The demand for manure among arable farmers is high. Despite the wet period at the beginning of the month, contractors were able to do a lot of work. Sales simply stand or fall with the weather and that was quite good this season.
The ripening season for wheat slurry is nearing its end. Especially in the south of the Netherlands, wheat is already too developed. But in total, quite a few cubic meters of manure have been spread due to the favorable weather. The major bottleneck this season was transport. In the regions that are more out of the way for distributors, it was and is difficult to get manure, according to insiders. In the southeast or the peat colonies, for example, a relatively large amount of animal manure has been used in recent years. In most cases there is also sufficient manure available.
This is more difficult in the north and south-west of the country. The regions where intensive livestock farming is concentrated are a bit further away and getting the manure there consumes transport capacity. This while it is precisely in those arable areas - due to the high fertilizer prices - that there is extra demand for manure. Growers who had never had tow hoses in wheat before were now interested, and there was and still is a greater demand for slurry for potatoes. That pinches. Insiders report that they have served or are still able to serve regular customers, but that the extra demand has not all been filled.
wait
The wait-and-see attitude of some arable farmers also plays a part in this. Fertilizer has been expensive for months. The group that waited to order - in the hope 'that it would run smoothly' - guessed wrong afterwards. The war in Ukraine, of course, hardly anyone had foreseen. But ordering slurry at the last minute is no longer possible in various cases. With hindsight it is of course easy to do business, but according to insiders it helps if farmers do not wait until the last minute.
The mood among livestock farmers is that the collection fees are on the high side, given the high demand from arable farming. Compared to the same period last year, however, prices are lower this season. In addition, various sources point to the much higher diesel prices. As a result, costs for transport and exit have risen considerably.