Farmers hoping for an easing in fertiliser prices during May will be disappointed as CAN increased by as much as £12/t at the start of the month.

Price quotes for CAN are typically £250/t to £262/t for bulk bags collected from merchant’s yards, although discounts are available for large orders and early payment.

In early April, CAN cost £240/t to £250/t. In most years, fertiliser prices normally start to ease during May as the peak buying period for grazing and first-cut silages passes.

But according to several merchants, there is little sign of that happening at present.

CAN is currently £80/t ahead of the same period last year, and at its highest price level since the spring of 2012 when prices hit £280/t.

Compounds

Elsewhere, compound fertilisers are holding relatively steady with little movement on price listings for April.

Products such as 27-4-4 are currently around £312 to £325/t with 25-5-5 at similar levels. Again, discounts are available for bulk orders and early payment.

Other grassland products such as 22-4-14 are priced around £320 to £325/t with 22-3.5-10 priced around £306 to £312/t.

Feed

In the feed trade, some merchants have applied a £10/t increase to livestock rations this week which brings most general purpose cattle feed to between £260 and £270/t.

Beef finishing blends are in the region of £255 to £262/t depending on the level of barley and maize included.

Dairy rations currently range from £275 to £320/t depending on the level of protein and the level of forward cover merchants have.

Spot markets for maize and certain proteins continue to rise. Imported maize is costing upwards of £260/t on farm, a rise of £25/t on last month.

Barley

However, barley is holding steady at £225/t.

Maize distillers bought on spot markets will cost in the region of £300/t on farm with products such as sugarbeet pulp close to £275/t. Soya is holding steady around the £390 to £400/t mark delivered on farm.

Read more

IFA milk price analysis shows €16,896 gap between processors

Farmers selling livestock can return ringside in Northern Ireland