Tillage farmers are more than four times more likely to be willing to enter a portion of their grain into fixed-price contracts than dairy farmers would be willing to do so with milk.

The Irish Farmers Journal survey results show that only 15% of dairy farmers would be willing to sell a percentage of their milk at a contracted price, while 68% of tillage farmers would be interested in forward sell grain next year.

Most of those who said they would forward sell grain said they would sell 30% of their expected harvest or less, with only 8% saying they would agree a price for more than half of next year’s entire crop.

The findings come two weeks after the Irish Farmers Journal reported that some dairy farmers are supplying milk to co-ops at 20c/l less than non-contracted supply prices despite processors supporting payments.