Maize is still central to the roughage trade. Interest in by-products also remains good. The trade in hay and straw, on the other hand, is calm and with grass silage, some traders have noticed that livestock farmers are cautious about offering.
The silage maize harvest is progressing steadily, despite the changeable weather. Several traders report that they still have about a week to ten days of work to do with the chopping. The harvest of grain maize/ccm has yet to really start. The grain is ripe in the southeast, but the leaf actually needs to dry for a while before it can thresh properly.
Differences in price
The DCA Indicative Price for silage maize is an average of €60 per tonne. There are significant differences between the prices quoted by traders. "It's a bit of a crazy thing to do," according to one trader. Farmers who have already discussed something in advance or who are in a region with sufficient supply now pay prices for good corn of around €55 per tonne. For livestock farmers who discover at the last minute that they still want to buy more corn and are dependent on truck transport, an additional €10 will be added.
There remains a healthy demand for spent grains. Livestock farmers are looking for affordable additions to the ration and partly rely on by-products and residual products such as spent grains. The DCA Indication Price remains unchanged compared to last week at €2,90 per percent dry matter. The trade in feed potatoes remains somewhat difficult. The demand from livestock farming is there, but there are more privateers on the coast. The processing industry is also hungry for potatoes. The DCA Indicative Price for feed potatoes remains at €45 per tonne.
Golden yellow straw
The demand for straw is calm but does not deviate much from the normal pattern. What is striking is the good demand for barley straw. Due to the late mowing of the first and second cuts of grass, it was expected that there would be less need for structural products in the ration. That prediction did not come true and the need for straw, for example, remains. The color also plays a role. Although it absorbs less moisture, some traders still notice that customers prefer golden yellow barley straw to gray wheat straw. The DCA Indicative Price remains the same at €125 per tonne for wheat and barley straw.
Silage grass is rarely traded. This is partly because livestock farmers and traders are busy with other work. But what also plays a role, according to some traders, is that a relatively large amount of grass must be fed to keep the cows supplied with milk. The silage pits may have been well filled last season, but livestock farmers are still cautious about offering grass silage due to the high feeding speed. The DCA Indicative Price is €60 per tonne.
The demand for meadow and grass seed hay mainly comes from horse farming. According to most traders, livestock farmers are hardly on the market. Prices of around €180 per tonne are quoted for meadow hay. For grass seed hay this is between €130 and €150 tonnes depending on the variety.