Arable event goes ahead online

Economists and food experts will discuss opportunities for the arable sector and the challenges in current markets as part of “Arable Scotland” event which will take place online this year.

Alongside virtual cereal plot tours, speakers at the event which takes place next on 2 July will be asking if wheat prices might move up as a result of lower plantings this year – or whether this will simply encourage imported grains to be sucked in to make up any shortfall.

David Eudall, AHDB’S Head of Market Specialists (Arable), will provide the latest grain market commentary and discuss the longer-term direction for wheat and barley prices. He will offer an analysis of the impact on cash flows ahead to 2021, forecasts for global stocks and provide an outlook for international grain markets and the bigger picture for the cereals sector, while Julian Bell, senior rural business consultant at SRUC, will give the Scottish perspective.

Former cereal monitor farmer Alison Milne will discuss how her businesses diversification, Crafty Maltsters, has added value to a commodity product by marketing the flavour, heritage, provenance, innovation and sustainability of the barley grown on her farm.

At 6:30pm a live Q&A session will be conducted, with the panel answering questions asked via the live stream during the day together with questions posed by regional business groups from across Scotland covering topics such as yield expectations, feedback on the growing season and conditions, crop updates, the outlook for the 2020 harvest and potential markets.