International grain markets continue to strengthen on the back of fears concerning future energy and fertiliser prices.

Weather-related factors, particularly in the main US wheat production areas, are also feeding into this scenario.

Significantly, the impact of these trends is now being reflected in compound feed prices.

Courtesy of its latest grain market update, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is confirming that, in Chicago, wheat futures have risen in response to the very poor crop situation in key production states like Kansas.

Only 30% of US winter wheat is rated as good or excellent, which is down 18 percentage points from an assessment back in November of last year by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Irish prices

Meanwhile, native Irish grain prices have remained largely unchanged with recent days seeing green feed barley valued at €185/t and green feed wheat at €190/t approximately.

For dried grains, this week Tirlan offered €227/t for wheat and €222/t for dry barley.

In contrast, the oilseed complex continues to be broadly supported by global energy developments with international demand for biodiesel fuels strong.

Native oilseed rape prices are trading between €460-€470/t ex-farm at harvest, while Tirlan has offered a price of €500/tfor dried oilseed rape in November 2026.

Supply and demand factors will continue to drive grain prices over the coming months.

Harvest 2026

Recent days have seen a number of countries come forward with their harvest 2026 projections.

The German cooperative federation, DRV, has published its latest harvest forecasts coming in at 22.4Mt for wheat, 11.09Mt for barley, 4.87Mt for grain maize, and 4.154Mt for rapeseed.

The French Ministry of Agriculture has also published its latest area estimates for winter crops in 2026, relative to the previous year.

The figures are as follows: soft wheat comes in at 4,583Mha (+2.7%): winter barley is projected at 1.263Mha (+5.9%), spring barley is estimated at 501,000ha (-16.2%); with rapeseed coming in at 1.379Mha (+9%).

Also in France, the country’s maize producers’ association has highlighted concerns over a possible 10-15 % drop in grain maize area for 2026.

This projection reflects a combination of factors, such as low selling prices in tandem with soaring energy and fertiliser costs for growers.

Fast strengthening input costs are also weighing heavily on the sentiments being expressed by Australian cereal growers.

The Grain Industry Association of Western Australia (GIWA) has forecast that the wheat area in the region could fall by 17% this year to 3.68Mha, owing to concerns about fertiliser cost and availability.