High roughage prices do not help the trade

The relatively high feed prices do not exactly help the roughage trade. "You have to pull it hard at the moment," say several traders. In addition, there is plenty of grass available. Livestock farmers are in a split. Top production with relatively expensive feed, or let go of the last kilos of milk and feed more grass.

Up the farmer
By-products and residual products remain reasonably in demand. You have to go to the farm, according to some traders, but then you can sell. The high concentrate prices give the by-products an extra boost. The DCA Indicative Price for spent grain remains the same as last week at €2,65 per percent dry matter. The supply of feed potatoes is limited and at a level comparable to the past few weeks. The price also remains stable at €42,50 per tonne.

There is not much demand for silage maize at the moment. Buyers find the corn on the expensive side and ignore it. On the other hand, there is not a lot of silage maize available with good yields. Good corn therefore remains quite expensive. The DCA Indicative Price remains at €70 per tonne. The bad corn pits are now finding their way to the biogas.

Little supply of straw
Straw is difficult to obtain. Supplies are running low while the new harvest will still have to wait a few weeks. The grain harvest forecasts are good for large parts of Europe. If the barley and wheat harvest gets off to a good start, prices are expected to drop rapidly. Until then, tightness will continue to rule the market. The DCA Indicative Price therefore remains at €155 per tonne for both wheat and barley straw.

There is also little trade in grass seed hay. Prices quoted are around €150 per tonne. But most forage traders don't want to burn their fingers over this. The new harvest will be available in a few weeks and because the first cut of silage was mown late, it is expected that there will be less need for structural products in the ration next year.

Meadow hay widely available
Meadow hay has fallen sharply in price. New hay from the Netherlands, but also France and Germany, is widely available, partly helped by the consistent weather of recent times. The shortages of the past period have therefore been resolved. The DCA Indicative Price is €180 per tonne. There are many differences between large packages, with or without foil, and small packages, loose or bundled.

The silage trade is quiet. Some livestock farmers still offer some silage from the 2020 harvest, but there is hardly any demand for it. There is some trade in silage from the new harvest, but because many livestock farmers have a heavy first and sometimes second cut in the silo, there is less demand than in recent years. The DCA Indicative Price remains at €60 per tonne. Some insiders warn that if the warm and especially dry weather continues for a longer period of time, the mood could change.