Inside Enter
Quality leading in roughage prices
There is slightly more movement in the feed market, although quality seems to be leading more and more. This leads to price drops here and there, although red fescue shows an increase in price.
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Choose the subscription that suits youAccording to various forage traders, the price of meadow hay has been under pressure for some time. Now something extra offer has become available, and demand has decreased somewhat, the price has taken a step down. This decreases by €10 to €230 per tonne, free of charge. The price range is quite wide: from €200 to €250 per tonne, free of charge.
The wide price range is mainly related to quality. As described above, quality is increasingly leading. This means that for (very) good quality, €250 is sometimes paid per tonne, free of charge, while poor quality is also sold for €200.
Straw stabilizes again
Last week the straw price fell for the third time, but that sentiment has reversed this week. The price remains stable this week at €135 per tonne free at the farm (both wheat and barley straw). This also means that the question asked last week: 'Has straw price started a free fall?', can be answered with a 'no'.
According to the forage traders, this price drop was partly due to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. Now the brexit is likely to be postponed, straw can again be obtained with certainty from the United Kingdom (UK). Quality also plays a major role here. The lower quality (brown/black) is currently sold for much lower prices (€130 and lower) than excellent quality (€155 and higher). Here too, a broad price range applies.
The prices for spent grain and silage maize are mainly stable. The price for spent grain remains at €2,55 per percent dry matter and the price for silage maize still amounts to €60 per tonne, free of charge. For these two products, supply and demand are still reasonably in balance.
Grass scores slightly lower
Perennial ryegrass is trading slightly lower this week, with a price of €155 per tonne delivered to the farm. This has to do with an increase in supply, mainly from Denmark. The traders do report that they do not expect that all this product will be sold. "There simply isn't that much demand for perennial ryegrass," is the conclusion.
The price for silage grass also shows a decline and this week amounts to €55 per tonne, free of charge. The price range here is a lot smaller: from €45 to €65 per ton, free of charge. According to the traders, livestock farmers know well what a market price is, which prevents the price from moving much more widely. "On the other hand, there is still more than enough demand for good quality," it is said.
Red fescue increases in price
The price for red fescue has risen slightly again this week and therefore amounts to €180 per tonne, delivered to the farm. This is also related to the quality of the delivered product. The price for tall fescue remains at €170 per tonne, free of charge. Veldbeemd is still quoted at €155 per ton free of charge and feed potatoes are quoted at €45 per ton free of charge.