The harvest was plentiful but the profits were few

GALWAY grain farmers might have enjoyed almost perfect weather for the  harvest this year but they are set for a profitless season as prices look set to stay at rockbottom.

A bumper season for maize in both South and North America is one of the main factors in the price slump that sees grain farmers here at home having to settled for a maximum price of €145/€160 per tonne.

Galway IFA Grain Committee Representative, Eamonn Burke, told the Farming Tribune that the price slump – down about €30 a tonne on last year’s prices – meant that grain farmers would be operating at a loss this year.

“Really we are looking at a minimum price of €160 per tonne for grain growers to break even or make a very modest profit. It costs €146 a tonne to produce the grain, so even at €160, the margins are very, very tight,” said Eamonn Burke.

He said that some farm to farm sales of corn made sense for both the seller and the buyer with these prices working out in the region of €170 to €180 a tonne.

Straw sold reasonably well this season but also at a low enough price of €13 to €15 for round bales with square bales making €2 or just a little over.

“I suppose it’s a year when grain farmers just have to do their sums very carefully and the forward outlook for next year is not very good either. A lot of grain farmers will be taking a long hard look at what they will do next year,” said Eamonn Burke.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.