It seems that the holiday season has finally arrived on the feed market. There is virtually no trading and the majority of prices are again moving sideways. However, there is clearly more straw on the market.
The only price change this week can be found in the price for meadow hay. This price drops by €10 to €140 per tonne, free of charge, but it should be noted that this is an average price. The price is strongly determined by the quality. After all: the higher the quality, the higher the price. The highest prices are currently around €150 per tonne, free of charge, while the lower prices are around €130 per tonne. The very poor quality even comes close to grass seed hay.
More straw available
The offer of straw has increased significantly in the past week. However, this has not yet affected prices, which are stable at €105 per tonne free at the farm (both barley and wheat straw). In the south (near Belgium) the price is sometimes a bit lower, because the transport distance is slightly shorter. Incidentally, the forage traders say that the market for barley straw is now over.
In addition, traders report that there appears to be more straw this year than in previous years. This is partly because more tons are removed from the land; For example, where previously 5 tons per hectare were harvested, this is now 7 tons per hectare. This also ensures that a lower price is taken into account in the long term.
The fact that the increased supply has not had a direct impact on prices may be because this product has not yet been offered on the market. "Many buyers first bring in the product and wait to see what the market will do in the coming weeks. This partly depends on the situation surrounding the drought, although the market is very unpredictable this year," says a forage trader.
Little commotion
There is little commotion in the market regarding other roughage products. The price for perennial ryegrass remains at €110 per tonne free at farm, although this is also called the minimum price. If the price drops even further, it is cheaper to chop it. In addition, there still seems to be a lot of old corn available, which means that the price remains stable at around €70 per tonne, delivered to the farm (good quality).
There is no trade in feed potatoes, because the supply is too limited. Also the offer of brewer's grain is small. The price of this product therefore remains stable at €2,30 per percent dry matter. The prices for meadow meadow, red fescue and tall fescue amount to €135, €145 and €130 per tonne, free of charge, respectively. According to traders, there is less product available this year than in other years. On the other hand, demand also remains limited, which explains why no price extremes are visible.