Arable farmers in Shropshire are to be asked their views on establishing central grain storage in the area.
Simon Thelwell, of English Farming and Food Partnership, told a recent collaboration event that a feasibility study will be carried out to gauge interest in a farmer-owned central grain store.
Funding is available from Advantage West Midlands for large, strategic projects such as a grain store. Key priorities for eligibility would be to encourage collaboration, supply chain development, modernisation, meeting market specifications and developing innovative products and skills.
Compared to other regions already with stores, Shropshire and Staffordshire has adequate cropping density to support a central store, and the epicentre of the larger arable area appears to be Telford and Newport.
The reasons why there has not been a central store in the past are complex but there are new drivers in the region now.
Arable cropping is now profitable, setaside has been removed and with the closure of Allscott sugar factory, farmers are growing more cereals to replace sugar beet acreage, he said.
Farmers are more interested in central storage for several reasons, including the ageing of their own on-farm storage and the increasing cost of storage.
A central grain store offered the opportunity to: help harvest and storage, enhance grain quality, earn market premium, add value through efficient handling and marketing, and reduce losses.
The next steps will be to work with key stakeholders to arrange meeting to gauge enthusiasm and conduct a survey with farmers to assess potential for central store. An open meeting will be arranged with farmers to present the findings of the survey and describe the central storage proposition.
A working group would then be needed to develop the project.
A questionnaire completed at the Roundup Risk and Cultivate Growth event revealed that 90 per cent of the farmers and consultants present would be interested in central grain storage.
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