How Seasonal Demand and Weather Affect Feed Ingredient Availability and Prices

Key Takeaways

• Feed ingredients such as soybean meal can remain available year-round, but seasonal pressures can affect price, transportation, and delivery timing.

• Hurricanes, flooding, and winter storms may create logistical disruptions even when feed and grain supplies remain available.

• Fall and winter can bring increased feed demand, seasonal premiums, plant downtime, and tighter truck availability.

• Buying feed ingredients in advance can help reduce exposure to peak-season pricing and transportation challenges.

• Planning around the entire feed supply chain—not just ingredient availability—can help buyers secure the products they need when they need them.

Seasonal pressures don’t always mean feed ingredients are unavailable. And an available product doesn’t always mean “easy to get.” 

This time of year, buyers typically see prices of ingredients increase, and they may ask themselves, “Does feed ingredient availability change seasonally?” 

Short answer: no.

Ingredients such as soybean meal may remain available year-round, but hurricane season, winter weather, seasonal premiums, production downtime, and limited truck availability can affect what buyers pay and when their feed arrives—making advance planning especially important during higher-risk periods. This month, we have a few tips to help you navigate the upcoming harvest season.

Outsmart the weather: Multiple supply points limit disruptions

Does weather affect feed and grain supply?

Yes. In the feed and grain industry, weather-related events such as drought or too much rain can significantly affect the harvest and, therefore, grain availability. 

While rare, winter storms, hurricanes and other acts of nature can also affect suppliers' ability to operate throughout the season. This is when having multiple supply points is vital to accessing the feed and grain you need. 

Weather also affects on-time deliveries and logistics. Road closures, dangerous conditions, and other weather-related events can have trucks parked or unable to deliver or pick up. 

Multiple supply points and a wide range of delivery options are key to limiting disruptions in your supply chain. Multiple options for feed and grain suppliers and delivery trucks help ensure delivery and mitigate risk.

A nuanced supply chain: Seasonal demand adds another layer of pressure

How does seasonal demand affect the feed supply chain?

During the winter months, animals eat more to build fat reserves to stay warm. Those animals need more food, which increases demand on the supply chain. Add the gamble of unpredictable weather plus plant downtime and truck availability, and there are many factors that can make a much-needed ingredient difficult to get. 

When multiple seasonal pressures like this overlap, advance purchasing and planning allow for better end results including getting your feed and grain ingredients when you need them.

Plan Ahead: Season can affect price even when ingredients remain available

Does feed ingredient availability change seasonally?

Feed and grain products such as soybean meal are available year-round - even during the harvest season and cold winter months. However, as demand increases in the fall, buyers often encounter higher prices. While it’s nearly impossible to plan around specific interruptions (like hurricanes), it’s an annual likelihood that prices will begin to increase every fall. Buying in advance helps mitigate the pressure of finding feed and grain products during peak season - at peak prices.

Plan around the feed supply chain, not just feed availability

This time of year, the key question isn’t simply, “Will my feed ingredients be available?” Buyers also need to consider what those ingredients may cost and how reliably they can reach their operation. Understanding seasonal premiums, changing demand, plant downtime, weather-related logistics challenges, and truck availability can help buyers plan purchases earlier and reduce exposure to seasonal disruptions.

Our team is here to help you source the ingredients you need while navigating the demands of the season. Contact us today for more details.

The Harris Crane Process 

We know the importance of reliable, trusted relationships, especially when you can’t plan for every scenario that may impact product delivery. With multiple supply points and carriers and a team that is personally accessible, we serve our clients with the highest standards. 

If you need support in finding a strategic sourcing partner in today’s feed and agriculture market, we’re here to help. Call us at 1-800-432-7755 or email us at jclark@harriscrane.com. 

Harris-Crane, Inc. offers feed brokerages and feed distribution as part of our core services. Learn more here.