Bulk honey prices and market outlook

[irwin harlton]

The stable prices in March have given way to much more expensive honey in October. Price increases ranged from 6.5%, on Miller’s clover, to 38.9% on Dutch Gold wildflower.

Click here to read the entire article:

http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/b...-liquid-asset/

[Ian]

>>............................................is the bull market in honey over? Me thinks not

[irwin harlton]

.............on the store shelf. see http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/

Worst drought in Argentina in 70 years, see http://apitrack.com/index_en_open.htm, see
article

ARGENTINA- AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, ASPHYXIATION BY THE DROUGHT


just wondering if that packer in Kansas who is offering 1.25 or less is getting the drift......
..... heard he wasn't getting any honey at that price

[irwin harlton]

http://apitrack.com/noticias/aaacoti...el_es_open.htm...... note last years prices in sept and oct

[The Honey Householder]

I don't think the packers are getting it yet. I was offered $1.25 two weeks ago. Just check back in today and Michagan packer offered $1.20. They said they can get all the honey they need from Canada for $1.20 delivered. Well is this true, that the Canadain still has a lot of honey and is selling it this cheap??? I only have 30 ton lift but looking to move it sometime this year!!!
Anyone with answers,

The Honey Householder

[Ian]

Your 1.2$ US is our 1.5$ Canadian, which is good for us
My banker has said his clients are moving thier honey for 1.5$/lbs,
Thats a good price for us,

[irwin harlton]

I have seen no reports ( official USDA) (please see dec. American Bee JOURNAL page 22)
Also see http://www.honey.com/honeyindustry/statistics.asp ....click on National Honey Report for dec 2008 report

of Canadian honey being sold for $1.20 delivered.

We maybe dumb Canadians but we ain't stupid


Irwin

Packers never lie but the odd one has been known to misunderestimate the truth

'They misunderestimated me.' George W Bush

[irwin harlton]

http://newsdaily.com/stories/tre50f5...ntina-farmers/

http://www.bloombergnews.com/apps/ne...890&refer=news

[Ian]

This has keep support on the grain market, we are seeing rallies due to the uncertain crop in south america
Brazil has a crop though, so they mention. Kind of opposite what your news page suggested.
Perhaps the dryness in Brazil is issolated

[The Honey Householder]

So has any one been selling honey since the first of the year, and at what prices. I've gotten one quote back from Michigan packer for $1.20 and still waiting for KS and Pa packers.
Looking for input,
Ron

[Trevor Mansell]

I got $1.25 for some fall honey, it wasnt white ,but it was better than the $1.10 Dutch Gold was offering.

[soupcan]

$1.50 on small lots.
We had to go down to a $1.30 on the last 25 drums or so from $1.40.
Drums exchanged & a split on the freight.
Real nice looking & tasting alfalfa honey.
Hated to go down on the price as we have a new honey house to pay for but the packer we sell to needed help on the & he is a great guy to do business with.
Just not many of his kind left any more.

[jean-marc]

What I'd like to know is if honey is moving? There are times when very little honey moves. Typically it's dec/january, before the Argentinian crop comes on market. Packers are hoping prices will be lower or use that threat to keep prices suppressed. So is anybody having difficulties moving honey? This is assuming that the price is not ridiculously low. With a supposed lower Argentinian crop forecast I would think demand is stronger than usual.

Jean-Marc

[irwin harlton]

Just my opinion, and according to the Mid U.S. Honey Hot line, what little honey is being sold is moving to small packers at good prices.
This would be " normal" for this time of year, if you can call anything normal anymore.
The big question on suppliers and buyers mind is how much the recession is going to crush the sales or demand?????
Packers would like you(producer) to believe the worst case scenario.and they don't like to carry high priced inventory when there's chance of cheaper stuff down the road
There is a world shortage of honey......growth of the US industrial market for honey has been phenonimal......just look at total imports for last couple of years
The big problem is the cheap trans shipped , laundered chinese honey.......keeping the price of all honey down.....a few dedicated fellows in the American Honey Proudcers ( God Bless them ) have been pursueing these loopholes and lawbreakers for 10 long years. Their efforts are finally bearing fruit.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395172_honey08.html


Irwin
still looking for a home for my honey

My favorite personal Greenspan quote is the beauty right below.

"[Hedge Funds] …are essentially free of government regulation,
and I hope they will remain so.
Why do we wish to inhibit the pollinating bees of Wall Street?” seekingalpha.com/article, 12-16-2008

[Ian]

ya, it was about two years ago, about this time of year packers started throwing low ball prices, as low as .65$/lbs. Before it was trading from .75$ to .85$ .. It did sucker some producers into selling, for they bought the rumour "someone" sent around that South America had a bumper crop.
Well South America had one of its worst crops in the last 10 years, which infact seems to be the trend right up til now.
It bought us at least .5$ to a 1$ on our honey pricing. Alot of folks bought into that false story, and paid for it.

Groups like this, where we can interact between beekeepers and share worldly information provides us with such better insite than following the local crouds mood.

[irwin harlton]

ARGENTINA- HONEY PRICES INCRAESES IN THE INTERNAL MARKET

http://www.apitrack.com/index_en_open.htm

[jean-marc]

It's interesting to see that according to those numbers beekeepers are getting better money for their honey today than 2003. I guess that was the year of the chloramphenicol tainted chinese honey. Kinda make you wonder. In Canada prices paid to the producer were way higher, mind you our dollar was weaker at the time. What this tells me is that the argentinian honey brokers make North American honey packers look like angels and that there must be a very small crop out there. Irwin I must say I like those little gems.

Jean-Marc

[RAlex]

Irwin Thank you for the link to apitrack. Its interesting reading . Unless I am mistaken the Argentines (producers) are recieving about .79 (USD) per pound at their location per pound. Its my understanding the much of their crop is destined to the US ? Although it looks like Brazil has shipped more to the US this year the net result would be a shorter supply hence higher prices here to the producers here and in Canada ? I know other factors are involved as well.
I would like to Thank You, Ian and Jean-Marc for the straightforward disscussions I have read on Beesource... Rick Alexander

[The Honey Householder]

I held out as long as I can. Finally got 3 offer from different big packers. I just sold a whole load of white honey for $1.29 lb. I only wish I had another month to work the packer against each other. Sorry to say someone had to win. With the cost of bees up again this year, I can't hold this honey forever. Don't sell for any less guys. The packer I finally sold to, first offered me $1.20. LOL That was a good one. When I counted back with $1.29 and told them they only had a day before I sold to another. They called back within two hours and took it. The week before they told me they can get all the Canada honey they want for $1.20 deleivered.
PACKER DON"T LIE
Ron

[Ian]

ya, you got to have a target price for your production, otherwise you will watch the market rise and then go back down. Selling on the way up is the way to go.
When pricing your honey, and trying to make a decission on to sell or not, it helps to calculate the interest incurring on your line of credit. If you hold on for another three months, you simply subtract that cost off your $$/lbs