Farmers needing grain for stock feed have been advised to get it while it's still available.
Federated Farmers grain and seed chair Ian MacKenzie says indications are supplies of feed wheat and barley could be tight this year, despite the high yields from the last harvest.
He says an arable industry survey indicates unsold feed barley stocks are down 40% on last year and stocks of feed wheat are also lower than this time last year.
Mr MacKenzie says the overflow from two years ago has been used up and despite a good harvest last year the dry conditions in both the North and South islands have soaked up a fair bit of last year's grain harvest already.
"When you look at the tonnage that's available for sale and the number of cows just in the South Island alone," he says, "those cows could easily munch their way through all the grain that is available for sale between now and the next harvest."
Mr MacKenzie says the message for arable farmers is that they shouldn't have to worry about prices and demand for their feed grain this year.
