“We’ll be millionaires in no time, mark my words.” So went one quote from a farmer in the west.

You can talk all you like about commodity markets, rush farmers have seen the price of their produce double over the past week.

At the beginning of last week, rushes were trading at €8/bale but have steadily increased to a reported €15/bale being paid early this week for rushes with some hay mixed through. Straw is looking to be very scarce and entrepreneurial farmers in the west are looking at alternatives.

One prominent straw trader on the border has already traded 280 bales of rushes and is seeking more to fill further orders.

“Straw is too dear at €30/bale for a lot of my customers,” he said. It’s another plus for low-carbon footprint production where straw doesn’t have to be hauled long distances.