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Bulk honey prices and market outlook

824K views 1K replies 169 participants last post by  The Honey Householder 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Deflation , then inflation and currently a whole bunch of de-leaverageing going on in this crazy economy, which I hear from the majority with crystal balls, that is only going to get worse as a recession or a depression .
Heard some packers had dropped their offering prices......... hadn't noticed any downward pricing going on the store shelf's,to the contrary , prices were actually going up there.
A Canadian honey broker recently had a offer out for 1.50 Canadian,picked up in your yard, drums lost , for 10 loads, alot of phone calls later the order was filled and she is working on another order for the same price,I hear. Canadian dollar was trading around 1.25 US. That may be GOOD PRICE at present market conditions........ but I doubt it.I don't think supply and demand have entered the big picture yet.Other Current Canadian offers were 1.40. UK honey is selling at up to £2.30 per pound in BULK- source Bee -L.
Maybe that supply and demand won't enter the pic if the packers get there way.

I must remind myself that honey is not one of those necessity foods like bread and milk and that I don't need to be quite as greedy as some of those wall street folks
 
#1,284 ·
Canadian broker going to Barkman's... Beemaid is looking for honey for them and so is this other broker. Poor Argentine crop so packers need honey. I don't think they are desperate but trying to keep some stock ahead... bridging a gap, until Argentina gets a little hungry and sells honey or until honey starts coming in from 2017 or wherever else they may get their honey from. I just keep reading and seeing production is going down per hive and demand is increasing. It should be a way better price if the phoney honey was out of the marketplace.

Jean-Marc
 
#1,291 ·
It is the honey buyers at the wholesale level who were worried, or at least pretending to be. The general public cannot effectively be generalised. I have been asked only once in seven years of working farmer's markets if my bees were near GMO crops. The public is mostly made of individuals, not countries, and they all have different demands to meet. They love white honey and dark honey, strong honey and tasteless honey, they all love REAL honey. The price of bulk honey may never reflect what the consuming public really think about the value of honey. With the exception of Mr. Ron Phipps, mostly I ignore what the big honey buyers tell me.
 
#1,292 ·
Looks like honey has crept back up to $1.60 cdn, FOB, 30 day payment from pick-up. I have heard of forward contracts at $1.55-$1.65. That is not so attractive at this point. Looks like that short Argentine crop is helping out a lot. Seems they are always short. Europe is apparently needing that honey as consummers are demanding true honey, so all store shelf honey has to undergo NMR testing.

Looks like there is a slight cause for optimism at this pont. Somehow we are still about 30% below American prices based on currency alone. I don't get that. This difference never existed before, well it did but only around 10 cents a pound, not the current 50-60 cents. Those last dimes per pound make beekeeping worthwhile. Fun vs a curse. Profitable vs bankruptcy etc...

Hang in there fellows, gals too.

Jean-Marc
 
#1,294 ·
Apparently the honey market is coming back. I heard some Argentina honey $1.58/lb U.S. FOB Argentina. This is for ELA honey. Also hearing that brokers are forward contracting Canadian honey at $1.85. It is likely that come fall Canadian honey will be back to perhaps $2.25 (canadian funds) There is cause for cautious optimism. Now if we could only get some sunshine around here we could have some bees.

Jean-Marc
 
#1,302 ·
I was in awe and shock when Barkman came out with his 1.05 offer for "foreign" Canadian honey.Apparently by TODAYS RISING PRICES , he has misread, misled the market, nice guy who maybe cashed in on some cheap stuff, no doubt he will be more cautious in his market price offerings. This is maybe not typical large US packer , but they all like super cheap honey and this is what they got.Same old story cheaper honey allows a packer to undercut the competition and gain new markets, so how much did you gain Mr Barkman?
 
#1,303 ·
One of the most terrible beliefs is that the market for honey depends on the collector who has treated you well, and in many cases; wrong.

That business relationship between you and the collector, depends entirely on your level of ignorance or knowledge, and the level of manipulation or good business practices of the buyer but; Has nothing to do with the international honey market. The international market for honey suffers ups and downs not by whims, but by the market laws that govern international markets. One of these laws - and I believe the most important one - is the law of supply and demand;

from http://biblioteca.ugan.mx/reporte-del-mercado-internaciona…/
 
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