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Our small staff gets asked this question frequently. When should I start shopping for deals and when should I buy? Given the market conditions over the last 3 years that is not an easy answer. This time last year your local retailer, or most anyone, would most likely say we are not out of the supply issues yet and prices could still go up, you better buy early. This truly was not that they were lying to drum up sales. The entire crop protection industry felt this way. What it did not account for was just how much extra "panic" buying was happening all over the place. This gets up to where we are today. As a whole the market is over supplied. As a farmer looking to buy that is not a bad position to be in as it gives you more options to save. So, back to the question at hand, when to start buying. Given the market conditions that we know: over supplied inventories, high cost of capital, and most suppliers entering into their last quarter of the year to move volumes; we would suggest that Oct, Nov, and Dec most likely will see the lowest net prices on chemicals. Dealers and manufactures will be willing to "dump" products at little to no margin to enter 2024 will lower interest costs.
We are starting to see more products added daily to the Clearinghouse at very attractive prices. This is an indication of the current supply situation in the market. Keeping an eye on the Clearinghouse at Farmerceag.com will be a good thing to do this fall and winter. As a reminder if you are price shopping for something specific you can also place a bid request for free. This gives you an easy way to see prices and you do not have to commit until you accept a price you like. When we get into Jan, Feb, and March, buyers have a little bit less leverage when price shopping. Buyers get busier prepping ground, begin to plant, and convenience of the next-door retailer becomes more important.
As we poll our buying members and ask questions, we see a common trend. They buy on Farmerceag.com what they know they will need well before season begins. This gives them time to make sure they get the best deal. Products that are more pest or weather related seem to wait until they are needed. We continue to be encouraged that our customers are saving significant amounts of money buying through our site. They like the easy-to-use system and the free shipping and the fact that we do not try and upsell or bug them for data. We are here for one simple reason, to connect good sellers of ag chemicals with a network of buyers.
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