A farming co-op based at Framlingham is celebrating bumper results for its crop marketing pool.

AtlasFram Group says its October–December 2013 pools paid out up to £20/tonne more than some major competitors.

Chief executive Richard Anscombe said: “This is testament to the excellent results which we have achieved compared to our competitors.”

Participants received between £164.07/t and £171.07/t ex-farm for their feed wheat, depending on location.

As well as this, a premium of £7/t was paid for Group 3 Biscuit Wheat and £18/t for Group 1 Milling Wheat. Oilseed rape marketed through AtlasFram pools averaged £320.20/t ex-farm, plus individual quality bonuses, up to £19/t over competitor pools. Those with LEAF Marque-Certified farms received an additional premium of £15/t.

“Many farmers believe that all pools generate much the same results, but this is not the case,” said crop marketing manager Tim Styles.

“Careful timing of sales is required to achieve optimum prices and our Oct-Dec 2013 pool results perfectly illustrate the significant financial advantages of marketing through AtlasFram. A farm marketing the output from 400 hectares of combinable crops through our pools in 2011 would have generated an additional £30,543 and in 2012 £16,241 more.”

PRC and CM Westrope, a 3,500 hectare operation based on the east coast of Suffolk owned by Philip and Carolyn Westrope, says membership of AtlasFram and its marketing pools is an essential part of Westrope Farming’s management strategy.

Farms manager Andy Rankin said: “Given the increasing volatility of today’s commodity markets it is reassuring to know that their highly-skilled crop marketing professionals are working solely on our behalf, allowing us to focus on what we do best.

“Each year our farms market around 8000 tonnes through AtlasFram, comprising feed and milling wheat, feed barley, spring malting barley and triticale, together with winter oilseed on the LEAF Marque contract. The tonnage is split approximately 70%/30% between pools and spot sales. A significant benefit of dealing with AtlasFram is that everything is automatically covered by credit insurance, which eliminates the risk from Mr Anscombe said: “The tonnage committed to our pools is set to increase significantly for the 2014 harvest.”

He added: “The additional revenue which could be achieved by marketing crops through AtlasFram pools could make a substantial difference to overall farm profitability.”