Changeable weather not good for roughage quality

The quality of straw is a concern. The straw has generally been on the land for a long time or is still there, causing the color to have deteriorated considerably. In addition to the Netherlands, this also occurs in France and Germany. The gray color does not look nice, but does not have to be a problem for the quality, provided it has been pressed dry. And that is sometimes the case. With rain in the forecast and an arable farmer who wants the land free, the edge is pushed to the limit and sometimes even exceeded. The DCA Indicative Price for wheat straw remains at €115 per tonne.

More demand for hay
There is slightly more demand for meadow hay, especially from horse farming. The weather also plays a major role here. The hay season is coming to an end and due to the moderate summer, relatively many hay-dried foil bales have been made and little real hay has been extracted. The prices quoted for hay vary considerably. The DCA Indicative Price for good meadow hay has increased by €5 this week and amounts to €180 per tonne.

The trade in grass seed hay is also picking up somewhat. Partly by livestock farmers who do not like the quality of the straw and still want some grass seed hay for rumen injection in the ration and partly by horse farmers who are looking for a cheaper alternative to meadow hay. Good Dutch grass seed hay is difficult to obtain. Several plots where the grass seed hay has been lying around for too long have already been chopped. The supply of grass seed hay largely comes from Denmark. The price for red fescue rose to €140 per tonne. Tall fescue, meadow meadow and perennial ryegrass are quoted at prices of around €130 per tonne. That's €10 more than last week.

There is little trade in silage. There are buyers for good silage, but this is rarely offered. Moderate potholes are offered more often, but there is hardly any interest in this on the demand side. The DCA Indicative Price remains at €60 per tonne.

Residual and by-products remain popular
Due to the somewhat disappointing average nutritional values ​​of the silage grass and the high protein prices, there remains a lot of interest in by-products in the ration. The potato starch campaign has (partially) started. Potato press fiber is gradually coming onto the market and is selling well according to most traders. The chip factories have also largely completed the summer break, which means that the supply of steam peels and potato chips is on the rise again; albeit that the peeling is still thin early in the season.

Feed potatoes still remain difficult to obtain. Potatoes are relatively expensive, especially compared to the last 2 years, which means that everything that can be processed is actually processed. The DCA Indicative Price for feed potatoes remains at €40 per tonne, but you have to be lucky enough to be able to buy a load.

Corona plays an important role in the beer market
The price of spent grain has risen. Demand remains good and is increasing slightly, while breweries are not increasing production. The strict rules and limited opening of the catering industry, festivals, sporting events, etc. still plays a major role in the beer market - and by extension the supply of spent grain. The DCA Indicative Price for spent grain this week is €2,65 per percent dry matter, €0,10 higher than last week.

There is a little more trade in silage maize, but according to most traders it is not really busy. The corn is generally in good condition, but the harvest will not be early as it currently looks. Livestock farmers are therefore now buying some additional corn to bridge the period until the new harvest is available. The DCA Indicative Price for good silage maize remains at €70 per tonne.