Fieldwork is fast enough for manure disposal.

This week, most contractors can still find good work in arable farming, but various intermediaries indicate that next week will likely no longer be a full working week. By that time, most crops will be in the ground.

For spreading manure early in the spring on the pasture and in the winter wheat, it was still a bit of a struggle in between the showers. In the roughly month of dry weather we have had, a great deal has happened. With drag hose application in grain, work is finished on a single very late-sown field. Manure spreading for potatoes is also well underway for many contractors. One expects to be finished this week, while another expects to be sometime next week. There is not much panic among arable farmers about spreading the manure quickly. If it doesn't come today, we'll see what tomorrow brings; rain isn't in the forecast anyway.

Meanwhile, a good start has already been made with the sowing of maize. In the north of the country, things are still not very advanced, but in the south, some contractors report being at or past the halfway point. It is admittedly still a bit cold for maize, but conditions are otherwise good, although it is getting on the dry side.

Quite a bit of grass has already been mowed and ensiled this week. The bulk is expected next week. "Let it stay dry for another two weeks, then we can spread the last of the manure for the potatoes now, get the grass in next week, and then immediately spread manure on the grass," said a contractor.

Limited space
The fact that the spring is proceeding relatively smoothly comes as a bit of a surprise to some livestock farmers. Some customers who, about six weeks ago, found the costs of disposal too high and are now calling saying 'it just has to be done' are in for a rude awakening. Intermediaries, transporters, and contractors have made the schedules and cannot immediately accommodate this extra supply.

However, there are significant differences between the regions. In the southeast of the country, dairy farmers generally made the decision early on, and a large part of what needed to be disposed of has already been removed. This is not the case in the traditionally extensive livestock farming areas in Friesland, for example, but also around Rotterdam. According to some, the fact that manure prices in the regions are considerably higher than in the southeast also plays a role. It makes quite a difference whether you can get rid of the manure for €22 or €38.

The DCA manure collection fee remains largely unchanged this week. Now that spreading in arable farming is nearing completion, some players are being cautious about filling their own storage facilities. Space for animal manure is simply limited, and a large portion was already used up in the spring.