Increasing numbers of tillage farmers are turning to commodity markets to protect their incomes against greater volatility in grain prices.
In the past 10 weeks, more than 50 people have signed up to a new online commodity trading facility from Dublin-based company Delta Index.
John Kelly, from the firm's agri-trading division, said around half of these new customers are farmers, while the remainder work in the grain industry.
Rising interest in grain trading coincides with upward price movements in the wheat futures market.
According to Mr Kelly, a farmer who bought 1,000t of grain at €136/t in mid-June could have accumulated a profit of €19,000, by last Thursday.
November prices for corn in Paris also rose from €150/t to €161/t in the past month, while oilseed rape futures contracts have risen by €45/t to €345/t. Feed wheat contracts have risen by £19stg in the past month.
The Delta Index online system allows farmers to hedge the value of their crop by trading in Liffe feed wheat, milling wheat, rapeseed and maize futures contracts.
Farmers can also trade in corn, oats, wheat and soyabeans futures contracts on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT).
The minimum trade on the Delta Index system is 100t of grain and each trade incurs a charge based on the difference between buy and sell prices. Currently, the charge for trading Paris milling wheat is around €1.60/t, while feed wheat is lower at €1.10/t.
However, Mr Kelly said speculators had to be aware of potential losses from commodity trading.