Orders for maize seed are starting much more slowly than in previous years. It also appears that livestock farmers are increasingly looking at a third crop. In the meantime, the question arises as to what the size of the livestock will do. It leaves its mark on the feed market.
However, when looking at the trade in phosphate rights towards 2018, this will at most involve slightly fewer livestock for a year. The majority of livestock farmers are preparing to restore the herd to its former glory, that is, as far as the supply of rights allows this. The big question is also which livestock farmers will soon make use of the stopper scheme. Inquiries show that the first reports indicate that it is the livestock farmers who work outside the company who choose to stop. Another group thinking about quitting are those just over 40. They are fed up with the rules. The elderly in good health prefer to continue.
For the 2017/18 season, the prospect of fewer beaks in combination with the expected stable area means that the feed supply does not have to cause any problems. Unless the yield continues to disappoint due to weather extremes. Another point of speculation comes from the pressed pulp. A disappointing sugar beet yield slowed down supply and fueled demand for fodder beet.
The area will grow by approximately 20 percent next season. If the sugar beet yield is good, there is absolutely no longer a shortage of pressed pulp. Although sugar producers are increasingly looking at alternative sales of the pressed pulp. A logical thought is that it is wise not to sow fodder beets, but they do more than replace pressed pulp. They are also used as an alternative to raw materials such as soy and rapeseed meal. It helps that a good crop quickly produces a yield of 120 to 150 tons per hectare. In any case, the beets for the 2016/17 season are sold out.
This does not apply to silage maize by a long shot. Towards the end of the meteorological winter, more and more dairy farmers are reporting to the market with a demand for silage maize. They have run out of their own stocks and are looking for new supplies. The time does not differ from other years, despite the fact that the yield in tons was not optimal. A sign that more other products have also been used. It yields a price range of 49 to 63 euros per tonne, free of charge. The price can be even higher for real top corn. Towards the south, the supply decreases, but the number of entrepreneurs who are thinking about quitting increases. It puts a brake on trade.
Things also go a little more smoothly in silage grass. On average, the price remains at 40 to 45 euros per tonne, but here too a wide spread is seen. The price starts at 35 euros to 85 euros at the top.
The prices for hay and straw also remain unchanged. For example, wheat commands a price of 110 to 120 euros per tonne free at the farm. Barley is more at the bottom of the range. The price for sliced product is even higher.
The price of meadow hay remains at 160 euros per tonne free at the farm. Demand mainly comes from horses. Grass seed hay, meanwhile, remains at 125 to 140 euros per tonne, free of charge. The bottom for English Hit a top for Red Fescue.