Rapidly tumbling crop prices and stubbornly high input costs, were the hot topics discussed at NFU Scotland's arable meeting in Aberdeenshire, recently.

The meeting was opened by chair, Scott Campbell, Kirkton, Kinellar, who painted that mixed picture for growers said the spot price for cereals and oilseeds had dropped around 50% since harvest, with wheat now sitting at £200 per tonne, barley at £160/t and oilseed rape at £340/t.

Oilseed rape in storage was reported to have dropped by £60/t in one week, which is worrying many farmers who did not sell, or set prices at harvest. However, inputs had also dropped with the meeting reporting 34.5% Nitram close to £450/t, and 16:16:16 around £630/t. Also, straw was selling for £50/t ex-farm.

Aberdeenshire arable advisor, Charlie Catto, also addressed the meeting with an update on how North-east crops were faring in the ground. Overall, he said that winter cereals crops were looking well, especially the ones which got fertiliser in February.

Oilseed rape, though, was looking variable across the region and even within the same field, he pointed out. However, overall, crops were looking well with little evidence of frost heave, and were now 'just need a bit of heat and feeding'.

On the crop disease front, Mr Catto said chemical prices had risen by 10-30%, depending on the brand and also reminded farmers that earlier-sown varieties would be more prone to disease through spring and summer. He used the example of a winter wheat variety rated at 5 for resistance to septoria, could drop to a 4 if it was sown earlier.

The meeting welcomed the news that the cost of glyphosate had halved from £200 to £100, per ha.

On the short term cereals and oilseed market, Mr Catto believed much of the reason for depressed market was now oversupply, pointing out that there were millions of hens out of the system and the pig herd was contracting, so demand was weakening.

Further, much of the alcohol sector had bought ahead and secured enough supply until harvest 2023. This may push some traders to export wheat onto the global market, but they would need to be prepared to accept a discounted price for that.

Looking further ahead, Mr Catto stated that China was coming back into the world market, which could raise demand later in the year. Australia had enjoyed two record harvests, but their weather pattern is earmarked to change to drought, which could lead to smaller yields in the coming season.

He also pointed to a big drop in winter cereals planted in Ukraine because of the war there, with a lot of the ground planned to switch to spring-sown crops. War had also meant cash-flow problems in Ukraine with most deals require cash before delivery, which is putting the brakes on trading.

The meeting finished with a talk from Bill Petrie on fertiliser and nutrients. Mr Petrie started with a quote from 1843 which claimed that any nutrient in short supply will be the limiting factor in crop yield. The basics to achieving a top yield, was to start with a pH of at least 6.5 and an organic matter of more than 3%.

He also reminded farmers to ensure 'you replace what you take out of the soil', especially after silage as it could leave potash levels ‘on the floor’. At this time of year, it should be all about root miles, according to the fertiliser expert who explained what happens below the ground in spring will help set your final yield.

Phosphate does not move freely within the soil, so correct placement would be key to ensuring plants had access to it for making successful roots in the first 40 days of growth.

On liming, Mr Petrie extolled the benefits of quality lime with a low micron level. He said this made a huge difference to crops and farmers needed to know what they are spreading – if fields are covered in big lumps of lime then the benefit may not be felt for years.

He recommended a check on the percentage of the lime which is below 150 microns and said he liked to use granular lime, which could be spread with calcium, to maximise soil health.

He reminded the audience that potash was important for a good yield and was particularly crucial for oilseed rape, with 11kg of K needed to produce one tonne of crop. He urged farmers to ensure potash levels were replaced after harvest.

When discussing the benefits of chopping straw, Mr Petrie reminded farmers that they also needed to calculate how much nitrogen was taken from the soil to break down the plant material and also calculate the P and K which is put back into the soil.