Our trading team markets pool grain in accordance with policy guidelines from farmer directors. As a farmer-owned business we are committed to help farmers achieve premium prices at a low cost whilst minimising the trading risks from bad debts, malpractice, quality claims and adverse price movements.

Options:
Call Options – These may be granted in 100 tonne lots for November, January, March or May and in conjunction with a pool contract or purchase contract. The option will be based upon the appropriate Futures price and the farmer will be charged the most competitive fee that can be obtained from the LIFFE Futures market.

The buyer of the call option may, in a volatile market, have opportunities to buy and sell on either side of his option strike price – without taking any risk. The options will expire on the second Thursday of the month, preceding the contract month.

Put Options – Put options which give a minimum price on spot or forward sales are available on request.
Please contact a member of the trading team to discuss fees and grain option strategies.

Pool Marketing:
Pools
Pool marketing allows grain to be traded in an orderly manner by providing grain when it is needed by the customers and avoiding oversupply in quiet periods.
For grain sold in a pool the member receives the average price of all grain group sales of that commodity sold in that pool period minus the marketing fee.

Pool Commodities
All main line commodities can be traded through the Wessex Grain Pools including milling wheat, feed wheat, oilseed rape, malting barley (according to variety), feed barley, peas and beans.

Pool choices
We offer four main pool options, which relate to the period that the grain will be moved. The Long pool has three payment options to suit individual cash flow requirements.

Grain Storage Contracts: A farmer who has storage contract with Wessex Grain may deliver any main line grain commodity to one of our stores. He is able to bring in any amount of grain but is restricted to how much he can store after the harvest period by the amount of his space entitlement. Each Spring the farmer is asked to give Wessex Grain details of his storage and marketing intentions for the subsequent harvest. Usually he would send the commodities that are likely to benefit from storage and or conditioning - Malting Barley, Milling Wheat, Oilseeds, Pulses and any other grain that may need drying or cleaning.

Charges for storage services become due at the end of October and are usually deducted from members’ grain payments.