farming will be attending the Cereals event this June. We are pleased to be working with our long-term partners, County Insurance. They have been kind enough to share their stand with us.
We will both be working under the theme ‘Protecting Your Future’
We will be ready to chat through all the ways Orion and County Insurance can help shield farmers from uncertainty and volitivity of markets and risks.
County Insurance will have some guest speakers on the stand as well as some very fine catering!
Come and chat to us on the stand, we would be very pleased to meet you!
Fertiliser Update
Delivery of ordered product is not going well. All suppliers are struggling with cargo ships not arriving and a shortage of lorries. I’m sorry you are having issues, but do let me know and I will chase and push as hard as I can. - Stuart
Urea & Ammonium Nitrate
Farm buying and ordering is increasing as usage starts
There are small price increases on deliveries in April/May
CF Nitram have nearly sold out for early March; limited Feb tonnes still available
Lithan available for March delivery is ok
Most Blenders - offering late March/ April availability.
PKs & Straights
Phosphate availability is tight; many importers only have April+ arrival.
DAP supplies are tight
SEnsure PolySulphate is secured early with high demand and the lack of domestic Ammonium Sulphate availability.
Protected Urea
Limus-protected urea offers the environmental stability and performance of AN, but with lower cost, greater flexibility, and reduced emissions. For many UK arable and grassland systems, it presents a strong technical and economic alternative to ammonium nitrate.
Limus contains two urease inhibitors (NBPT + NPPT), giving superior performance versus single-inhibitor products.
Feed and Livestock
Pooled resources
For several years, certain members working in conjunction with the Group’s partners have pooled their resources particularly straights, in order to realise greater savings on the commodities they purchase. To give an indication of the potential savings that can be made is that in 2025, the performance against the market average of all the products purchased was a saving of £28,989, for those members directly involved in the scheme. The only requirement is that members commit their requirements to the scheme for a minimum of 6 months and members are at liberty to leave the scheme at the end of the current contract.
Game Feed 2026
This season’s supplier of game feed to the Group has once again been awarded to ForFarmers. To place orders, please phone their customer service desk on 0330 6781090 or alternatively email them, Csd.exeter@forfarmers.eu. ForFarmers are creating a dedicated phone number specifically for game feed, however at the time of going to press the number had not been released, as soon as they have distributed it, members will be informed, however in the short term, please continue to use the telephone number listed above.
Q2 2026 Group mineral tender
An invitation has been sent to suppliers asking them to tender for the Group minerals for Q2 2026. A decision will be made by the 27th March and members will be informed as to which supplier has been successful, at that time.
Forage & Harvest order form
The forage & harvest requirement forms have now been distributed, so if you’ll be needing silage sheets, bale wrap, netwrap or twine this season, please ensure you complete the form and return it to the office in good time. Orders will then be placed with the most competitive supplier. If you require a specific brand, please make sure you include all the details on the form.
And finally, totally irrelevant but quite interesting facts…….
1.5 million trolleys are stolen from British supermarkets each year and there are six billion kinds of knot.
Joe Cobb, Feed & Livestock Manager, 01865 393 139
Solar Technology International
A few months ago, I introduced a new supplier, Solar Technology International. They have some interesting off-grid lighting products. I gave a couple to Tom Paiton and Becci Berry to try out.
Tom used his light at his new venture , Milton Secure Dog Walking. He placed this solar powered spotlight on a pole at the entrance, it comes on automatically shining the way for dog walkers, improving safety and security. Tom says it is a good piece of kit and would use them around his yard as well, especially as the prices are good.
Becci used hers in the horse box and cattle crush as a mobile device.
It can be fixed through the roof of a box or building so that the solar panel catches the sun and the light is inside the trailer.
Becci said, it was very bright, portable and was very effective.
They are good value at a round £50 each.
https://www.solartechnology.co.uk/category/solarmate/flood-lights/solarmate-arena-2k/1/
New Suppliers
Young Engineering Supplies, Witney.
We are pleased to welcome Young Engineering Supplies as a formal supplier to
Orion Farming. Many members already know and use them.
They have been around since 1992 and supply high-quality, industry-standard engineering tools and fasteners.
They are keen to point out that they understand the importance of reliable supply and customer-focused service, ensuring your projects run smoothly and safely.
Article by Simon Gillett, TIMAC AGRO UK
Across the UK, growers are being asked to square an increasingly difficult circle: reduce applied nitrogen, manage tighter regulations and volatile fertiliser prices, yet continue to deliver consistent yield and grain quality.
The good news is that this challenge is no longer simply about cutting back. Increasingly, it is about using nitrogen more intelligently.
Soils across much of the UK are inherently variable. In dry springs, granular nitrogen can sit on the surface waiting for moisture, or are lost through volatilisation, while later in the season crop demand often peaks when conditions are least favourable for conventional applications. The result is familiar: good total N rates on paper, but poorer uptake, uneven crops and disappointing returns.
The focus is now shifting from how much nitrogen we apply to how efficiently crops actually use it.
Independent UK trials are highlighting the value of targeted foliar nitrogen applied later in the season, when crop demand is highest and root uptake can be restricted. In maize and cereals, this approach can supplement or partially replace base nitrogen, improving efficiency without increasing total applied N and often reducing it.
A recent independent MGA maize trial provides a good example. In this work, a late-season foliar nitrogen programme using the new liquid fertiliser Infolen was compared directly with a range of standard liquid N products. Despite a reduction in base nitrogen, the Infolen treatment delivered a 4.77 t/ha fresh yield uplift Vs standard farm practises and other foliar Ns, providing a gross margin of £190/ha, with a net margin benefit of £122/ha after product and nitrogen adjustments.
More importantly, the benefits were not limited to yield alone. Improvements in dry matter, crop consistency and plant height demonstrated that well-timed nitrogen can support both output and forage quality.
What makes this approach particularly relevant for UK growers is flexibility. Foliar nitrogen allows:
• Applications when soils are dry and granular performance is limited
• Precise targeting at key growth stages
• The ability to fine-tune nitrogen programmes without increasing environmental risk
Products such as Infolen combine fast-acting ureic nitrogen with sulphur, magnesium and phosphate, improving uptake and conversion into protein and yield. The aim is not higher headline rates, but better conversion of every unit applied.
As pressure continues to build on nitrogen use, the next gains are unlikely to come from applying more. They will come from applying smarter, maintaining yield, protecting quality and improving margins, while meeting the expectations of regulators, buyers and the wider supply chain.
